Although cleaning is considered a chore by many, we’re all familiar with the sense of accomplishment after tidying up a messy room, giving the kitchen a deep clean or reaching the end of the laundry pile. Cleaning is therapeutic for the most part, and although a relatively mindless task, it’s greatly beneficial for mental health. As we welcome spring, starting the season with a positive mindset and freshly clean house couldn’t be easier — and with the eco-conscious products now available, the prospect is even more appealing.
There’s some science behind keeping things clean and organised, and how this can benefit your health. A study conducted by NiCole Keith at Indiana University involved 998 African Americans between the ages of 49-65, a demographic known to have an increased risk of heart disease, and studied their physical health in relation to cleaning. They concluded that participants who kept their houses clean were more active and healthier than those who didn’t, returning better results for cleaning than going for a 30 minute walk. “If you spend your day dusting, cleaning, doing laundry, you’re active. This will inform interventions. They won’t take 30 minutes to go for a walk, but they’ll take half an hour to clean,” said NiCole.
Not only does cleaning help our physical health, it’s also great for our mental wellbeing. Research carried out in 2010 found that women who describe their homes as ‘cluttered’, along with the frequent use of negative phrases to describe their homes, produced more of the stress hormone cortisol, and had an increasingly depressed mood over the course of the day. A cleaner and tidier house also makes you more productive — a disorganised room makes it easier to find something to distract you, with visual stimuli in the space making you less focused with a tendency to procrastinate more. With the sentiment of Marie Kondo, if an item doesn’t spark joy, then it doesn’t need to be in your life (but make sure you find a new home for things you no longer need).
If you’re prone to reactions from allergens, cleaning is essential to stop the build-up of any nasties. Regularly dusting and hoovering works well, but make sure you keep surfaces decluttered so you keep up the motivation to get rid of the dust every week — the more cluttered a surface becomes, the harder it is to keep clean.