House Cleaning for Seniors: Is It Time To Call the Professionals?
It can be difficult watching time steal away pieces of a loved one while you try to help them navigate the challenges with dignity.
The last thing on your mind is the cleanliness of their home until you start to notice the dirt and clutter piling up.
Most people don’t realize how much physical activity is involved in cleaning a home until they can’t do it anymore. It may be time to consider house cleaning services for yourself or a loved one.
Keep reading to learn about the:
Tell-tale signs that a senior might need house cleaning services
Benefits of house cleaning for seniors
What to look for in house cleaning services for seniors
Signs That a Senior Might Need House Cleaning Services
As your senior transitions from a busy retiree life to a more relaxed, intentional lifestyle, you may be wondering if it’s time to offer a little additional assistance with house cleaning services.
Here are just a few signs that may indicate your senior would benefit from house cleaning services:
Unpleasant odors
Overflowing garbage
Dirty toilets
Layers of dirt and residue on showers and bathtubs
Thick layers of dust on surfaces
Clutter on the floor
Soiled dishes left in the kitchen
Flies and other pests
What House Cleaning Services Are Available to Seniors?
House cleaning services should be tailored to specific household needs. Seniors often have a particular set of needs in common when it comes to house cleaning.
Most seniors do best with routines they can expect. A regular cleaning service, scheduled weekly or bi-weekly, can help your senior with the deep cleaning that has become too challenging to complete.
Your senior might also find it frustrating to meet a different cleaner every time.
Your senior may appreciate a cleaning service that offers a permanent cleaning team. They may even begin to develop a relationship with their cleaning team and look forward to visits from familiar faces.
House cleaning services for your senior should also include moving and cleaning under light furniture and vacuuming and mopping under heavy furniture, like beds and sofas.
Dirt and dust can accumulate in these areas and have been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular problems in the elderly.
Additional cleaning services that seniors may need including cleaning the:
Inside the oven
Inside the windows
Inside drawers and cabinets
Blinds
Outdoor spaces like the balcony
Inside the refrigerator
Laundry
Carpet and upholstery
These services are often considered add-ons due to the infrequent nature of the tasks, so be sure to ask your cleaning service about them specifically.
When you book house cleaning services with Tidy Up Portland!, you can trust that we will provide the highest level of cleaning services for your senior.
We offer maintenance cleaning services to fit any schedule. Your senior will have a fully trained and vetted permanent cleaning team assigned to them and will only meet an alternative if you request it or the regular team is unavailable.
4 Benefits of House Cleaning for Seniors
#1: Reduces the Risk of Accidents
Each year about three million older adults are sent to the emergency room for a trip-and-fall.
A cluttered home can increase the chances of an accident which can turn into a dangerous situation for many seniors.
Sometimes seniors can be aware of debris on the floor, but they aren’t able to bend over and pick it up.
Other times seniors may feel they’re perfectly capable of cleaning and may injure themselves while attempting a task that is just outside of their ability.
A regular cleaning service can make your senior’s home safer and prevent them from suffering an avoidable injury.
#2: Frees Them Up To Do Other Activities
Your senior has earned the opportunity to enjoy other activities life has to offer, not waste time cleaning, though some might enjoy it.
Investing in a house cleaning service allows them to spend their time doing things they truly love.
Encourage your senior to spend time doing the following with their new free time:
Go for a walk
Play golf
Socialize with friends
Play games; or
Join a club
#3: Makes Their Home Feel Peaceful
Have you ever found it difficult to focus or work properly in an untidy room?
A Princeton Neuroscience Institute study found that having too many items in sight can distract the brain’s processing capacity.
Another study on young adults found that clutter was linked to feeling overwhelmed and a lower quality of life.
That feeling can also affect seniors when their home is untidy and unclean.
Clearing away clutter allows the brain to focus on one task at a time, which can also increase your senior’s safety at home.
Unfortunately, not all seniors can manage to tidy things up by themselves so give your senior peace of mind by hiring regular cleaning services.
