A gentle cleaning thread for those with mobility problems and/or disabilities.

[BeansMeansFun]

Hope I've worded the title in an inclusive way. I have mobility problems, and struggle with housework and really have to pace myself. Everyone welcome.

So, if you struggle, need regular rests, need tips or just want some hand holding motivation, welcome.

I'm currently trying a gentle version of TOMM.

This morning I have
Hoovered the stairs - took 20 minutes ffs.
Rested for 15
Filled the washing machine - toddler loaded the drum.
Wiped my bathroom.
Made my bed.

I'm resting for 20 now while my toddler dusts her room. She just runs round with a dry cloth but it keeps her busy.

Building up to doing the living room.
Essentials are hoover, mop, dust and empty bins. I'll see how I go and may do windows, skirting and wiping settee thoroughly.

This is the type of thread I've needed! Thank you! I'm physically disabled and struggle with housework. I've just hoovered upstairs but it's taken a while with a rest inbetween. I have a 3 year old DD, she's at preschool for the morning so trying to get a few things done.

Hi @FlowerTink, I have a 3 year old too! She's usually at nursery in the morning but she's poorly today. Been up through the night with a cold.

I hate hoovering.

Following! Baby crying so can't comment properly but I have a lot to say!!
Will be back x

Ahh baby is teething but is settled now!

I have a bad back and also lingering spd
So things are a struggle
I have a 3 year old and a 5 month old who literally doesn't sleep so housework is an absolute ball ache
A few things that help me are

I bought a grabber stick to help pick up the endless toys and crap, saves me bending
I can't hoover (small silver lining??)
So I bought a long handled brush set thing!
I also have a laundry basket on wheels and my partner put the washing machine and tumble dryer upstairs so it saves me carrying heavy loads up and down the stairs
I also sit down next to the dishwasher when emptying it which helps a lot
Get my little girl to help as much as possible, she helps with the dishwasher and washing! And we play games which involve toy tidying
I also try and only do 15 mins at a time as that's my limit before the pain is made worse or I'm knackered
But my house is a shit hole :( I hate it
I also try and reserve the time when eldest is at nursery to REST! I can sort of do housework with them about but resting is hard with a toddler!
Oh and I recently bought a spray mop as carrying and filling the bucket is just a no go

I was thinking of trying that organised mum method but looking at it it's 30 mins a day aswel as the 'usual cleaning' to maintain a decent standard
Well that is hard enough
But I was thinking of maybe doing 15 mins instead
Also I am desperate to de clutter, honestly feel at the stage where I just want a massive skip and to live a minimal Scandi life

But I also love stuff and am incredibly sentimental

Anyways, good to know I'm not the only one who struggles as it seems everyone lives in some sort of show home and it gets me down!

X

Welcome @mumisalliam

A grabber is genius! I'm off to Amazon!

I'm doing TOMM but gentle and with rests. If I only get the basics done I don't beat myself up about it. Helps me focus though.

A big part of it seems to be "Be your future friend" which encourages followers to avoid procrastination and just do it. I think for us "being your future friend" can mean not over doing it and recognising when we should stop and not sweat some dust of the skirtings.

It's brilliant! I bought a few cheap ones which were crap but was in a garden centre and bought a 'garden grabber' for £10 and it's much better!! I sometimes use it to collect washing and stuff if my back is really sore!
I also use the long handled brush to tidy up toys! Sounds silly but it's brilliant haha!

We only moved house a year ago, went from a tiny house to a massive one and I stupidly thought more storage would mean it's much easier to keep tidy and clean
Nope it's so much harder!
Absolutely never ending even with our lower than low standards 😂
And I was also only going to pack and keep the stuff we really love and need so not sure how my house is still full of crap!

I've written a list in my phone and each week I am motivated but then the time comes and I struggle to find the energy to actually do it! Feels like I use all my 'spoons' doing the basics that any sorting or proper cleaning just doesn't get done!

Does your little one help with the dishwasher and things like that? Sometimes I feel bad and that they shouldn't have to help but then I never did any housework as a child/teenager and Jesus it was a shock when I moved out 😭 x

My toddler loads the washer but it's at her insistence. Sorting socks is something I don't struggle with as I do it sitting down and she loves doing that too.

My eldest was laughing at my excitement over a grabber. Till I explained it meant I wouldn't rely on him as much to pick up stuff from the floor. He said he doesn't mind and I don't need to get one. I'm getting a couple, but I feel no guilt that he helps, he clearly doesn't mind.

Hi, I'd love to join in please.
I have Ehlers Danlos - Hypermobile Type and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so struggle with both mobility and energy.

Tomorrow I have two Things to do - breakfast with a friend (and teenage DD), which will also be used to run some errands in town - pick up prescriptions and a couple of shops.
Then DC2 has a doctors appointment at 5pm.

The plan is to wash down the kitchen/dishes whilst the kids are having breakfast and DC2 getting ready for school. Then I'll give the dog a quick walk at 9 before going out for breakfast.
I'll typically get home around noon.

I'd then like to put away any shopping, then clean the bathroom. Then it'll pretty much be time for a nap.

That'll pretty much take me up to DC2 coming home from school

Both kids will need a bath/shower tomorrow night, so I'll hopefully get the bathroom cleaned afterwards. Then maybe put on a load of washing.

Gah. I wish I could do more.

Combination of mental health problems and physical disabilities here. Often means a couple of areas of my flat get neglected.

