From timing to assistive devices, read on to learn what you can do to get your home sparkling and still feel good.

As the weather warms up, you're probably thinking about giving your home a nice deep clean. This year may be different from those in the past, however, because you'll need to work around your arthritis symptoms to get the job done. Don't worry, though - there are plenty of ways to make sure you get the house cleaned up with minimal pain and strain on your joints. From timing to assistive devices, read on to learn what you can do to get your home sparkling and still feel good:

• Change your standards. If you're an impeccably neat housekeeper, this might be hard for you, but give it a try. Focus on the areas people will see when they come over, and leave the rest until you feel able to do them (or can have someone else step in). This means you can skip the tops of fan blades and the back of the toilet for now and simply concentrate on getting the living room free of clutter and the kitchen in sanitary condition.
• Consider some new gadgets. If cleaning is very hard on you, there are plenty of new technological aids that can help you out. A self-propelling vacuum may be useful if you find it's difficult to push the vacuum around - and you can even go a step further and purchase a robotic vacuum cleaner such as a Roomba to remove the chore of vacuuming from your life entirely. If these gadgets make financial and practical sense, go ahead and buy one of them without guilt. What's important is that the house gets clean, not that you did it the traditional way.
• Do spring cleaning in pieces. Don't worry about getting all of your cleaning done in one day or even one weekend. Instead, break it down into smaller tasks you can complete when you have time. If you'd like to clean out your closet, for example, sort through it and bag items to donate on one day, and drop them off on another day when you feel able. While this might not be what you're used to for a cleaning blitz, it will prevent you from feeling tired or triggering your arthritis pain.

With a little planning, you should be able to do all of your cleaning this spring in a way that is friendly for you and your arthritis symptoms.

For more on managing daily life with arthritis:

Cooking with Arthritis
Parenting With Arthritis
Weekend Project: Clean Up Your Kitchen