The Low Mobility Guide to Cleaning Your Home

Having a clean, well-organised home environment is one of the best things we can do for our mood and mental health. One of the challenges of getting older – or of losing mobility or suffering reduced energy levels due to illness or injury – is that it is easy for the challenge of keeping up with the myriad tasks that keep your home a pleasant, welcoming place to spend your time to slowly get away from you. Basic tasks such as vacuuming, dusting and washing floors, which are simple for young, healthy people, can become so difficult to do that you end up putting them off again and again. Luckily, there are a few simple products that can make keeping your home the way you want it much more accessible no matter what your capacities are.  

Low Mobility Tip 1

If you have issues with pulling or maneuvering a heavy vacuum cleaner due to frailty or back pain, an ultra-light stick vacuum cleaner such as the Rollibot Rapido  or the Dibea C17 Cordless might just be exactly what you’re looking for! These are extremely light vacuum cleaners with strong suction, allowing them to be used one-handed – ideal for those who use mobility aids such as canes and crutches to get around, with the cordless models particularly good for those prone to unsteady feet or trips and falls. They are also bagless, making emptying and cleaning them much easier for those with arthritic fingers or hand tremors.  

Low Mobility Tip 2

If even the ultra-light cordless vacuums are a bit too much for you, robotic vacuum cleaners are an excellent option to tackle dust, crumbs and pet hair in your home almost autonomously, with little or no physical work required. The most famous is of course the roomba, but there are now a wide variety of different models available – from basic automatic sweepers for hard floors such as the Evertop Household Automatic to Alexa- and app-compatible robot vacuums which can make semi-autonomous cleaning decisions and report on their progress to your smartphone, such as the iRobot Roomba 690 . These can be particularly good for wheelchair users because they can be programmed to work when you are out, or in bed, minimising issues with possible collisions etc in a smaller home.  

Low Mobility Tip 3

One amazingly useful low-tech cleaning hack for people with mobility issues is to invest in a low wheeled stool. Mechanic’s “creeper seats” , or this one can be fantastic for this, as they are reasonably low-cost and durable. They are excellent for simply sitting on and propelling yourself around your home with your feet – as well as providing a place to store all your cleaning supplies while you work so you do not need to make multiple trips back and forth to cupboards or work surfaces, they massively reduce the need for stooping, bending or kneeling to clean under furniture or mop floors, reducing strain on your joints and minimising your chances of injury or post-exertion pain after cleaning.  

Low Mobility Tip 4

Another effective thing you can do is adopt a strategy of pacing yourself. Rather than designating a particular day a week for cleaning your home, spread it out over the entire week. Aim to do no more than one or two tasks in any given day, allowing yourself rest breaks in the middle of or in between tasks, and work up to anything you find particularly difficult. Allow yourself to appreciate the progress you make in keeping your living environment the way you want it.

Low Mobility Tip 5

And finally, you always have the option of outsourcing the cleaning to a cleaning service like Maidstr. In addition to servicing busy professionals and working families, another target market are seniors or disabled peoples who are low mobility and require care and assistance in the home.

If you or a loved one who has limited mobility, require cleaning up your home or space, don’t hesitate to call or contact Maidstr at 866-428-6778 as we provide on-demand cleaning services for the Greater Toronto Area.