#4: Provides a Healthy Living Environment
Many seniors struggle to keep their households clean by themselves.
When certain tasks become too difficult, they simply stop doing them resulting in unhygienic surroundings that can cause serious illness in an older person.
Having regular cleaning at your senior’s home can ensure it stays clean and hygienic.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping your senior safe in a clean and hygienic environment is more important than ever.
A company that offers house cleaning for seniors should always act in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
At Tidy Up Portland! We follow the CDC and its recommendations closely to:
Practice social distancing
Wear masks, gloves, and shoe coverings
Monitor temperature daily; and
Sanitize all equipment between appointments
House Cleaner vs. Caretaker vs. Housekeeper: What’s the Difference?
If you think your senior may need assistance with other routine tasks like …
Cooking
Composting
Taking care of pets
Basic bathroom etiquette
Washing dishes; and
Other daily chores
… you may benefit from the services of a caretaker or housekeeper.
A caretaker or housekeeper can provide consistent upkeep of the household, focusing on immediate cleaning and tidying needs as well as cooking.
A house cleaner, on the other hand, visits less often than a caretaker or housekeeper. They are there to complete bigger cleaning tasks like scrubbing the showers or mopping the floors.
These two roles often work successfully in tandem.
If it’s within your resources, hiring both can be a great way to establish a clean and happy household for your senior.
How To Talk About House Cleaning for Seniors
Discussing house cleaning services with your senior can be a sensitive topic so prepare for all possible reactions from resistance to relief.
Some may be uncomfortable with someone they don’t know in their home or embarrassed about needing the service.
Others may find it hard to admit they aren’t able to do the tasks they once could.
Approach the conversation with care and consideration. Be gentle and sensitive to how difficult it may be to face declining mobility. Try to focus on your concerns for their well-being.
Here are a few questions that can help you open the conversation:
How do you get to all those hard-to-reach places to clean?
Do you feel comfortable standing on chairs and stools to get to them?
You’ve worked so hard, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to help you with the cleaning?
Can you imagine what you would do with all your free time if you didn’t have to clean your home?
5 Things To Look for in House Cleaning Services for Seniors
Generally, house cleaning services for seniors will be very similar to what you will find for any customer.
However, the characteristics you look for in general house cleaning services are even more important to the older adults in our lives.
If you want your senior to feel comfortable and happy with their cleaning service, be sure to look for these five features:
Affordability - Look for reasonable prices with plans that can be customized by the hour or flat rate to best suit the needs of your senior. Not to mention discounts for regular services will save your senior money in no time.
Great Reviews - Reviews are the best way to vet a cleaning company to be sure they stand by their services.
Easy Booking - You’ve got a busy life of your own. Easy booking makes it convenient if you need to schedule or reschedule services. Bonus points if they offer online booking!
Background Checks - You're inviting someone into your loved one’s home. Anything less than a rigorous recruitment process complete with police background checks simply won’t do.
Eco-Friendly - The health and safety of your loved one, especially if they have pets, is paramount. Look for a company that uses natural, green cleaning supplies and limits disposable products while still offering a thorough cleaning.
Tidy Up Portland! Provides Affordable, Reliable House Cleaning for Seniors
At Tidy Up Portland! We’re proud to say we’ve got the five features to look for in-house cleaning services for seniors, and more!
We specialize in providing affordable and reliable house cleaning for seniors.
Whether you want us to follow your cleaning checklist to the ‘T’ or prefer to use our recommended checklist, we can create the perfect service for your senior.
Booking is simple with our easy-to-use online booking portal where you can select options like:
Regular cleaning
One-off cleaning
Deep-cleaning; and
Other specialized cleaning services
All our cleaners are vetted, interviewed, and required to pass a strict cleaning workshop before making it onto our staff.
And you can be sure your senior will breathe easier knowing we offer the most thorough cleaning while using our non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning solutions.
Tidy Up Portland! provides the highest level of cleaning services throughout Portland.
Let us take care of your loved ones like they were our own.
