Autism and cleaning

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My Father does not clean his sink and so it ends up with a thick layer of brown grime. I am worried about how his lack of cleaning will effect his health.

Is not cleaning related to autism?

Any tips on how I should raise not cleaning the sink with someone autistic?

Thanks for your help

For me it was very much an executive functioning thing. Organising , multi step task difficulties. It had me getting overwhelmed , so I basically went into avoidant mode about it .

I have someone who comes in now twice a week . That was arranged by my stepdaughter.

Sink sludge accumulation is so gradual that he may think it has always been like that. Maybe ask when is the last time he did a thorough or "spring" cleaning. There are probably other surfaces with build up to use for examples. If I'm not too depressed, they look better with the dust and cobwebs off. If he has never done more than basic housekeeping, you could go and "demonstrate products."

I hate spring cleaning Lol

It never gets much priority here, especially with all the other springtime options. However, once I get started cleaning, and can see a difference, it can become a temporary obsession. It's the daily sweeping I would never do. I've learned to sweep more often, but wait for a pan-full of dust to accumulate near the dustbin before putting it in.

There is one AS-disconnect, though. My dad asked me if I felt satisfaction from getting a job finished, and I said no, which just stopped him. What I feel is regret that it did not go as well as it might have, and a new "lost" feeling of not being engaged. I've trained myself to appreciate the things I've done for myself to improve the chances of repetition.

Lack of will and social pressure. Social pressure might make me more organized. I'd consider showing dirty apartment shameful but personally I do not care about my surroundings.

As a matter of fact I'm quite clean when I'm at work etc but at home where no one is watching it is a big MEH.

My general rule is that if something dirty is bothering you, you should clean it (or hire someone to clean it). I don't mean to sound harsh, but cleanliness is a relative concept and no matter who you are or how much you clean, I promise you there is someone who thinks your level of cleanliness is inadequate.

There was a woman who had a cleaning lady for decades, until she retired and could clean her own house. Years later, she ran across the woman at the grocers, and was surprised that she had not yet retired too. "However do you do it? she asked.
"I just keep a customer if their eyes are worse than mine."

My ex was very proud of her cleaning, but her eyes were failing, and we were careful to wash our own plates without her noticing the inventory control.

I don't understand that at all

Some people just can't see the dirt.
Another story comes from my grandparents, who had a small dog. Right after the dog died, grandmother discovered that she had to vacuum around grandfather's chair after every meal, as his muscle control had deteriorated, much to the delight of the dog.

I think cleaning not being the most natural instinct in the world is an ASD trait. I do try to clean, but when I have a lot going on in life, my room and studio space get messy. My art space is often messy after I've worked in it and I may have other things to do so I put cleaning off.

My mom has lectures me that the art teacher at the school she works at has a lot of students and she manages to keep her room clean and I should too. This is my space to let my hair down so it's kind of different. And I'm sure the art teacher doesn't have executive dysfunction. I'm not saying that I don't try to clean, but I need somewhere to put my hair down. I've also always been a pretty disorganize person in general.

^^Tell your mother that a shared studio must be kept tidy, but a single artist works faster by remembering where each item was used last and left handy for continued work. I knew a sign writer who would just dip his brushes in motor oil and leave them out overnight, giving them a quick swish in the solvent before continuing the next day.
I used to loathe tidying up, because school teachers called for that just when the work was getting interesting. Now, I try to remember to tidy up after each phase of work, when those tools and supplies are no longer current.