House Cleaning Tips for Seniors – Part I

Those of us in our senior years need all the house cleaning tips we can get.  Whether you live in 1 room or 10, alone or with others, house cleaning is part of our lives! The dust collects, the dirt grabs hold, fingerprints and smudges and soil appear here and there. And that doesn’t count the clutter, dirty laundry, unwashed dishes, trash in the trash cans, mail to be sorted, recycling to be handled, and light bulbs to be changed!

Swiffer Sweep and Vac Vacuum Cleaner for Floor and Carpet CleaningDyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

Accept Help With The Heavy Housework

We, as seniors, have our hands full with the house cleaning chores to be done! But with Spring approaching, it is the perfect time to get a plan in mind and take action for cleaner, more orderly surroundings. Ideally, we would hire someone to do Spring Cleaning for us. Or perhaps hire a young person to help, at least a few hours, with some of the more difficult tasks. Finding the right, trustworthy person or working that into our budget is not always possible, so we have some hints that will hopefully make your Spring cleaning and future home maintenance easier.  Consider swapping chores with someone a bit younger – Offer to bake a cake or make cookies or a casserole in exchange for a couple of hours help.

Senior Safety in Housekeeping – Tips to Remember

There are also some basic safety issues to keep in mind, depending on your own situation. My son, for example, has put down a new rule for me: Never Climb the Ladder Again! This means, of course, that someone else has to replace light bulbs or pull down or put away in places I can’t reach with arm’s length! Another rule: Never Go to the Attic Alone! The stairs may be steep, making it dangerous for anyone with possible unsteady steps. So, along the cleaning route, do keep your safety in mind!  Your House cleaning tips should always include a few products to help us.

Duro-Med Step Stool with Handle, Silver and Black Medical Step StoolHeavy Duty 35 inch Extended Arm Reaching ToolMr. Clean Magic Reach All in One Bathroom Cleaning Tool Starter KitOXO Good Grips Extendable Tub and Tile Scrubber

Keep Your Housekeeping Simple with a Schedule

There are two basic approaches you may wish to consider:

A Room a Day: Determine to totally clean that particular room and very thoroughly. Polish the furniture, wash the nicknacks, check all light bulbs, sweep mop, wax or vacuum floors, clean baseboards, door frames, cabinets, shutters or blinds, and so on.

A Chore a Day: List 8-10 major cleaning chores for each room (such as those listed in #1 above), then do the same chore in every room of the house on a particular day.

Think about these house cleaning tips, and our next post, Part 2, real soon will give some specific great hints for you to use as Spring approaches and you want to do your Spring house cleaning!

Betty DeLorme

Updated by Joan Adams March 2018