We are quite familiar with phrases like “home sweet home” and “no place like home,” but the homes these phrases refer to are clean and organised homes that give a sense of comfort and not stress.
It is very important from a hygienical point of view to live in a clean house, that is free of pathogens and nasty rodents. It always feels very good and welcoming when you enter a clean and well-organized house. Your house is more like a heaven with everything neat, clean, and properly managed!
The biggest benefit of having a clean home is that you enjoy good health and feel happy. Scientifically, cleanliness has a very profound relation to mental health and researches have proved that it reduces levels of stress and fatigue. A house or room that is full of clutter is not a pleasant sight to see, plus it subconsciously reminds you that you have got work to do. People who are in a habit of cleaning their houses regularly, are physically active and are not that prone to mood swings compared to those who live in messy spaces. Psychiatrists say that the way a person lives in a house tells a lot about their personality and that there are psychological reasons behind it.
Let us look at the importance of regular house cleaning and its benefits:
A clean house improves mental health
Messy and disorganised spaces cause stress and fatigue. It takes you longer to find things in a place that is not tidy, and the mess hinders your physical activity. When you’re not mentally at ease in the space you call your home, you become a victim of mental health issues. The stress and fatigue from the clutter you’ve accumulated seriously affect your immune system and you become prone to illnesses. You must take out time to tidy up your cupboards, cabinets, and other storage areas to reduce the spread of pests, and treat problem areas immediately. Principally, a house must be restful and not teeming with clutter.
A study conducted in 2010, that involved “linguistic analysis” found that women who lived in cluttered environments complained of depression and fatigue, and had higher levels of the stress hormone “cortisol” in their bodies.
Sweeping other outer parts of the house like the patio, yard, or garden also helps in keeping dangerous insects like mosquitoes and spiders away. Unclean and messy spaces give a sense of chaos and discomfort to our minds and impact our lives negatively. Hence, keeping a house clean and your rooms tidy has immense benefits regarding your psychological and physical well-being. A cleaner house makes you feel happier and lighter! Dr. Ralph Ryback in his blog “Truisms of Wellness” explains that there’s a powerful psychology behind cleanliness, and suggests methods that help reap the benefits of health by living in a clean house.
Cleanliness also keeps, germs, allergies, and asthma at bay
A clean environment is germ-free and therefore regularly cleaning your house can keep dust-mites and bed-bugs away. There are fewer chances of getting allergy from dust or other allergens when you frequently vacuum your floors, carpets, sofas and other upholstery. Doctors always advise patients of allergy to keep their living spaces clean, free of pet dander, and pollen. Deep cleaning a house every weekend is essential for a healthy and active life. We must hang our wet towels, bedspreads, and quilts outside in the sunlight.
Doctors say that it’s very important to keep bathrooms and kitchens clean as bacteria and viruses grow very fast in damp and unclean places. The kitchen counters and dishwashing areas should be thoroughly cleaned with bleach and disinfectants. Kitchen towels must be sanitized after every use and the use of cleaning sponges should be avoided. There must be a proper way of waste or trash disposal, and eatables in the kitchen must be kept covered in airtight containers.
You must ensure that your bathrooms should are kept dry, free of mold, and contaminants. It is advisable to use a disinfectant that kills 99% of germs to disinfect the faucets, flush, and sinks of a bathroom.
Tidying living spaces and cleaning the home thoroughly every week helps stop the growth of bugs, rodents, and other insects. It makes your environment ideal for your family members and loved ones, and it saves you from getting embarrassed when guests stop by your house unannounced.
Organized and clean spaces ensure safety and reduce the risk of injury
Safety should always be a priority with you, and keeping your family safe has a lot to do with the way you manage the cleanliness of your house. If your children’s toys are always all over the floor, and you have boxes tucked in under your sofa and couches then you are more prone to injury. Several people have reported tripping over wrongly placed furniture or getting injured by loose items falling on them from the top of disorganised shelves. A healthy lifestyle can only be adopted through clean living space. The benefits of a clean house include safety and reduced risk of injuries.
A clean place keeps you physically fit and increases your overall productivity
Everybody wants to stay physically fit by losing those extra pounds. People who are in a habit of cleaning up their houses daily get to exercise their body, and hence improve blood flow. Doing a physical activity like sweeping, brooming, or vacuuming makes the brain release hormones like dopamine and serotonin in the bloodstream, which results in stabilizing our mood and fighting depression. Whether you work from home or you go to an office, a clean organized environment improves your ability to accomplish your tasks timely and with greater productivity. People who work in cluttered spaces procrastinate more and often feel demotivated.
It is very important that we keep our desk and physical environment of workplace tidy and organized. Workers who frequently lose documents due to cluttered desks, gain a lousy reputation at work, and end up losing their jobs. An IDC survey conducted in 2012, found that many workers in the IT field waste a lot of time looking for misplaced documents and reports. This wasted time cost the organizations a loss of around 21.3% in their total productivity.
Another research article titled “Procrastinators and Clutter: An Ecological View of Living with Excessive Stuff” published in 2017 mentioned that there was a co-relation between chronic procrastinators and their environment. The researchers concluded that “clutter in one’s living space, negative emotions, and impaired social ability all predicted high procrastination scores.”
Our brain inherently likes order and a study conducted by Princeton University of Neuroscience shows that “constant visual reminders of disorganization drain our cognitive resources and reduce our ability to focus.” It also proved that people who cleared the clutter from their environment were better able to focus on their work.
Hence, a healthy life goes hand in hand with clean environment and this fact cannot be denied on any premises. I would finally quote another study conducted by Dr. NiCole R. Keith which proved that people who live in clean houses were more healthy, than those who lived in messy houses.
So turn up some radio, and start cleaning your house for a healthier and safer life!
The Writer's Dungeon 