My living room where I spend most of my time tends to be tidy as I have a routine every couple of hours to pick up my soda can(s) and put them in the end.

When I wake up in the morning I try make my bed and open the curtains.

I have come a long way since I was that young girl who didn't know how to look after herself.

So glad we've all found each other.

My pain is up now so I'm not making plans for tomorrow until I'm out my bed. I've got an appointment at 9am and we'll go from there.

My essentials are the never ending laundry, then kitchen.

I have separate vacuum cleaners for upstairs carpets and downstairs wooden floor. Sebo x4, upstairs - bulky but thorough and just needs to be walked around, with no effort. Basic miele c1 downstairs. Really easy and sucks hard! Long extendable wand so no bending needed. Would be awful on carpet, though.

For other jobs, little and often. I never clean the whole bathroom floor, for example, but might run a wipe around the dust under the sink (hate wipes, but they do the job then go in the bin). Run a wipe around the big while a bath runs.

My issue is hms so my main thing is avoiding too much of one strenuous repetitive action. I can actually do more if I've been for a good walk, beforehand.

I only do about 10 minutes of hoovering a day. I don’t do the whole house. Different rooms different days. I have a lightweight hoover too. The big hoovers are too heavy so I use a dyson rechargeable which is mush easier to use and empty. It gets up pet hair really well. I Also do 10 minutes other cleaning after lunch such as cleaning a sink and loo, or washing the kitchen floor. The later in the afternoon I cook dinner and washnip. I only wash up once a day.

Woke up and my back is killing me
Awful night with the baby
So today is a write off
Shame my house looks like squatters have moved in ...

I love this.
I work as a nanny so have two houses to keep tidy and organised.
At work I use the broom to sweep up all the toys into a pile, the kids think it’s hilarious and it makes it much easier then for the 2yr old to actually be able to put all the toys into the toy boxes. It’s much easier on my back that way and I don’t have to crouch down to dig toys out from under the table.

At home, I love my steam mop. It’s just a cheap one from amazon but it can do floors and walls or grouting and things like that as well with no scrubbing, much lighter than carrying around a mop and bucket.

I can’t hoover at home (big heavy vax that there is nothing wrong with so no reason to replace) so DP does it, but at work they have a cordless dyson and it’s so much easier for me, i can just grab it and give the room a quick once over and it’s done in a minute or two. My parents bought one so that my dad is able to hoover at home (inherited back problems from him) because I raved about the one at work so much.

Morning all!

Like MumIs I've also been up all night. Had to cancel the appointment.

Sitting with a coffee making my lists.

Can I join you?

It's 11 am here. I didn't sleep well last night either. I need to conserve some spoons for when my support worker comes round this afternoon as that's an hour of 'sorting stuff'.

Today is a fight. I've managed to get DS to school on time, made 1 bed and sorted out the laundry into piles to put away. I've spent the last hour and half trying to summon up the energy to go into the basement to put a load of washing on. Watch this space ...

School run, a bed made and some laundry sorted sounds like a cracking start and it's not even lunchtime! Nice one @BollocksToBrexit and welcome.

I half thought this thread would just die on it's arse but I'm surprised to see a fair few here already.

Despite DD keeping me up I've had a strong start too. Living room and bathroom wiped down and tidied. These are my best rooms as now I'm on top of them it's easier. Bed stripped (I meant to ask DH before he left but I forgot) and I'm building up to tackling the hall. It's a bloody state.

There was a thread on here once asking how much do you expect your cleaner to do in hour. Posters were listing what they get done in hour and saying a cleaner should do more. I was like because their hour of housework was more than I'd get through in a week.

I know what you mean. But for some of us pushing a hoover feels like pushing a car up a hill, we're bound to take longer. We can only do what we can do.

I'd love a cleaner.

Hi can I join as well, I have 5 main conditions, 1 causes stroke-like or meningitis-like symptoms, other causes paralysis which keeps changing parts, all cause pain and the other 2 are fibromyalgia and M.E

My house is an absolute mess, support worker is starting today, I am due to move house approx March/April next to adapted accommodation. I have been fully bedbound since the end of last month.

I can't get up and around the house even with a wheelchair as it's not accessible and can only be up on better days.

When I was fit and healthy I used to work as a cleaner for extra money and I could literally blitz a whole house in two or 3 hours
It's easy when you're not in pain and have energy...

Now I can just about do one room in that time because of all the breaks and rests I need!
And I can't physically Hoover, I used to hoover the whole house in one go before!

Oh to be healthy again 😭

Also really appreciating this thread as it can be so hard to be in pain and I honestly don't know anyone who struggles like I do!
Not that I would wish this on anyone but it's nice to know I'm not the only one!

X

I feel better knowing there's others too. Course we would never wish this on anyone, but I'm in fb groups for TOMM and Mrs Hinch and it nakes me feel useless, when actually today has been good.

I didn't get the hall done, and haven't made dinner. But I did my dailies, washed bedding and tidied the bedside table.

My feet are now up and staying up.

How was everyone's day?

I do TOM too but with masses of breaks and some days when I can't move, nothing at all.

My long handled dustpan and brush is probably the best thing I have, as I can't get the hoover out every day. I have a cordless Shark, but it folds over to store and I find it difficult to unfold.

My bathroom is neglected at the moment. It needs a good mop, but I rely on DH to cart the mop bucket in from the shed and fill it etc, which he moans about. To be fair, he does loads around the house, all the cooking and laundry and pets, so I can't really complain.

Yes please!