Of course, spring cleaning doesn’t have to happen only in the springtime, and if you’re a senior person looking to tackle some long overdue cleaning tasks in your home, no matter what the season, here are some handy tips:
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
While you may think that your younger family members view you as a burden, you’re probably wrong. Asking for their help is one small thing you can do to help them feel useful and to help them feel as if they are taking care of you. Use the time that you spend together to catch up and chat and leave yourself the lighter cleaning chores so that you don’t become too tired.
- Compose a cleaning checklist
Checklists are a great way of ensuring that all the cleaning tasks get taken care of, as some can be easy to forget about, particularly if they don’t usually happen very often. Some areas not to forget about and to add to your list might be your medicine cabinet, pantry, refrigerator, and hallways.
- Get rid of as much clutter as you can
The less clutter you have, the less places there will be for dust to settle, and less dust makes for less cleaning! Too much clutter can even have a negative effect on your mental health, so if you have a lot of items that you no longer need or want, consider having a garage sale or making a trip to a charity to donate them. If you can’t tackle this alone, reach out for help from your family or friends, and who knows, they may even leave with a little treasure for themselves!
- Get organized before you start
Once you’ve successfully decluttered, you’ll be able to see your home and living spaces as a fresh pallet, and cleaning and organizing will be so much simpler. Begin by gathering up all your important documents and storing them safely away, before tidying up and cleaning in all the spaces where the clutter once lived. Take the tasks slowly and spread them out of the course of a few days if there is a lot of cleaning to be done.
- Take stock of your current living conditions
If keeping your home clean is becoming too much of a struggle for you – whether because it’s too large or you’re unable to complete the tasks safely – having a regular cleaner come in and help might be the solution. In doing so, this may enable you to keep on living in your home for longer and will minimize the amount of help you need to ask for from family and friends.
Many senior citizens struggle to keep on top of their cleaning chores, but there is no shame in asking for help. After all, you’ve made it this far in life, do you really want to spend your senior years slogging your guts out trying to keep a clean and tidy home? There are many people out there willing to help, you simply need to ask. Of course, a paid cleaner will cost money, but they often have payment plans to suit all budgets, and if you don’t need their services every day, then you will doubtless be able to afford one.
