Home Cleaning with Health Conditions: Tips for Individuals with Chronic Illnesses or Disabilities

Maintaining a clean home is an ongoing responsibility that can feel overwhelming and repetitive, especially for individuals facing chronic illnesses or disabilities. In this article, we'll provide valuable insights into effective home cleaning strategies for those dealing with health conditions. Read on to get a hang of it.

Home Cleaning Strategies with Health Conditions

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Divide the Tasks Into a Manageable Set of Chores

Cleaning the entire house can be a daunting task, especially for individuals who face health issues like ADHD, limited mobility, or fatigue. The first step is to acknowledge and take pride in what you can do rather than fixating on your limitations.

When it comes to home cleaning with health conditions, it is best to avoid looking at the big picture before you begin. Instead, break the task down into smaller tasks to make it more manageable. For instance, setting a timer for 10 minutes or an achievable amount of time and focusing on one area can be helpful. You can also utilise commercial breaks while watching your favourite TV show to clean. Never fail to listen to your body and take breaks as needed since rest is crucial while you engage in cleaning.

Simplify Home Cleaning with a Versatile All-Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser

Using an all-purpose cleaner and degreaser is an effective cleaning technique. But it is important to pay attention to the ingredients with which it is made. Several all-purpose cleaners and degreasers on the market contain hazardous components that can pose additional health risks to people already living with vulnerabilities. Therefore, we advise you to look for natural pH, non-toxic, VOC-free cleaners that are devoid of butyl compounds, acids, and solvents for home cleaning with health conditions.  

Once you've found a suitable product, allow it to do most of the work for you. Spray the solution on the surface and let it break up the dirt before wiping it down. This will eliminate the need for intense scrubbing, which can be painful and exhausting for many people with health struggles.  

Make a List of Tasks You’ve Finished to Stay Organised

Maintaining a record of the tasks you complete every time you clean can be incredibly beneficial. It will help you keep track of what you've done and remind you of what you've achieved when it seemed impossible before you began.

If you feel that making a to-do list is an effective tool for you, you can plan and check off tasks as you complete them. However, if having a to-do list causes you stress, it's okay to discard it. We’re doing it for our good, so no worries!

Gather Simple, But Versatile Tools

There is a multitude of products available in the market and each of them is designed for specific tasks. It can be challenging to determine which ones to use when we go looking for the right cleaning tool.  

Cleaning tools can consume a lot of space and may not be very user-friendly. One of the most significant cleaning hacks is to find one or two versatile tools that are ideal for effectively cleaning various areas. For instance, long-handled brushes and mops can help those who use wheelchairs or have pain issues reach difficult areas without having to strain themselves. Tools that allow you to interchange scrubbers to clean different surfaces enable you to accomplish more with fewer products.

Get Help From Your Support Groups

One of the biggest difficulties you might probably face when cleaning is asking for assistance. It is important to recognize that family and friends can be great support systems when it comes to tasks that you are unable to do. It is okay to ask for help and remember that everyone needs help at some point. If you do not have a support system nearby, some organizations can assist you in finding the help you need. Mutual aid groups, disability-focused nonprofits, and places of worship are great resources for finding extra support around the house.

If you feel that you need to book the service of professionals to do a particular cleaning task or clean your entire home, the best option is to rely on Sendhelper. We’ll take care of everything for you!

Choose a Vacuum Cleaner That is Easy to Manage

Using a vacuum cleaner to clean your home can be tiring work, especially if the vacuum is heavy. Opting for a lightweight vacuum cleaner can make this task much easier. It is also helpful to store a vacuum on each floor of your home to avoid having to carry it up and down stairs. If vacuuming is still too intense, focus on cleaning the most heavily used areas first, such as hallways, the kitchen, and living rooms, as they are more likely to collect dust and dirt.

Go Easy While Dusting

When it comes to cleaning hard-to-reach areas, using a duster with an extendable handle can be a game-changer. This can help you avoid the discomfort and exhaustion that can come from reaching high above furniture. You can also create a makeshift handle by attaching a duster to an empty wrapping paper roll to avoid over-stretching yourself. This hack is especially helpful for cleaning nooks and crannies or forgotten corners that may have been neglected for a long time.

Make the Most Out of Your Dishwasher

Do you know that you can use dishwashers to clean various other items around the house and not just to save time on washing the dishes? Some dishwashers are even capable of washing reusable plastic items, shower seats, plastic gardening tools, and mouth guards. Just make sure to run a full cleaning cycle of the dishwasher before adding any dishes after washing these alternative items. This cleaning hack can help you cut down on the time and effort needed for these cleaning tasks. Thank us later!

Give the Dishes a Hot Water Soak

If you want to reduce the time and effort needed to clean dishes, you can try soaking them in hot water for 15 minutes before washing them. This hack helps loosen any dried-on food and makes them easier to clean. You can let your utensils soak after you finish cooking your meal, eat and then clean them first. You can then leave the rest of the dishes you used to eat to soak and come back to them later. We tell you- this simple household cleaning hack can save you from having to scrub hard on tough stains and make dishwashing less of a hassle.

Steam the Microwave Before Cleaning

Fill a bowl with water and heat it in the microwave for three or four minutes to clean your microwave without too much effort. Leave it in the microwave for a few more minutes to let the steam loosen up any grime. Follow by spraying an antibacterial or bleach cleaning product into the microwave and letting it sit for a while. Wipe the softened grime away with a clean cloth. This handy cleaning hack will save you from having to scrub away at tough stains.

Leave the Cleaning Products Undisturbed for a While

You can save time and effort in cleaning by letting cleaning products sit for a few minutes after application. This allows the chemicals to penetrate and loosen the dirt, making it easier to clean without requiring excessive scrubbing. For tough stains like mould or limescale, you may need to repeat the process and leave the cleaning product on for a longer period.

Make Use of Things Like Dryer Sheets

You can use dryer sheets for more than just softening your laundry. For instance, if you have stubborn dirt on your pots and pans, put a non-woven polyester dryer sheet in the pan filled with hot water overnight to help soften the remaining food. You can use the dryer sheet to wipe away the lifted dirt the next morning. It is also possible to use them as a substitute for dusting clothes to clean your television and computer screens. The silicon coating on the dryer sheets reduces static and picks up all of the dust particles, leaving your screens clean and free of fingerprints and dust.

Do Not Try to Do All the Tasks in a Day

You must assign specific household tasks to certain days to manage your workload and time spent on cleaning. Divide the tasks up across the week rather than dedicating one day to complete all of the chores. It can help you manage your energy levels and reduce strain. In addition to this, make sure that you communicate with other household members to share the chores so that you can spend more quality time together.

Thinking of Relying on a Cleaning Professional?

The last thing anyone would want is to further strain their already compromised health by overexerting themselves on tasks that can be delegated to others. If you are in Singapore and need some help with cleaning, Sendhelper is right here! Booking our cleaning service will let you enjoy the days your home needs cleaning without having to worry about your health. Just download the Sendhelper app, and book the service of one of our home cleaning professionals in Singapore- the service starts at $25 per hour.

If your health condition allows you only gluten-free food, here are a few gluten-free meal ideas for healthy eating.