A Clean Home Is A Healthy Home: Protecting The Vulnerable From Disease

As our population ages, more seniors are choosing to maintain their physical independence by living at home, often with the help of in home care aides. But even for healthy elders, keeping a clean and germ-free home can be challenging, not to mention exhausting. Skimping on housecleaning, however, can result in significant health risks from mold, bacteria, and viruses—including the rapidly spreading COVID-19 coronavirus.

Let’s take a look at the home areas most in need of diligent maintenance and discuss how regular cleaning can help keep your home healthier.

Kitchen

The kitchen is perhaps the most important room to keep clean because it’s used daily and its contents are often perishable. Cross-contamination is a significant risk in the kitchen, as bacteria and even some viruses can live and even thrive on kitchen surfaces.

• Counters should be cleaned thoroughly to remove any food residue or bacteria
• Check your fridge for foodstuffs that have passed their expiration date—contaminated or spoiled food is a significant cause of illness among seniors.
• Dishes should be cleaned thoroughly with soap and water and stored in a clean, dry place.
• The sink should also be cleaned regularly after dishwashing.
• Kitchen floors are a place where grease, dirt, and germs collect. Maintaining clean floors can also reduce the risk for slip-and-falls, another common health risk among seniors.

Bath

Maintaining a clean and fully functional bathroom is another key to good health. Counters, sinks, and toilet surfaces should be wiped down regularly and the shower, tub, and toilet scrubbed weekly.

Linens

Keeping fresh, clean linens on your bed is another way to promote health. While we sleep, our sheets and pillowcases collect dust, dander, and germs. Dust mites and other tiny parasites also thrive in unwashed linens. Frequently replacing your sheets can help reduce these risks.

Floors

We don’t think much about our floors unless they become dirty, damaged, or cluttered. But maintaining clean floors is a major step toward healthier home living. Let’s face it, almost any imaginable pathogen can gain access to your home just by hitching a ride on the soles of your shoes. Keeping your floors clean can eliminate the risk of disease from bacteria, viruses, molds, and allergens. Also, items stacked or stored on the floor can present a very real fall hazard, so try to keep all thoroughfares clean and unobstructed.

General Clutter

Sometimes we encounter items that don’t seem to have a proper place to be stored. So they end up sitting around, eventually accumulating as clutter. For elders, clutter represents not only a fall risk, it can make finding needed items difficult, especially if you or a loved one is struggling with memory deficits. Removing general clutter can also help to reduce anxiety.

How a Home Care Aide Can Help

The responsibilities of keeping a clean home can often fall by the wayside if residents are ill, infirm, or otherwise unable to perform the more physically demanding tasks of home care. An in-home aide can help with these basic responsibilities by:

• Performing light housekeeping tasks
• Providing memory cues to help residents establish good cleaning practices
• Ensuring that refrigerated items are fresh and that spoiled items are discarded
• Assisting with shopping to ensure that kitchen, bathroom, and cleaning supplies are always well stocked
• Helping remove any clutter that could present a fall risk

Want to learn more about ways that an in-home aide can help make your home cleaner and safer? Contact 5 Star Home Care today, and let one of our helpful and professional representatives answer your questions. You’ll be glad you did.

5 Star Home Care serves the Philadelphia metro area, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. Contact us today, and discover what peace of mind feels like.