Housekeeping Tips for Seniors Living Alone
Housekeeping is a necessary part of life. However, as we age, our bodies may not be able to handle the physical labour of scrubbing floors on our hands and knees. Many aging adults and their caregivers know that the struggle to keep a clean home is real. Luckily, there are many options for help available. So, if this sounds like you or your elderly parent living alone, know that you can get timely and suitable assistance. You can simplify the cleaning routine, pick up some new tricks, and utilize the services of professional home care workers. You don't have to be stressed over keeping a clean home any longer.
Make Housekeeping Simple and Easy
It is time to take a new approach to cleaning. Seniors living alone have their share of challenges that can be overcome with the help of a professional caregiver. If you or your aging parent struggles to keep the home clean in the typical fashion, consider how you can change things up and use new tools to save the extra physical effort.
1. Simple Housekeeping Methods for Seniors
Keeping the home clean may be tiresome for seniors, especially if you are active with volunteer work or a job. You may find that you or your aging parent cannot maintain the home with the same dedication as in earlier years. Now is a great time to rethink and simplify housekeeping:
- Focus on the Basics: If fatigue gets in the way of your regular cleaning routine, make a list of the absolute bare essentials you need done to feel your home is clean. For example, washing the dishes daily, taking the trash out, and doing the laundry may be all you can accomplish throughout the week. Vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom may need to be moved to once per week on your schedule.
- Use a Timer: You can do just about anything for 15 minutes, even housework. On those days you are the most tired, set a time for 15 minutes and tackle a specific room or area of the home that is bugging you the most. It might be just one shelf in the pantry or the shoe closet, but getting it done will leave you feeling satisfied and less stressed.
- Make a Bigger Job a Party: There will always be those jobs that need to be done, but no one wants to do them, no matter how long they remain ‘pending’. This is an excellent opportunity to ask family over for a yard day to clean gutters, trim trees, and wash windows. Feed them a nice lunch and enjoy your time together. Bonus Tip: Make a big bowl of non-alcoholic fruit punch garnished with fresh mint leaves. Everyone can stay hydrated and keep cool while they work and snack on the chopped fruit, berries and sliced cucumber.
Adjusting how you view your housekeeping routines is only the start. We can use cleaning tips throughout our lives, but it makes sense to re-evaluate and adjust to ease the burden on your body when you age.
Here some Tips to Simplify Housekeeping and Free Up Your Time
2. More House Cleaning Hacks for the Elderly
It's time to put some new tricks in place to ensure your home stays neat and clean without tiring yourself out:
- New Uses for Your Broom: Your broom can sweep your floor, but you can also use it to clean hard-to-reach places. Try using a clean broom and cleanser to scrub your tub and shower. Another idea to save your back is to wrap a cloth around your broom and secure it with a rubber band. Now, you can clean baseboards and walls without bending over.
- Grab a Lint Roller for Lampshades: Most people do not like dusting. Lampshades may be the worst to keep clean. Roll a lint roller up and down on them a few times to quickly remove dust.
- Use Rubber Gloves to Pick Up Pet Hair: Rubber gloves not only save you from dishpan hands, but they make cleaning up pet hair from furniture a breeze. Just rub your gloved hand over the furniture and then rinse it off in the sink.
Tips, tricks, and methods are not enough if you don't have some safe and effective cleaning supplies on hand and some great tools.
Here some Tips to Ease the Cleaning Burden for the Elderly
3. Cleaning Products for Seniors to Have at Home
There are many different types of cleaning products on the market. All ages benefit from the cleaning agents that are less toxic while still doing a great job. For seniors, it isn't just the type of cleanser, but it is the tool to get the job done that matters, such as:
- Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner: Vacuums suck up dirt that brooms leave behind. Lugging around a heavy sweeper is not ideal. Instead, look for a lightweight vacuum such as a stick version that can detach to give you cleaning options while saving your back.
- Combination Sweeper and Mop: You can get rid of the mop and broom when you get a tool that combines the two. They clean your surface without having to lug around a bucket of water. They are also more hygienic since you can throw the mopping pads out when you are done.
Many different small tools will make keeping your home clean a snap, and they won't wear you out. Don't forget to clean out your kitchen appliances as you change your cleaning routines and invest in handy tools.
Read more about Cleaning Products and Tools to Make Cleaning Easier
4. Keeping Kitchen Appliances Hygienic and Safe
Small kitchen appliances are convenient for aging adults. When you don't have kids at home, you may find that small appliances do everything you need. Unfortunately, they also harbour nasty germs if you don't keep them clean:
- Coffee Maker: Most of us love our morning cup of coffee. Please keep it clean by taking out all removable parts and cleaning the coffee grounds. Also, you will want to wipe done the outside and run some distilled white vinegar through the system about once a month.
- Blender, Food Processor, or Juicer: Splatters of food go everywhere, causing a mess. Let your blender or juicer do the hard work by putting in some plain water with dish soap and turning it on for 15 to 30 seconds. Next, disassemble the blades and lid parts, rinse with hot water, and let dry. Remember to clean the buttons and knobs as well.
Here some tips on How to Clean Common Kitchen Appliances
Sometimes, you or your aging parent needs additional help. That is where a personal support worker can step in and offer the extra assistance required.
Enjoy Living Alone in a Cleaner Home with Professional Support
Live confidently at home alone with help from a professional caregiver from Home Instead Hamilton. Our team offers the support you or your aging parent needs to ensure they can live life comfortably in their own house. Look to us for light housekeeping, meal preparation, personal care assistance and other customized home care services. We love serving our seniors and their families by enhancing their quality of life. Learn more about our services when you contact us today.
Call us at (905) 521-5500 to schedule a no-obligation, in-home consultation. Learn more about the compassionate, quality senior care we deliver every day to families in Hamilton Mountain, Downtown Hamilton, Rosedale, Kings Forest, Binbrook, Meadowlands, Ancaster, and Dundas.