Should over-65s take up ironing for their health?

A study says housework wards off disease and prevents falls. So...

You may be shocked to hear that, despite my TV career cleaning other people’s houses, when my boys were teens and I was working full-time, I had a weekly cleaner.

After my divorce and the kids left home, I kept her on fortnightly. I happily paid her not to come during the pandemic, but soon realised that in fact I preferred doing the cleaning myself, so once lockdown was lifted I said goodbye to her.

I also rather enjoy ironing — I find it calming. As I take the hot steam over each duvet cover, pillowslip or tea towel, it’s as if I’m smoothing out the rough patches of my day.

Now it seems there might be health benefits to cleaning and ironing, especially for those of us over 65. The authors of this study believe that the domestically active elderly they interviewed — surprise, surprise, they’re mostly women — were fitter, had better cognitive function and were less likely to land in hospital.

I was talking to a 70-something doctor friend the other day who used to have a cleaner, but now does all his (yes, his) own housework.

He enjoys the feeling of organising his home, cleaning up as he goes along, and he thinks he’s much fitter and better organised for it.

I’m sure he’s right. Let’s face it: cleaning is an evil necessity and we all have to involve ourselves with it in some way or other.

There’s something hugely empowering about being in charge of your own surroundings rather than paying someone else to be.

Housework is a purposeful activity with visible results, which I believe helps everyone, young or old. It’s obvious that if your home’s untidy and dirty, you’ll probably feel a bit chaotic and possibly depressed.

Keeping your home clean and tidy helps you to feel clear-headed. And, post-pandemic, most of us now realise that good mental health is just as important as good physical health.

As a 66-year-old yoga teacher, I have a few words of valuable advice to other oldies. While you’re at the sink doing that washing up or in front of the cooker making supper, a good thing to do is to stand on one leg — even for a few seconds.

You don’t need to lift the other foot particularly high — a few inches is a great start. Try it on both sides and repeat as often as you can. It will strengthen your tummy muscles and improve your balance and, consequently, you’ll be far less likely to have a fall.

And carry on cleaning, it’s now proven to do us the world of good!

Hot steam helps smooth out the day’s rough patches