8 Ways Cleaning Can Improve Your Health and Wellness
Health and wellness is not a conversation that is typically associated with regular house cleaning. Most of us know we have to clean to avoid mould build-up and to be decent people.
Some of us clean because it feels good. Kind of like when you watch pimple-popping videos and it satisfies you despite its disgusting nature. Hopefully, our messy homes aren't quite as soggy as pimples.
But did you know that cleaning can impact many areas of your health and well-being? If you're among the many whose anxiety levels are at an all-time high these days, cleaning can help.
Let's look at the ways cleaning can improve both our physical and mental health.
1. Cleaning Improves Safety at Home
What are your safety levels like at home? Do you have a lot of blocked doorways and crowded hallways? These are fire hazards. Clutter can further spread fires in a home.
Meanwhile, spills and slippery floors cause falls, a common cause of injury at home. Avoid all these by keeping your home clutter-free and clean. Do the same with your office or any commercial building.
2. Keep Pests Away
Rodents and small bugs are crucial to the ecosystem — just not the ones in our homes. Avoid pest infestations by putting food away at night and taking out the trash daily.
Pests tend to spread germs and bacteria, as well as diseases. As for those hell-sent cockroaches, they have been potentially linked to being a cause of asthma.
3. Clean to Stay Fit and Eat Better
Cleaning has this mysterious ability to motivate us to exercise — and boy do we need this! In one study of 998 African Americans, results showed that those in cleaner living areas were more active than those in dirtier spaces.
Furthermore, a 2013 study observed that people in a clean area were much more likely to select healthier eating choices and avoid sweets than those in an unkempt environment. Talk about staying clean and lean!
4. Cleaning Builds Your Immune System
As children, when we got sick, we were told that it helped us build our immune systems. However, staying in a home filled with mildew and dust can actually disrupt our immune system.
Living with allergy symptoms all our lives is apparently NOT normal. Feeling healthy is the goal. So make it a habit to clean out spaces prone to mould, like basements, bathrooms, and garages.
5. Cleaning Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Effectively, a messy home is a recipe for a stressful mind, says psychiatrist Dr. Rian Rowles. That's because you're always thinking of work that needs to be done. Your eyes, seeing the mess, are never at rest.
Depending on how cluttered your home is, you'll spend longer looking for things — another cause of stress. According to one study, cleaning can reduce anxiety levels by up to 20%.
Not only does cleaning reduce mental clutter, but the act itself releases endorphins in your brain. It's kind of like exercise, you think you're not enjoying it, but you really are. And in the end, you feel pretty satisfied.
6. Cleaning Boosts Productivity
Once you've finally taken care of those dishes, tidied up your bedroom or office, and done that much-needed deep clean, it's time to get to work. You now have improved focus to tackle your other tasks.
Fewer distractions in the form of mess mean a cleaner home and a clearer mind. To put it another way, a clutter-free home makes for a clutter-free mind. Ok, we'll stop there... You get the idea.
7. Cleaning Helps You Sleep Better
Now that you've got less chaos in your home, you can expect to sleep better at night. A simple task like making your bed every morning could give you more quality sleep.
Instead of taking sleeping pills, you might just need a good cleanup.
8. Cleaning Reduces Germ-Spreading and Allergies
If you still hold the belief that your bathroom is the dirtiest place in your home, stop right there! Look at your kitchen instead. Get ready to bust out your best microfiber cloths and take them to the crevices and countertops.
Wondering what else you need to kill those germs? Head over to Our Favourite Things and see what we use for professional cleans.
Disease-causing bacteria are likely to grow on raw foods and could lead to gastrointestinal diseases or food poisoning. Additionally, food tends to get stuck in small corners we don't pay attention to.
There are also dust mites and pet dander that linger in carpeting, bedding, and moist areas. Reduce the chances of experiencing allergy symptoms with regular cleans.
Conclusion
Remember, cleaning doesn't have to be a chore every single time. Usually, it only takes a few seconds to put items in the right spot. Get the whole family involved and create good cleaning habits.
For bigger tasks, set aside one day of the week to do thorough cleans of all your surfaces. If you're not motivated, keep in mind your health and the mental relief you'll experience afterward.
Of course, you can get those same results by hiring a professional team to clean FOR you! Find out why you should in a previous blog post.
Then, fill out our estimate form to find out how much it will cost to get a clean home and save your sanity.