Some days, it can feel like keeping up on household chores and cleaning tasks constitutes a full-time job all on its own. That can be true even if the home in question isn’t a large family in a big house. And it only gets worse whenever illness, injury, or some other malady adds to the burden. 

 

So it should come as no surprise that elderly individuals often feel overwhelmed by these otherwise routine responsibilities. Even small changes to mobility, strength, endurance, and physical health can have a big impact on how easy cleaning duties are to fulfill. 

 

It’s not a failure or weakness of character to deal with these challenges. But you also don’t have to struggle without success.

 

Why House Cleaning Becomes Challenging for Seniors

 

It is surprisingly easy to take for granted the things we use every day. That is, at least until they’re no longer available or working like we’re used to. Going out to start the car in the morning can lead to complete dumbfoundment when we turn the key and nothing happens. And few circumstances make this feeling as pronounced as when our own body begins to betray us.

 

Whether it’s bending over and suddenly struggling to stand back up, or realizing that something you once lifted with ease is now a considerable weight in your hands, signs of age can really creep up on us. It’s frustrating and embarrassing enough on its own, but it also complicates a number of daily activities. 

 

How do you bathe if you can’t easily reach your feet? What should you do if you need to rearrange furniture or move storage around, but can’t feasibly lift those objects on your own? When should you start to worry about risking injury just by, say, slipping and falling on a freshly mopped floor?

 

None of these concerns are comfortable to think about or easy to answer. But at least when it comes to cleaning a home, it can feel like a painful paradox: you can’t (or can’t easily) do the cleaning yourself the way you used to, but it’s not great to let the laundry and dishes pile up or the floors to accumulate debris. 

 

And that’s all before we start looking at other major concerns, like reduced energy, memory struggles, or just the oppressiveness of falling behind on “mundane” tasks you expected yourself to complete. 

 

It’s stressful, it’s demoralizing, and it can directly affect your quality of life all on its own.

 

Health and Safety Risks of a Dirty or Cluttered Home

 

Now, cleaning and handling tasks related to the upkeep of a home is its own set of hazards, as we pointed to above. But when things aren’t addressed for a while, they can create additional problems, or worsen existing ones. Below are some important examples.

 

Trip Hazards and Fall Risks

 

One of the most widely recognized dangers that the elderly face is the category of things related to trips and falls. Getting older makes quite a few things difficult that were once pretty ordinary, and sitting or standing up is one of them, at least when you start on the ground. 

 

That’s not necessarily dangerous on its own. But if you’re at greater risk of injuring yourself if you fall (breaking bones, causing bruises and possibly blood clots, hitting your head, etc.), and you’ll struggle to get back up to reach a phone, car keys, and other avenues of seeking help, and there’s a possibility that it will be a while before anyone checks on you…

 

Well, suddenly a minor tumble becomes an emergency, and you start to see why they invented those panic button necklaces. 

 

As clutter accumulates, spills happen, trash piles up, laundry ends up on the floor, and the house generally becomes more of a minefield to navigate, individuals run the risk of catching on the things scattered about, and winding up losing their balance. There’s also more to crash into on the way down, complicating things further. 

 

And heaven help you if you are struggling with vision problems, or need to navigate the house in the dark. 

 

Sanitation and Hygiene

 

Even if you don’t suffer physical injury as a result of the tasks left undone, there’s still the matter of the actual cleanliness of the place. Not all messes are created equal, and a blanket or pile of clean clothes are not exactly what you’d call a “contaminant.” But trash, food waste, dirty laundry, and bathroom messes (from people or from animals) represent some serious health risks when left too long.

 

Sure, you might not end up getting sick from the mess. But you might find that the smell alone is enough to make you feel sick, and there’s never really an upside to that particular form of discomfort. Plus, sanitation becomes a bigger issue whenever there’s already elevated risks of illness and weak immune response, or when injuries make an infection more likely (see the section above). 

 

Fire Hazards

 

Some risks are not risks to you, at least not directly. Building regulations have gotten better over the years, as have many of the materials we use, but fires still happen, and clutter in the wrong places still increases the odds of a fire starting. What’s more, factors like memory struggles, sleep irregularities, mobility limitations, and even the clutter itself can compound the safety risks, making it harder to escape the structure once the alarms start to sound.

 

Making House Cleaning More Senior Friendly

 

What a given person can handle on their own, and what accommodations they may need, will depend on…well, them. But there are some common threads that can be planned around as starting points:

 

  • Put things within reach, either so there’s no climb/squatting/sitting/crawling necessary, or use tools to extend reach (stepladders, using a mop or broom to clean walls/tubs/etc.)
  • Keep the clutter to a minimum. The more you own, the more you have to clean. So, less stuff equals less cleaning. 
  • Prioritize tasks based on functionality and visibility. You’ll be better served by washing dishes and sweeping the floor than by spending hours scrubbing baseboard (only to wake up with a back that can’t bend the next morning)
  • Use the help that’s available. If you have family, friends, neighbors, or others who are willing to help you out, have them do the stuff that’s difficult or dangerous (for you, at least).
  • Don’t forget maintenance tasks, like changing air filters and cleaning vents (but ask for help if it involves added risk for you). 
  • Make a schedule, routine, or checklist to keep things organized and easy to handle. That also makes it easier to prioritize, remember, and even share tasks as needed.
  • Get outside support from assistance programs or professional cleaners where needed. There are some organizations and charities that focus on this particular matter, and some in-home care includes cleaning services. When all else fails, though, even the irregular visit from a cleaning crew can do wonders on a budget. 

 

Maintaining a Clean Home for Aging in Place Success

 

As the old saying goes, “a clean home is a happy home,” and while most of us don’t really enjoy the work of cleaning, it is easier to relax in a tidy space. 

 

So much about growing older is about finding ways to ease discomfort that you can’t entirely get rid of. And so much of that pursuit is complicated by the slow eroding of our ability to fend for ourselves. In other words, as much as it might be a chore to do (pardon the pun), straightening up our own place is a way to reassert some autonomy in our lives. 

 

We can’t control much in the world. But with the right strategies, we can at least the floor tidy.

 

Ensure a safe, happy home for your loved ones using the resources provided on our site. With the right information and careful consideration, you can make the best choice for your loved one’s care and well-being.