Spring cleaning when you're old.

My problem is that I have sacroiliac joint issues so although it doesn’t affect my walking, I can’t stand still for very long. Also, anything that involves slightly bending over makes it loads worse, so housework is a major issue for me. I am currently packing up to move to a smaller house which I feel will be easier to manage. I can literally clean for about 20 minutes then I have to sit down for about the same to wait for the pain to ease. It’s really frustrating.

Oh I love spring cleaning it makes me feel good and ready for the warmer weather. I do one room at a time and do it thoroughly start at top and work way down to the carpets are last. I keep fit and active so that helps and have a positive mind set re aging. I’d say just do little and often if you struggle with the chores.

Now that the grandchildren are past the sticky fingers everywhere age there doesn't seem to be much cleaning. I have one of those rainbow strand dusters on a long stick for around the cornices and top of curtains and I have a robot vac for each floor - my back doesn't respond well to the twisting and pushing and pulling. But no, it's been years since I did an official spring cleaning. My mother always did, for as long as she was able.

I clean as I go, which isn't much, as there are only the two of us here now. It's more a case of keeping the kitchen clean and tidy, and trying to organise 'stuff' that's lying around. A cleaner comes once a week, and she cleans the bathroom thoroughly, and vacuums/mops all the floors and stairs, and gets rid of cobwebs etc or cleans windows if they need it.

Every now and then I go into dervish mode and declutter, getting rid of unwanted items and sorting out the things I'm keeping. I'm due a spell of that soon, I think, but I hate it, so may wait until the weather's a bit better - I'm in hibernation mode just now.

I’ve started my spring cleaning today ! Started as usual with the wardrobes, and airing cupboard as those are the jobs I dislike the most.
Tomorrow I’m doing one bedroom and en-suite, then it’ll be the other bedroom sometime later in the week. I feel much better for having started.
I’ll do another big clean in October. That leaves me free to just dust and vac inbetween.

Who says I am old?
I do not do as much as when I was 30/40/50 BUT no one has stopped coming to my home. I am 24/7 carer, there are things I can do and others I think 'what the hell'. When I die everything will be donated to charity, kids will prob get a cleaner in... or may not. I remember when I was clearing my parents home and I had this chap turn up to buy high quality furniture, which my parents had worked hard for, and his condescension was infuriating. Once we are gone, we are gone. Dust does not matter. My life and my partner's is more important. This is only the last few weeks that I have realised this.

I struggle to keep on top of cleaning routinely. I recently tried to tidy up and clean prior to a visit fro DS, DiL and 2 small children. I did what I coukd then just before their arrival tried to vacuum and my old vacuum cleaner refused to pick up! It picked up some stuff then dumped its contents out again. I ended up using a dustpan and brush to remeove the worst of it, but the house remained embarassingly dirty. I think I need to invest in a new one but can't reallky adfford one at the moment. I'm horrified to realise how long it must be since I had a thorough clean up!

As a friend once said. There’s not many advantages of getting older Except eyesight not as good as it used to be so you can’t see the cobwebs. Especially the ones you can no longer reach

I live alone and in my 70s. I generally clean as I go along.
The bathroom and kitchen are cleaned daily. I hoover dust and wipe twice or three times a week. My main problem is that I can no longer move heavy furniture to clean under or behind it.
I too have poor sight for close things and wear reading glasses. Therefore after a clean I put them on to check and often spot things to return to and reclean

Have you considered a robot vacuum?

Yes, I do my own cleaning and spring cleaning. I am 74, so now I do one room,or half a room at a time, depending on how much furniture and other stuff there is.

I have found the following things useful.

I bought a synthetic feather duster that had a metal rod going down into a plastic handle. I took it off the handle and asked my husband to drill a suitable sized hole in the end of an ordinary wooden broomstick, and stuck the feather duster into this. This way I can reach cobwebs depending from the ceiling and the tops of doors, and dust these as well, without having to stand on steps.

I have done away with all curtain rods and curtains, using blinds instead, as this too prevents having to stand on steps.

I have a mop that I use dry for dusting wooden floors, as quite honestly hoovering them does not get rid of dust and I find it easier to get a mop under the sitting-room furniture (and my bed) than a mop.

Generally, I do one room at a time, or one task - clean all the upstairs windows on the same day, as you need a dull dry day for window cleaning.

Today, January 5th I took down Christmas decorations and put them away. I did not have a tree this Christmas so it was possible to do the job in the course of the forenoon, then I sat down with a good book for a couple of hours.

So my advice is do a little at a time, but plan so you get through the spring cleaning in a week or ten days, otherwise it will be like painting the Forth Bridge.

