Have you ever looked around your messy house and felt a sense of dread come over you? You aren’t alone. On an average day, 78% of adults wish that their house was cleaner.
When you’ve got a hectic schedule, it’s completely normal for stuff to start accumulating in places where they don’t belong. If this starts to happen, though, it can start taking a toll on people mentally, which is why it is crucial to find time to clean your house.
To learn more about the health benefits that come with having a clean home, keep reading.
1. A Sense of Control
If you remember the many people who were cleaning out their house during the beginning of the pandemic last year, it might not come as a surprise to you to learn that the act of cleaning gives humans a sense of control. Humans tend to turn to things they can control when they feel they have none in other areas of their lives.
This notion holds true for cleaning. As creatures of habit, we want to do things that are familiar to us, as it requires less effort for our brains to comprehend than something new. Since we learn how to pick up after ourselves at a young age, cleaning becomes one of those tasks that is easy to do.
2. Stress Reduction
In some ways, chores can be a meditative practice. The Wall Street Journal explains that the repetition of a motion calms the nervous system, like scrubbing the dishes in a circular motion or sweeping back and forth. For this method to work effectively, you have to be present with your actions and bring awareness to your senses (just as you would if you were meditating).
Not to mention, having a clean house is a stress reducer. You’ll feel welcome to relax and rejuvenate when you come home by the end of the day, instead of being reminded of all the things you need to do around the house.
3. Improves Mood
Not only do your stress levels decrease when you clean, but it also boosts your mood. Some people experience guilt, shame, or a sense of being overwhelmed when they have a messy house.
In a 2009 study, experts measured womens’ moods and cortisol levels when they lived in a “stressful” home versus a “restorative” home. They found that the women were more likely to be in a “depressed mood” by the end in a stressful home.
Additionally, a study found you make better food choices when your house is neat. This result occurs because people feel less stressed in a clean house. Therefore, they do not fall into the habit of overeating sugary foods.
Nutritious, vitamin-rich foods are medicinal, and they prevent oxidative stress from infiltrating the brain and leave “good bacteria” in your gut, which then cause an improvement in your mood.
4. Promotes Physical Activity
Mental health and physical health are linked to one another because when your heart rate increases, your body releases endorphins that release dopamine, allowing you to feel a sense of pleasure. Cleaning the house is no easy feat, as you’re carrying items up and down the stairs, pushing the vacuum, and wiping down numerous surfaces.
By the time that you’ve finished, you’ll likely feel worn out. It is an intense enough activity that it improves your physical health.
5. Increased Level of Focus
It’s simple; when you don’t have a bunch of stuff around to distract you, you can get more stuff done. In a study conducted by Princeton, they found that “the more in your visual field, the harder the brain has to work to filter them out.” It will tire out your brain and leave you with little energy to get the items on your to-do list crossed off.
If you work from home, organize your office at the end of every day so that you don’t have to worry about walking into clutter the next day. A tidy bedroom, free of distractions, will also help you sleep. Getting a good night’s rest plays an essential role in your level of concentration.
How to Boost Mental Health and Maintain a Clean Home
When you’ve got a crazy schedule, it is challenging to find time to pick up your house. The good news is that there are some small, manageable steps you can implement into your routine to help you get your clutter under control regularly.
The first one is the sixty-second rule, which combats the “I’ll do it later” thought process that allows people to procrastinate on small tasks. If the chore takes less than a minute to complete, make it a priority and tackle it right away.
Say you’ve just finished eating a meal and you have one pan you need to wash. Instead of throwing it in the sink to leave for your future self to deal with, clean it now. Not only will it prevent your dishes from piling up, but it will make your house look cleaner in the process.
Another thing you can do to keep a clean home is to create a plan where you establish days where you pick up certain rooms. For instance, have Sunday be the day everyone cleans their bedroom to start the week off with a clean slate. A schedule will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by a length task list and keep you from going too long without cleaning anything.
Get Some Extra Help Around the House
There are so many wonderful benefits of having a clean house, especially pertaining to your mental health. If you ever find yourself in a slump, look at your surroundings and see if you need to have a tidy session. You’ll find that it impacts your ability to concentrate and function without feeling overwhelmed.
Sometimes you need a little extra help getting all the little nooks and crannies in your house. Detail Cleaning Services is a family-owned business with strict standards to ensure that our work is of the highest quality. If you live in the greater Houston area, request an instant online quote today!
