For most people, the process of cleaning and organizing is anything but enjoyable. It’s hard and often messy work, after all. However, it’s also cathartic. A clean, organized home just feels better.
Researchers have studied the effects of cleaning and organizing on physical and mental health, and the results are conclusive. What is the scientific reason why cleaning and organizing is good for you?
Why We Feel Better After Cleaning
After giving your home a deep clean, you might feel a bit tired, but you also feel better than you did before you started. Both the process of cleaning and organizing and the end result make you feel better on many levels. Here’s why.
1. A Clean Space Calms the Mind
A dirty, chaotic environment leaves you feeling stressed, anxious and even depressed. Everywhere you look, you see messes that are yet another reminder of a long to-do list. When your home is constantly messy, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and underwater.
When your home is clean, however, your mind feels calm. You feel like you are more in control of your environment. A sense of accomplishment also helps you feel centered.
2. Cleaning Triggers Feel-Good Brain Chemistry
The process of cleaning often requires repetitive motion, such as moving the vacuum back and forth across the floor or scrubbing the tub. This repetition eases stress and clears the mind. Getting your blood pumping through physical activity releases endorphins.
This feel-good brain chemistry is recognized to reduce anxiety, which makes life more enjoyable. You can better roll with the punches that life throws at you when you feel mentally centered and healthy.
3. A Tidy Home Supports Better Health
There are also physical health benefits to having a clean, neat home. Cleaning itself gets you up and off the couch. Regular physical activity improves cardiovascular health, muscle tone and more.
In addition, the illness-causing germs and allergens in your home are removed through housecleaning. This means that you and your loved ones are less likely to get sick and spread germs between each other. For those with allergies and respiratory issues, symptoms are dramatically alleviated by cleaning on a routine basis.
Often, a clean home means better sleep quality. This impacts everything from mood to physical health.
4. Organization Boosts Focus and Productivity
Studies have shown a direct link between order and structure in the environment and brain function. More simply, there are fewer distractions when your home is organized. Focus and concentrate are improved, which directly elevates productivity.
In addition, because you can think more clearly, you can make quicker and thought-out decisions. You can even save time because you aren’t searching through chaotic piles and jam-packed closets when you need to find something.
Turning Cleaning Into a Mindful Habit
Mindfulness is the art of doing everything intentionally. It doesn’t mean that you walk to the kitchen, for example. Instead, it means that you pay attention to each step that you take into the kitchen and focus on the movement and act. It involves taking in sensations on your skin, smells and other sensory inputs in everything you do.
Related to cleaning, it means smelling the fresh scent of your cleaning supplies while you do each chore on your list. It means scrubbing with intention with each pass and appreciating the feel of the sponge or scrubber in your hand.
When folding the laundry, pay attention to the feel of each type of fabric you touch, and focus on smoothing out wrinkles. Instead of rushing through your chores, find peace and satisfaction in the full experience of doing them.
But, why would you do this? Mindfulness has been scientifically proven to improve mental health. It reduces nervousness, increases motivation and instills you with a sense of satisfaction. It also calms the mind and makes you more appreciative of your environment.
While the process of cleaning is therapeutic for some, simply having a clean home yields many benefits as well. If you don’t have the time or desire to clean your home routinely, you can still enjoy these powerful benefits. At Better Clean, we offer customizable, eco-friendly cleaning services that will leave your home sparkling. For an easy way to a cleaner home, schedule a Better Clean service today.
