Cleaning for carers of older people

In the run up to publication of my new book Carers and Caring; the One Stop Guide; how to care for older relatives and friends I am sharing an A to Z of some of the practical solutions learned from research and experience. So far we have looked at Assistive Technology, Bathing in the Bathroom, and Cooking. Tomorrow we’ll look at Clothing. If you think any problems have been missed you can email me and tell me, and I’ll make sure they are covered in the next edition and online on my website at www.juneandrews.net.  Read to the end for my top tips on Cleaning!

Cleaning

Many of the practical things that you can do to make it easier to clean the house of the person you are caring for are the same as the things you do to try and reduce the risk of them falling and to help them be independent. Getting rid of clutter can make a huge difference to how easy it is to clean up.

I know that real hoarding is where the amount of clutter interferes with everyday living, for example the person is unable to use the kitchen or bathroom and can’t access rooms because of the junk. But my dad is verging towards that. Every time I go to clean up his kitchen I give up in disgust because I don’t know where to put everything and there is just so much stuff everywhere. (Ellen, daughter of Alf, 79)

How to remove clutter

You can’t go into someone else’s house and start removing things and throwing them away or otherwise disposing of them without their permission. It may be that this house has just become too difficult for Alf to take care of and he doesn’t have the energy to reorganise himself. If Ellen can persuade him that his life will be so much easier if he has a sort-out and she can do it with his co-operation, then so much the better.

If the person has dementia or cognitive impairment it helps them if you remove things that they are not using. An example is tidying up the kitchen so that the only things visible are those things that he uses every day, such as his kettle and a small range of cooking utensils. He will find it much easier to cook for himself. Putting what he needs behind glass-fronted cupboards so that he can see them it is helpful. You can just take the cupboard doors off, and then things are visible on open shelves. This works best if all the unnecessary things are taken away with the person’s permission. It’s a good idea to hang on to the stuff for a short time in case they forget having given you that permission and start to worry where the things have gone.

Removing trip hazards

Removing rugs and mats that are trip hazards makes it easier to clean floors. 

If your mum was always house-proud, it may be very uncomfortable if your dad lets the housekeeping go. But as long as it is not exactly insanitary you may just have to relax and let him be. It’s not a housekeeping competition and no one is judging you by the way his house looks. (I know that daughters feel shame. But relax about it. People who matter know what is going on. Other people don’t matter.) If something needs doing for safety, prioritise that and ask for help. Even better, persuade him to get a cleaner for himself.

There is much more about cleaning in  Carers and Caring: The One-Stop Guide: How to care for older relatives and friends - with tips for managing finances and accessing the right support  available from all good bookshops in May 2022. This includes special advice where the problem arises from continence issues. There is more on that here.

Three hints:

1.     Anyone who judges your caring by the state of the house knows nothing

2.     Decluttering helps

3.     Get a cleaner (Somehow. I know it is not easy to persuade an older person to accept outside help but if they can possibly afford it, it leaves you with more time to do other things, or more time for yourself. You are a carer, not a cleaner.)