When some individuals feel overwhelmed or anxious, they may try activities like yoga or a massage, but for others, just dusting the shelves, wiping down the cabinets, or organizing the pantry is just as good for their mental health. Likewise, having a clean and clutter-free house may help some individuals unwind and de-stress even after a long day. Clean Heart Maids gives a closer look at the psychology of house cleaning and how it affects mental health, as well as the advantages of cleaning and how to implement a cleaning plan into your life.
Negative Effects of Clutter
Clutter and Mess Have a Negative Impact
Having a clean home is beneficial to your health. According to a study performed by Clorox researchers, the state of your home can directly influence your mental wellbeing. The study took a poll and found 60% of individuals felt lower stress levels when their home is clean.
Clutter Could Be a Factor in Depression
Research published in the journal “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin” discovered that individuals who reported their living environments as chaotic with unfinished tasks had a higher rate of depression and fatigue. In contrast, those with a clean home felt more relaxed and well-rested. Researchers also discovered that women with chaotic or untidy houses had higher cortisol levels.
Clutter can cause a loss of focus, confusion, and tension
Meanwhile, Princeton University researchers observed that clutter might make it harder to focus on specific tasks. More precisely, they found that an individual’s visual cortex may cause an overwhelming response in the presence of clutter, making it more challenging to focus and accomplish or complete work or projects effectively.
Clutter and disarray are associated with negative feelings such as bewilderment, stress, and impatience. In contrast, an orderly environment produces more good feelings such as tranquility and a sense of wellbeing.
Additionally, clutter indicates unfinished business to the brain, which can be highly stressful to certain people. This is especially true when people are dealing with significant issues in their life.
Disorder and clutter increase tension and anxiety; however, by cleaning and eliminating clutter, you create a more soothing environment that allows you to focus on the more critical matters in life.
The Advantages of Cleaning and Decluttering
Cleaning has been shown in studies to provide a variety of mental health benefits. For example, it can help you establish control of your space and give a sense of comfort in engaging in repetitive tasks.
A clean home can also boost your mood and create a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Here’s a quick rundown of a few advantages of a clutter-free and clean home or business.
Take Charge of Your Environment
Individuals who may be struggling with difficult situations may use cleaning to gain some control in their lives. In addition, cleaning provides a sense of accomplishment.
A University of Connecticut research study discovered that people gravitate to repeated routines like cleaning at times of high stress because it offers them a sense of control during hectic times in their lives.
Furthermore, clutter and disorder may be highly distracting, making it difficult to accomplish tasks. So, if you have a strong need to clean and organize when you are stressed, your psyche is probably seeking a means to restore balance and order.
Boost Your Mood
Besides the obvious benefits of a clean home, the link between cleanliness and mental wellness can help minimize worry.
For example, a study in the Mindfulness journal discovered that individuals who were mindful while washing dishes, meaning they were in the moment and enjoying the experience, had a 27% reduction in anxiety and a 25% increase in “mental inspiration.”
On top of that, research has shown that having clean bedding and making your bed is linked to better sleep. And getting more rest delivers a slew of mental health advantages, including increased mood.
Furthermore, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the physical exercise you get from cleaning your home combined with the results of a tidy home helps alleviate tension, anxiety, and depression.
Improve Your Concentration
When your house is cluttered or unclean, it can cause you to lose focus. However, experts have established that people who have a tidy home or office are less irritated and distracted. What’s more, these individuals were more productive.
If you find it difficult to concentrate on a task, consider cleaning your home or workplace first. You may discover that investing just a few minutes to arrange your belongings and cleaning up any clutter makes it easier to focus and accomplish your tasks.
How to Make Cleaning a Habit
The idea of cleaning and decluttering may feel like a huge undertaking that is simply out of your grasp right now. As a result, many individuals create an internal debate about whether cleaning should be a high priority. However, understanding that a clean environment can boost your mood may sway individuals to incorporate cleaning into their daily routine.
Begin Small
Many individuals put off the task of cleaning because it feels like an impossible chore. But, rather than expecting to have the whole house clean in one weekend, clean a little each day. If you commit to completing one item around your home every day, your surroundings will be significantly cleaner, not to mention less stressful in a short amount of time.
Pick one chore to accomplish every day, for example, and then do it. For instance, you could sort your mail one day. You might clean the bathroom the next day. The following day, you could clean the kitchen, and the day after that, you could tackle the laundry. The idea is to keep your daily task list short; otherwise, you may end up increasing your stress rather than reducing it.
Set a Time Limit
Setting a time limit and cleaning what you can accomplish in that time frame is another approach for getting a cleaning habit started. You may also consider using a time blocking approach for your cleaning tasks. Set aside a specific amount of time, such as 15 to 30 minutes, to clean. Set a timer, and begin by tidying up one area. When your time is up, stop for the day. Setting up a cleaning schedule and sticking to your time blocks will help you gain a sense of accomplishment and provide a calm and relaxing environment, allowing you to sleep better at night.
Setting a timer for a few minutes may not seem like much time, but you may be surprised by what you accomplish. Furthermore, you are not overburdening with a three-hour cleaning frenzy. Instead, the goal is to finish as much as possible and then move to your next time block, whether that means cleaning another area or taking a break to relax.
Include Others
You may reach a point where you are unable to clean on your own. Whether you are recuperating from an illness, running a business, raising a family, or juggling work and school. Whatever your circumstance may be, enlisting help may be the right solution.
Recruit Your Friends or Family to Help
Asking for help may be complicated; however, you will find that most people will be eager to assist you if you ask. So, chat with your partner, engage your children, or ask a family member or a friend to assist you in becoming organized. Recruiting help will make those big jobs much simpler to complete.
A Message from Clean Heart Maids
If cleaning your home relieves your anxiety, stress or boosts your mood, we encourage you to grab your bucket of cleaning supplies and start cleaning. A cluttered or dirty house could be distracting you from more important things in your life. However, if cleaning isn’t something you enjoy and you would rather spend your time on things that make you happy, you may want to consider hiring a cleaning company to clean your home a couple of times a month.
At Clean Heart Maids, we can perform a top to bottom clean and then set up maintenance cleaning regularly to eliminate your stress. We hope you found our article on the psychology of house cleaning informative and are here to help you with all your home cleaning needs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!