10 Cleaning Tips That Will Spare Your Joints

Updated March 3, 2025

Use these household cleaning tips and cleaning shortcuts to streamline cleaning tasks to maximize sparkle and minimize joint pain and strain.

1. House cleaning tips begin with pacing yourself.
Instead of a dedicated chore day, clean just one room a day. “If you do everything in one day, you’ll end up overexerting yourself,” says Linda Cobb, author of Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean (Pocket Books, 2004).

2. Focus on heavy-traffic areas.
“You may need to vacuum only the pathway from the kitchen to the doorway to help spruce up the place,” says Donna Smallin, author of The One-Minute Cleaner (Storey Publishing, LLC, 2007).

3. Equip yourself properly.
If squeezing a spray bottle or lugging a heavy bottle of laundry detergent is tough, look for easy-to-handle packaging. Concentrated laundry detergents come in smaller, lighter bottles but contain enough product to clean the same number of loads. For scrubbing, simple cleaning tools, such as microfiber cloths and gloves that can be worn instead of gripped, or Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which can remove dirt beautifully with just a little water and minimal muscle.

4. Strategically store cleaning supplies.
In a two-story house, stash a complete set of cleaning solutions and tools on each floor — including separate lightweight vacuum cleaners. “That way, you don’t have to carry heavy equipment up and down the stairs,” says Cobb.

5. Clean messes when they’re fresh.
Waiting until a stain sets or clutter builds up ultimately results in more work. “It’s much easier to rinse the sink right after you brush your teeth, instead of letting the toothpaste dry and having to scrub it off,” says Smallin. Keep a canister of cleaning wipes near the sink for quick cleanups.

6. Let cleaning solutions work for you.
Once you apply a cleaning solution, let it attack the grime for a few minutes, then come back to wipe up. “You won’t have to scrub as hard,” says Smallin. This tip applies to a variety of messes for laundry, dishes, bathrooms and more.

7. Freshen it in the dryer.
To freshen bed or living room throw pillows, toss them into the dryer with a fabric-softening dryer sheet. It not only eliminates odors from smoking, pets and spills, it also rejuvenates the pillow’s shape and removes dust as well as pet dander and hair.

8. Easy dust it.
To dust high and low places without bending and stooping, make a handy dust mop by stapling your dust rag to a gift-wrap tube or yardstick. Or, pick up a lang-handled duster. Opt for a duster with an adjustable head that allows you to position it at different angles to make dusting different heights easier.

9. Make making your bed easier.
When putting fresh linens on your bed, use a wooden pizza paddle or similar shaped cutting board to help you tuck in traditional sheets and blankets. Or, try sheets designed to allow making your bed easier than traditional sheets, like those from Better Fit Bedding. Better Fit Bedding’s Fitted Flat Sheet received the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use Certification. To make daily bed-making easier, use a large, lightweight bedspread or comforter that can be slipped easily over your sheets. Just smooth your sheets and throw the comforter over them.

10. Let old duds do double duty.
When cleaning house, give up that hard-to-grip dust rag. Instead, wear an old pair of gloves or socks on your hands for dusting — no gripping required.

Read about other helpful products that have received the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use Certification.