Arthritis can make basic home chores seem like the tasks of Hercules. How many light bulbs have to  burn out before you decide you really do need to change them? Is there lint gushing out of the trap in your dryer, threatening to catch fire?

We all try to skimp on tedious home duties, but if arthritis is preventing you from doing basic home tasks, something’s got to give. Fortunately, we have the answer to your dilemma.

The latest offering in a highly praised series, Arthritis: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier, is a welcome resource for those of us with the disease. While it can’t cure aching joints, it will reduce pain by making activities more user-friendly.

Following is a sampling of useful hints for doing everyday chores around the house without aggravating your arthritis. Get the book for hundreds more suggestions that will enhance your life.

1.    Lubricate the light bulb base before screwing into a socket. Put a dab of petroleum jelly or a spritz of a silicon-based lubricant, like WD-40, on the base of a light bulb and it will be easier to screw in and unscrew when it burns out.

2.    Use a sheet of fabric softener to clean the lint trap in your washer or dryer. The treated sheets attract the lint, making it easier to remove; use the old sheet from the previous load.

3.    Use an old sock as a dust cloth. Simply dampen the sock with dusting spray or furniture polish and slip it over your hand. This way, your arms and shoulders do most of the work.

4.    Vacuum instead of dust. Get a lightweight canister vacuum or an upright with an optional hand-held hose, turn the power to low, and vacuum instead of dusting. You will be amazed at how much time and effort this can save.

5.    Keep items from slipping with Dycem. Cut a strip of this thin, vinyl-like material (with a tacky, rubbery feel to it) and secure it around a pen, drinking glass, shaver, TV remote control or other item, and the object will not slip out of your hands. Place Dycem under plates, bowls, and glasses to keep them from slipping away from you. Use one or two strips to help you open jars and cans, or use it to keep items from slipping away from you in the bathroom or on your nightstand.

Home health stores or hospital rehabilitation centers will help you locate this product. As an alternative, you might try using strips of waffle weave placemats or shelf liners, readily available in kitchen departments.

6.    Polish chrome fixtures with rubbing alcohol. It’s quick, easy, and dries spot-free.

7.    Keep items you use regularly in easy-to-reach locations. If opening and closing drawers is difficult, bring your silverware and cooking utensils out of the dark. Try storing them in pretty containers on the countertop.

8.    Utilize easy-to-use containers. Put laundry detergent into a small plastic pitcher that is easier for you to pick up and pour than a heavy box or jumbo liquid jug.

9.    Store tools on a pegboard and use a marking pen to outline the space for each tool. Tools are at eye level, easy to reach, and you can tell at a glance if a tool is missing.

10.    Mark the wall with moisture to hang a picture and get it in the right spot the first time. Mark the spot on the wall with a moistened finger or sponge. Then, quickly hammer the nail in place before the area dries.

Excerpted with permission from Arthritis: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier by Shelley Peterman Schwarz, and available for purchase from publisher Demos Medical Publishing, which publishes numerous health- and disability-related books on topics such as layperson’s guides to conditions, traveling with a disability, creating independent lifestyles, career and finance guides for people with disabilities, and more.

Arthritis: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier, by Shelley Peterman Schwarz. 2009 Demos Medical Publishing, LLC, New York, N.Y. 165 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1-932603-67-5.