Four Health Benefits of a Clean and Tidy Home
Credit: Clean & Clear Domestic Services. Logo by Ellie Petrova.
Why is it so important to keep your home clean and tidy? Clean and tidy homes, as well as looking nice and being more welcoming to guests, can have positive effects on your physical and mental health.
You’ll be less stressed
Ever heard the phrase ‘cluttered desk, cluttered mind’? What about the whole house?
A 2010 study in the Personality and Social Psychology bulletin suggests that a messy home can trigger the release of cortisol, a stress hormone that can increase levels of tension and anxiety. The study revealed that women with untidy homes had higher levels of cortisol than those whose houses were tidy.
Mess doesn’t just affect the mind, but it can affect your body too.
Most untidy people believe that they can ‘live with the clutter’, but those piles of clutter may be affecting your stress levels more than you think. Try to recall the panic of being in a rush to get ready for work or a night out and desperately digging for that one item of clothing amongst the piles of laundry scattered throughout the house.
Stress triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response, which increases heart-rate, among other things. If you often have moments of short, sharp panic due to losing items amongst your clutter, then you may be putting your body under unnecessary strain.
You’ll be less stressed
Ever heard the phrase ‘cluttered desk, cluttered mind’? What about the whole house?
A 2010 study in the Personality and Social Psychology bulletin suggests that a messy home can trigger the release of cortisol, a stress hormone that can increase levels of tension and anxiety. The study revealed that women with untidy homes had higher levels of cortisol than those whose houses were tidy.
Mess doesn’t just affect the mind, but it can affect your body too.
Most untidy people believe that they can ‘live with the clutter’, but those piles of clutter may be affecting your stress levels more than you think. Try to recall the panic of being in a rush to get ready for work or a night out and desperately digging for that one item of clothing amongst the piles of laundry scattered throughout the house.
Stress triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response, which increases heart-rate, among other things. If you often have moments of short, sharp panic due to losing items amongst your clutter, then you may be putting your body under unnecessary strain.
Mess causes stress!
Image credit: Fiona White
Image credit: Fiona White
You’ll procrastinate less.
A clean and tidy house means there is less to be distracted by. Those who work from home, how often have you glanced up from your monitor, had a sinking feeling and thought ‘I really must clean the kitchen’? It’s difficult to focus on anything with a ‘to-do list’ of chores hanging over your head.
Evidence that a messy home can worsen symptoms of depression is beginning to emerge, which is all the more reason to keep your home clean and tidy. Depression can make it hard to focus and lead to procrastination.
A clean and tidy house means there is less to be distracted by. Those who work from home, how often have you glanced up from your monitor, had a sinking feeling and thought ‘I really must clean the kitchen’? It’s difficult to focus on anything with a ‘to-do list’ of chores hanging over your head.
Evidence that a messy home can worsen symptoms of depression is beginning to emerge, which is all the more reason to keep your home clean and tidy. Depression can make it hard to focus and lead to procrastination.
It may improve your social life
How often do you have friends round? If your house is unclean and cluttered, that’s probably not often. Having a clean and tidy house can instill a sense of pride in your home and boost your self-esteem, giving you the confidence to invite guests round.
How often do you have friends round? If your house is unclean and cluttered, that’s probably not often. Having a clean and tidy house can instill a sense of pride in your home and boost your self-esteem, giving you the confidence to invite guests round.
You’ll get sick less often
An unclean house has germs: those surfaces that have been gathering dust for six months, those carpets that haven’t been vacuumed in a year, that huge pile of washing-up growing its own ecosystem.
Even if you keep on top of the washing-up and vacuuming, it is still important to deep-clean as often as possible.
A bit of dust in the home seems fairly innocuous, however, studies show that house dust mites can worsen respiratory allergies.
Dust is mostly made up of shed human skin cells, and dust mites - microscopic living organisms that live off skin cells - live wherever dust builds up. As the amount of dust in your home increases, so does your risk of health problems including dust mite allergies, asthma attacks triggered by dust mites, and dermatitis.
Thoroughly cleaning at least once a month and deep cleaning at least twice a year can prevent dust levels in your home building up before it becomes a health risk.
An unclean house has germs: those surfaces that have been gathering dust for six months, those carpets that haven’t been vacuumed in a year, that huge pile of washing-up growing its own ecosystem.
Even if you keep on top of the washing-up and vacuuming, it is still important to deep-clean as often as possible.
A bit of dust in the home seems fairly innocuous, however, studies show that house dust mites can worsen respiratory allergies.
Dust is mostly made up of shed human skin cells, and dust mites - microscopic living organisms that live off skin cells - live wherever dust builds up. As the amount of dust in your home increases, so does your risk of health problems including dust mite allergies, asthma attacks triggered by dust mites, and dermatitis.
Thoroughly cleaning at least once a month and deep cleaning at least twice a year can prevent dust levels in your home building up before it becomes a health risk.
Think of the germs... if you dare!
Image credit: Fiona White
Image credit: Fiona White
“But I’m too busy to clean!”
Many people hold down more than one job. You might be a single parent splitting your time between work and childcare. You might work long hours and just don’t have time to keep on top of the cleaning and tidying.
Clean & Clear Domestic Services can help. Clean & Clear provide a full range of domestic services in Worcestershire: cleaning, tidying, gardening, pet care and more. No job considered too big or too small.
Fiona White is dedicated to making your home the beautiful, peaceful haven that it should be. Clean & Clear homes are happy homes! - Check out what her customers have to say, and if you’re ready to reap the many health benefits of a beautifully clean and tidy home contact Clean & Clear today!
Many people hold down more than one job. You might be a single parent splitting your time between work and childcare. You might work long hours and just don’t have time to keep on top of the cleaning and tidying.
Clean & Clear Domestic Services can help. Clean & Clear provide a full range of domestic services in Worcestershire: cleaning, tidying, gardening, pet care and more. No job considered too big or too small.
Fiona White is dedicated to making your home the beautiful, peaceful haven that it should be. Clean & Clear homes are happy homes! - Check out what her customers have to say, and if you’re ready to reap the many health benefits of a beautifully clean and tidy home contact Clean & Clear today!
