Written by Becky Himba, a contributing writer for Multiplicity.

“The return of warm air and spring sunshine often inspires us to open the windows, dust some hidden corners, and clean out closets. However, as busy parents of multiples, often not much time or energy is available to spend on regular cleaning, let alone on spring cleaning. Perhaps adding an elementof safety to your spring cleaning checklist will give you just enough motivation to get a few important tasks done this season. The following are some important and relatively easy ways to focus on chores that will makeyour home safer and healthier for your family.

1. Check the smoke detectors. You should have a smoke detector on everyfloor of your house and in every bedroom. Make sure that the batteries are working, anddust each one. These detectors should bereplaced every 8-10 years.

2. Place all medicine and cleaners out of reach of your children and lock them up, if possible. Make sure all bottles are easily identifiable and get rid of any expired or recalled medicines. Check with the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for a list of recalled medicines and how to dispose of them properly. It isn’t always as easy as throwing them out. Also, don’t place them in easy to reach trash cans, which can be a hazzard in and of itself. Flush them down the toilet, take them to your outside trash, or dispose of them as the FDA specifies.

3. Get rid of broken toys. Clean out playrooms and toy boxes looking for recalled or broken toys. Check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a list of toy recalls. When it comes to safetly, any toy that can fit through the inside of a toilet paper roll is considered a choking hazard and should be kept out of the reach of small children. Make sure all battery-operated toys have tight screws and well-hidden batteries. Be especially vigilant of toys with magnets, as they can be extremely dangerous if swallowed. More