Spring Cleaning Week isn't all about cleaning inside your house, your garden is just as important! Spring remains the best time to prune your plants and generally tidy up your garden. But, for most gardeners, it can be difficult and highly intimidating to prune their plants. Most gardeners don’t prune their gardens due to the stress involved in it, which can leave them messy and unkempt.

The best starting point for those that want to prune their plants before spring is by removing damaged, diseased, dead stems.
Dead stems are not good for your garden; it invites diseases to germinate and attracts insects to your garden. Also remove water sprouts, crossing branches and suckers that develop from or near below ground.

 If you are one of the people that are stressed about it, then there is no cause for alarm, because this article will teach you 5 useful tips that will enable you to prune your garden within a record time. Do you want to prune your garden’s plants before spring?

There are many ways you can actually do it, but the principles mentioned below have been tested and trusted over time. So they are credible, reliable and effective. ​

By the time you read this analysis, you will know why it is recommended for you. If you browse through the internet, you will read wonderful stories and experiences shared by people about these gardening tips.
Pruning keeps plants healthy and encourages new growth. Here are 5 great tips you need to know:

Maintaining perennial bedding plants
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Non-woody perennials are perhaps the most labor-intensive plants you can prune. At some point, you need to cut most perennial plants both before and after their growing season. Thus, they need consistent deadheading, shearing and pruning. ​

As you keep on gathering experience gardening, you need to learn the plants to prune, when and how to prune them. You will never go wrong by maintaining perennial bedding plants. 

Use great pruning shears

One of the best ways to maintain a beautiful garden is to make sure you're using quality pruning shears. Fiskars shears are some of the strongest on the market, and will help you keep your garden in order.

Make pruning a habit
It is totally up to you to prune your garden plants, but pruning your garden is something you will love doing, and it will make your garden look new and fresh.

It is an ongoing task, but if you keep doing it, it will pay off in the long run.

To help in getting started, try learning pruning basics, and you will be happy you did. Whether you are dreaming to have an outdoor oasis, a balcony of colorful flowers or a bounty of vegetables, learning pruning basic and applying it at the right time will help your garden look its best this Spring Cleaning Week.

Check out Spring Cleaning Week's spring cleaning checklist for more tips and advice!

​As people grow older, it can become more and more difficult to complete spring cleaning chores. What were once simple cleaning activities become a challenge with decreased mobility. Too many older people are forced to let their environment fall into disrepair, and unfortunately, a chaotic home environment only serves to speed up mental and physical decline. Luckily, in today's age of modern technology and the Internet of Things, it's easier than ever for seniors to keep their home in order. New technology helps older adults to remain safe and healthy, allowing them to age in peace. Spring Cleaning Week takes a look at just some of the ways that technology is helping us:

Personal Assistants
Personal electronic assistants such as Siri and Alexa are quickly becoming a fixture in most homes. They can be especially handy for the elderly, as they eliminate the need to move around the house to do things such as turn on lights or adjust the thermostat. Electronic assistants can help older people to keep the house organised by setting alarms, giving reminders, recording shopping lists, and much more. Better yet, most can be voice activated from any room of the house. Those who want to hire weekly or monthly cleaning services to help out can even do so by talking to their electronic assistant.
This year, it is expected that more sophisticated versions of personal assistants will be out on the market. It has been suggested that people of all ages may soon be able to have real chats with home assistants. Moreover, while it’s now possible to conduct relationships via computers through social media, it’s possible that people will also have relationships with them. Just like pets, computers and AI may soon become part of families all over the world.

Cleaning Robots
Most people are familiar with the Roomba, a handy little disk-shaped robot designed to sweep floors and vacuum carpets. The Roomba was one of the first futuristic cleaning tools to hit the market, giving homeowners a hands-free cleaning option. Instead of pushing around a heavy vacuum for several hours each week, older adults can simply turn on a small robot and kick their feet up for a bit.
Nowadays, robots can clean much more than just floors. The Braava is able to mop and disinfect hard surfaces, while The Looj is designed to clean gutters. This eliminates the need for seniors to climb a ladder and increase their risk of falling.
Older adults can even find more cuddly robotic companions designed to help out around the house. The SpotMini is a robotic dog that helps to pick up around the house, removing items from the floor that may increase the risk of slips and falls. It can also hand things to its owners so that they don’t have to crouch or bend.

Robotic walk assist systems
Older adults with mobility problems may be able to move more freely and regain their independence using robotic walk assist systems. Last year, Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it would be commercialising rehabilitation robots for rent. The technology was first made available to Japan’s elderly and it is expected that the system will be used all over the world in the next few years. By adding a high-tech element to mobility aids, it is likely that older adults will be able to stay independent longer and will be able to do everyday tasks with less difficulty.
Apart from enabling seniors to do their chores with ease, robotic walk assist systems can also help them to become more social. Imagine being able to go anywhere to visit friends and family members with the help of a robot. Staying social is part of a healthy lifestyle as it can improve mental health and also lessens the risk of social isolation and depression. As older adults become more mobile, they are also able to interact more and ask for help to do heavy chores that they may not be able to do anymore.

Modern technological marvels are making everyday cleaning tasks easier for seniors and older adult. Electronic assistants and cleaning robots are just some of the emerging technology designed to help us keep our houses clean and tidy.

For more ideas on cleaning upgrades, check out Spring Cleaning Week's top tips on technology to help your spring cleaning.