And, before starting the cleaning, make sure you have something tasty for dinner on cleaning days, either in the fridge or the freezer, so you just need to bung it in the oven and leave it to look after itself!

shysal

I have never done spring cleaning as such, just do something when I notice it needs attention. I wasn't put on this earth to spend all my time on housework! Life is too short. I put a box of Oven Pride on the kitchen worktop before Christmas to remind me to clean the oven but still haven't done it. The mood will take me one day! It hasn't been used over the holidays as I had no visitors for meals and use my air fryer for myself, so no urgency.

Ditto… I have NEVER ‘Spring cleaned’ … likeMAYBEE my house is so messy it does qualify for a Hoarder clean… but apart from that being my (sad) natural affinity I still work from home in my 80th year and my house is filled with necessary ( and probably many un-necessary) THINGS. I clean around the chaos and have a cleaner in a few times a year. Needless to say I live alone and don’t have many visitors… too busy. I am alerted before my sons visit and put in a concerted effort then to clean and tidy…. So that’s my ‘spring cleaning’ done … then I have to re find all the ‘ things ‘ I’ve hidden away!
Basically a housework slut!

Little and often is the key. I clear/clean kitchen surfaces as I go and wipe down the shower, hand basin and toilet every day. Try to dust and hoover every week bigger jobs like washing down paintwork and cleaning the inside of windows are more of a challenge. Seriously as I get older feel more inclined to get a cleaner in once a week/fortnight to keep on top of things so that cleaning up in between visits becomes less of a chore. Definitely worth thinking about.

It's a bit early for Spring cleaning. The only thing I do in Spring is put the blankets/throws away after washing and take down the Winter curtain, wash and iron and put them away.

Today I am surrounded by mess as my GC visited yesterday whilst I wasout and my son is not domesticated.

I only do it one job at a time though so it may take all week!

I’m absolutely rubbish at housework now!

Dottydots

My home is too big for me but I feel that I'm too old to move now. Should have down sized years ago. Kitchen and bathroom cleaned daily but lounge and dining are done when I feel up to it. I keep everything tidy in those rooms though, so at least they look dusted and hoovered, even though they are not.

If you really want to move, then do it!!

I feell your pain....i have dark wood floors..
Which are great for my messy grandchildren...My little one..said Nanny..your floors are dusty...sun shining on them lol..I gave up...9 grandchildren and 5 dogs..lol

I think if you are ancient and doddery, the key is to be gentle with yourself.

Spread housework over at least the whole week and take frequent time out for R&R. That way it is less onerous and the trick being that you never get too tired.

midgey

I don’t think you are ever too old to do anything! Might just be that you don’t really want to move!

Moving is typically a monumental hassle even when you’re young and fit, so I wouldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to move on that account.

OTOH if we had someone else to do it all, liaising with estate agents/solicitors, dealing with viewings, deciding what to take and what not (if downsizing), packing it all up - or arranging for packers - unpacking it all at the other end….

I try to clean as I go along but have noticed quite a few cobwebs appearing over the Christmas holiday

The most worrying thing for me is my eyesight. I only wear glasses for reading and mainly the cheap off the peg ones.

I clean without my reading glasses on, which is normal as I can't walk about in them. I have then put my glasses on to read a label in the kitchen or whatever. It is surprising the amount of marks, splashes and dust around in the kitchen and bathroom that I haven't seen with my normal eyesight.

Does anyone really do it any more? I’d always thought it was necessary in pre central heating days, when there were invariably the effects of coal or wood smoke, and the daily clearing of ashes from fireplaces.

I usually have a bit of a blitz before Christmas (accent on the ‘bit’) but can see myself cleaning the inside of quite a few windows soon. All this bright winter sun and clear blue skies is certainly showing some of ours up!

I’d forgotten about my mum washing curtains and for some windows, having summer and winter curtains. In the days of open coal fires I guess everything was much dirtier.

I never do a spring clean, I just try and keep the house tidy so no major cleaning required.
I run the hoover around once or twice a week and have a long handled radiator brush which I use to sweep the corners of ceilings and light fittings.
Kitchen is cleaned down every day and floor mopped as required.
DS has been telling me for years I should get a cleaner but it is the only exercise I get so will carry on for now. TBH my house is cleaner than his and he employs cleaners.

I think ‘deep clean’ is the fashionable word for ‘spring clean’.

I have never done a spring clean in my life! However I am a rather methodical person so each week I whiz round the house with duster and hoover on a Monday, and on Tuesday I subject one room to a more intensive clean, clean windows, paintwork, if needed and a more thorough dust along skirting boards and mouldings. On occasion I will put polish on some of my good brown furnitutre - but never more than once a year.