Did You Ever Think You Would Need Help Cleaning Your House?

Twenty-three years ago, I didn’t even think about having trouble cleaning my house. Cleaning my house was a common thing that I had been doing for as long as I could remember. Outside of the occasional sinus issue when dusting, cleaning was never a problem. Then I got psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and my world changed.

Vacuuming is more difficult

Using the vacuum was never a bad thing for me. I would go into my own little world. I enjoyed the task. When I saw immediate results and that made me feel great! Now it was difficult to pull the vacuum out of the closet. The task that I once liked is now a real chore.

I strain my joints just pulling the vacuum out and it is quite noticeable now. At first, it seemed like the wheels were not rolling as smoothly...oops, my bad not the tool's fault, it’s mine. Keeping the vacuum in line while pulling it back seems to have gotten trickier as well.

Vacuum challenges

Even though vacuuming is more difficult, daily vacuuming has been stepped up to more times a day especially if someone is coming over. I have to clean up after my psoriasis flaking. Did you notice that your vacuum clogs up more? Or that there is extra hair on the floor? It’s probably yours.

Hair loss can be another side effect of psoriasis or one of the side effects of the medication. My son repairs the belt and suction on the vacuum so often he even has a small tool case dedicated to the parts he has to remove.

Kitchen cleaning

How many times have you heard that cleanliness was next to Godliness? I know my Grandma and mom said it was. I wear gloves now to keep my delicate skin from feeling the temperature of the water directly. The temperature is supposed to be one hundred and seventy degrees according to the local health department to wash and rinse dishes properly.

This rule is awesome for keeping people healthy but terrible on my psoriasis. The hotter the water the more my hands dry out. Drying out my skin means tiny little paper cut like sores. If I forget to wear my gloves, I know it in a hurry! That’s when you feel the sting of those tiny little cuts.

Speaking of cuts, I don’t take the risk of putting my hands in the cups anymore. I have one of those amazing glass brushes with a sponge on the end. I certainly can’t take the risk of cutting my hand and getting an infection. Allergies to bleach cause me to wear a different set of gloves.

Dreading cleaning the toilet

Here I am in the bathroom. There it is the toilet. First off, it’s nasty. Secondly, thank goodness for the person who invented the toilet wand. That person was the one who got tired of being elbow-deep in the business end of the place we leave our waste! I hope he made some decent money on his idea because it was well deserved. I have two college-age sons and a daughter. This poor thing gets a workout. Seems fair that it should get cleaned up.

Have you noticed how not just hair, but flakes stick to the toilet? I run the sponge on it and that just seems to spread it. The hair just keeps traveling with the sponge. The flakes are like suddenly magnetized to the toilet. No matter how hard you try they just keep sticking! Is there glue on them and, if so, why don’t they stick to you? It’s a mystery. No one ever talks about this stuff, but if you have psoriasis you know the amazement. Finally, I wipe the area with another cloth, and it comes off.

Tackling the tub

Want to talk about tubs? So now you got this bigger than life object located on the floor that needs scrubbing? How do I get down that low and get back up is my only thought? I can kneel and try that. I am a whole 4 foot 10 inches, which means reaching across stuff is just not going to happen.

That was when I discovered having two mops was amazing! I could use one with bathroom cleaner. I can do the walls, the floor, and the ceiling! Once a month or so I do the nitty-gritty work, but it sure has saved on the pain involved. The sink is not so bad because it cooperates with my cleaning.

Plumb crazy!

My only beef with the bathroom is the plumbing. A lot of the creams and oils we use on our skin can trap flake, hair and other daily grime into the pipes. So here in my area north of Chicago and South of Milwaukee, we have a plumber named Plumb Crazy. I love this guy.

After the third time, I called him out to the house and we had a chat about what we could do to help my plumbing pipes. He talked to me about these handy little basket type things that collect the gunk that sits in the drain. I use them and collect a very good amount of the gunk that used to go down the pipes. Whenever I use oil in my bath or shower, I now run very hot water after to keep the oil slick from collecting more grime then need be.

Who knew you had to learn new ways to clean?

Asking for help was a tough one for me. Now I realize that you may not be comfortable asking random people to help you clean. I am not comfortable with that either. My children help me out, but I have also learned tips for helping myself. Learning it takes more time to do the cleaning was the first thing I learned.

I am learning that Rome was not built in a day. It may take me longer to accomplish the cleaning, but the point is I am still cleaning!

Using a mop and a toilet wand has also helped me with pain and keeps me from getting an infection. When I clean the fan blades, I use a pillowcase. I climb on a step ladder and slide the pillowcase over the length of the fan blade. I gently pull back and trap all the dust and dirt inside the pillowcase. It’s all about the little things.

What tips and tricks do you use when cleaning with PsA? Share in the comments below!