Keeping walkways clear

Sahelisaheli.ca · hello@saheli.ca

Why this matters

Feet learn a room by heart and stop checking it. So the trip tends to come from what is new: a bag set down for a minute, a cord pulled across to charge a phone, a basket left on the way to the wash.

Clearing a route costs nothing. Aim for a path as wide as an open door through every room you use, with nothing in it. That also leaves room for a walker or a helping arm, if either is ever needed.

Quick safety check

Ask yourself:

Can you walk from the bed to the bathroom without stepping around anything?
Is the path through each room as wide as an open door?
Do all cords run along the wall, not across the floor?
Is the floor by the front door free of shoes and bags?
Are the stairs empty of things waiting to go up or down?

Room by room

Entryway
Give shoes, bags and post a place off the floor. A shoe rack and a hook will do.
Living room
Leave a clear path from the chair to the door. Move footstools and low tables out of it.
Bedroom
Keep the floor from the bed to the door empty. Clothes go on a chair or a hook.
Kitchen
Keep pet bowls, bins and recycling against the wall, out of the way you walk.
Stairs
Keep every step empty. Things waiting to go up can wait in a basket at the bottom.

What you can do today

1
Walk the daily routes
Go from the bed to the bathroom and the chair to the door, and pick up anything in the way.
2
Move the cords back
Run cords along the wall or behind furniture, and never under a rug, where they can overheat.
3
Give things a home
Put a basket or a hook wherever things land on the floor: by the door, the bed and the stairs.
4
Make room to pass
Move any furniture that narrows a route to less than the width of an open door.

Where a companion helps

Some of this is easier with someone alongside. A Saheli companion can help with:

Decluttering and light housekeeping
Putting away laundry, shopping and post
Moving light things out of the way you walk
Buying a shoe rack, baskets or hooks
Taking out the recycling
Companionship and regular visits

A companion goes with you; they never drive you and never provide the vehicle. You arrange the ride, or you travel together by transit, taxi or rideshare.

Find a companion

Companions are not an assessment team

Saheli companions give non-medical everyday support and companionship. They do not assess a home, install anything, or advise on health.

In an emergency

Call 911.

For anything medical

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist about dizziness, balance, eyesight, memory or medication. Some difficulties at home have a medical cause, and no change to the house will fix those.

Using this guide

If you are a family: Print it, walk the home with it, and do what you can today. Come back to it every six months.
If you are a companion: Share this with a family, or use it as a reminder of what to notice on a visit. It is not an assessment, and none of it is yours to carry out.

Next in this series

04Rugs, mats and flooring
05Making the bathroom safer
06Making the bedroom safer (coming soon)

A new guide every week, free to read and print.

Need a hand at home?

Saheli helps you find a companion nearby for the everyday things, matched on language and the traditions that already feel like home.

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Reviewed 14 September 2026 by the Saheli team.

This guide gives general information only. It is not medical, legal, or professional advice, and it does not replace an assessment by a qualified professional. In an emergency, call 911.

Keeping walkways clear

Why this matters

Quick safety check

Room by room

Entryway

Living room

Bedroom

Kitchen

Stairs

What you can do today

Walk the daily routes

Move the cords back

Give things a home

Make room to pass