How to Help Seniors Keep Their Home Clean and Decluttered

Nothing in the world is as unsightly as a cluttered house. It’s a fact that clutter can easily build up, especially if you are not cleaning your home regularly. This becomes even more challenging for seniors because they tend to accumulate hundreds of things over the years that they may no longer need. The worst part is that unwanted or extra belongings around the home can make it difficult for older people to move around, and this can lead to potential hazards, such as fractures, knee injuries, head injuries, etc. Therefore, it is important to regularly declutter and spruce up your home. But older people are not physically capable enough to maintain a clean and organised home regularly. It can be tough for them to kneel down and scrub the surface or organise the kitchen pantry if suffering from mobility issues, such as arthritis, vision problems and other medical conditions. In such a situation, you can help them and simplify the cleaning chores. If any of your loved ones who are older and struggling to keep their home decluttered and clean, you can help them by considering the following tips and tricks.

What Are the Potential Dangers of a Cluttered Home For Seniors?

A mess around the home can pose potential dangers for older person because they are more vulnerable to falls and accidents. Here are some potential hazards:

Falls and Trips: Cluttered floors or leaving shoes, books and toys on the walkways can increase the risk of falls and trips that can cause head injuries and fractures.

Restricted Mobility: With aging, it becomes difficult for people to do their daily chores due to mobility issues. But, cluttered pathways and doorways can limit your mobility further and affect  the quality of life.

Affects the Overall Health: Clutter around your home can trap allergens, dust particles and mould that can pollute the indoor air quality. Older people with asthma and other respiratory disorders may get affected with this condition.

Increases Stress: Living in a messy environment can increase the stress level for seniors and affect their mental health.

That’s the reason why regularly spruce up your property, especially if you are moving out of a rented property soon. It is good to hire professionals for an expert end of lease cleaning Wollongong to complete all the complicated chores before the rental inspection. They can reduce your cleaning stress and help you get your full bond back. Here is you step-by-step guide to help seniors keep their homes clean and organised!

1. Get Rid of All Hazards

Safety is one of the major concerns when it comes to maintaining a clean and healthy abode. A cluttered home can cause tripping, which can be dangerous for seniors. So, it is good to get rid of all hazards from your home. This includes loose cords, stacks of newspapers, unsecured carpets and rugs, unnecessary sharp objects, and items you no longer need etc. You can also install slip-resistant pads underneath your rugs to prevent slips and falls of your loved seniors. Getting rid of potential hazards can make it easy for seniors to do seasonal cleaning for a shiny and germ-free abode.

2. Donate or Sell the Unwanted Items

When de-cluttering a home, you can divide household items into three categories:

Keep

Donate

Sell

Since seniors collect a lot of stuff over the years, make sure you inspect all rooms thoroughly and ask them what they no longer need. Go over all items in their house, in places such as:

Shelves

Pantry

Closets

Shoe cabinet

This way, you can easily donate or sell the items that don’t add any value to them. Make sure the items you are donating or selling are in good condition. Downsizing is the best way to clean and maintain a tidy home. The less stuff you have, the less clutter there will be.

3. Set Realistic Cleaning Goals

When it comes to maintaining a clean and decluttered home for seniors, ensure that you set up realistic cleaning goals. Instead of sprucing up everything on a go, you should focus on cleaning one place at a time. Focus on tasks, like cleaning the bathroom once a week or decluttering the kitchen pantry once a month. You can even split the house cleaning chores in the family and make things easy for that older person. If you are vacating the rented property, book trained end of lease cleaning Wollongong professionals and achieve sparkling results before the final inspection.

4. Establish a Customised Cleaning Schedule

If you can just prepare a plan that doesn’t need a lot of work at once then it will allow the senior to keep a part or even the whole house clean and decluttered. If the senior is really old and can’t keep up with the schedule then you can just take help from a house cleaning company on a regular basis. However, you can create a simple  cleaning schedule which includes easy organising and cleaning chores that can help them maintain a shiny abode all year round. You can prepare a weekly kitchen cleaning checklist to keep things organised and sorted for seniors.

5. Make an Easy Access to Cleaning Supplies

If an older person has mobility problems, make sure they have easy access to a broom, mops, dusting pads, and other tools and products. You can also help them by moving large furniture pieces or reaching high-traffic areas.

6. Gather Supportive Devices for Seniors

It is good to explore the market and look for tools designed for older people. This includes grabbers, and long-handled cleaning tools to reach top surfaces or hard-to-reach areas easily.

7. Hire Professional Cleaners

The best thing you can do is hire professional house cleaners who can come to the place and spruce up the house depending on your specific requirements. This way, you can maintain the cleaning aspect of your senior’s home. You can also prefer booking an experienced company for a detailed end of lease cleaning Wollongong and get your full bond back with ease.

Wrapping Up

It’s a fact that people get old and with that their ability to take care of themselves, let alone their homes. More often than not, they’ll need help to take care of their place whether it’s from a single person or a professional cleaning company. Follow the tips to help your senior loved one declutter their home and keep it neat and clean.