If your goal in 2020 is to live a better, healthier life, you should start in your own home—by cleaning your house. Why is cleaning important to your new and improved healthy lifestyle? You would be surprised at how much better you’ll feel when you receive the benefits of a clean home: better sleep, a better diet and a healthier mind. The correlation between your home and your wellbeing just can’t be denied.
Are you ready to make 2020 your year? Why is it important to have a clean house if you’re looking to live a healthier life? You’d be surprised at all the ways that removing dust and clutter from your life can leave you feeling better than ever.
You’ll Sleep Better
If you struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep, you’re not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 46 percent of Americans rate their sleep health to be poor in quality. Even though many of us run nonstop all day long, we struggle to fall asleep at night.
How important is keeping a clean house to the amount of zzz’s you catch each night?
A cluttered house and especially a messy bedroom can keep you from staying soundly asleep. The wrong environment for sleep can keep us from falling back into deep sleep rhythms during all those mini wakeups that naturally happen at night, according to sleep medicine physician Ilene Rosen.
So if one of the major benefits of cleaning is feeling more rested and energized so you can take on your day, perhaps it’s time to tackle that messy bedroom.
You’ll Have Better Mental Health
Clutter throughout your home isn’t just a tripping hazard or a minor annoyance; it really can affect your mental health as well.
How? Clutter can raise stress and anxiety levels. In fact, the sight of clutter alone can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. This can increase tension and anxiety and even lead to unhealthy habits in your life.
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “Clean house, clean mind?” There is actually a scientifically proven correlation between a clean home and improved mental health—and cortisone levels.
According to Psychology Today, women with cluttered homes had higher levels of cortisol and were more likely to be depressed and fatigued than women who described their homes as restful and restorative.
So a cleaner home may leave you feeling happier and healthier, with more energy to get through the day and a better outlook on life.
You’ll Eat Healthier
Not only can cortisol produced from clutter make you more anxious or stressed, but according to a 2016 study from Cornell University, clutter and chaos in the home led to people consuming more calories and making fewer smart food choices as well.
Participants in chaotic kitchens presented with cookies ate an average of 103 calories, while those in an in-control mindset consumed an average of only 38 calories worth of cookies.
When we are feeling anxious, we reach for comfort food. In another study conducted with nearly 100 women, half waited in a messy kitchen with newspapers on the table and dirty dishes sitting in the sink. The other half waited in a quiet, peaceful kitchen with no clutter. The results? The women in messy kitchens consumed more food and more calories.
Yes, consuming fewer calories in a sparkling clean kitchen may leave you looking and feeling more trim. But more importantly? You’ll feel less stressed, make better food choices and be healthier overall.
You Prevent the Spread of Germs
One of the major benefits of a clean home that can impact your health is by preventing germs and illness from cropping up in your home. We take an estimated 50 million sick days from work every year because we are feeling under the weather or because our kids are sick and need to stay home from school. And kids miss around 60 million school days each year because of illness.
To keep from feeling like these germs are taking over our homes, we can clean regularly and disinfect the surfaces in our home where bacteria live. These surfaces are called fomites, and they carry pathogens from one person to another. They need to be sanitized thoroughly to stop the cycle of spreading illness.
Which fomite surfaces need to be cleaned during flu season or when a family member is sick—and also during your weekly cleanings?
- Your phone
- The remote control
- The bathroom (faucets, handles, counters, doorknobs and the toilet)
- Light switches and all other doorknobs
- Tables and countertops
- Stuffed animals
- Blankets and towels
Cleaning your home with products that kill germs is the best form of defense against flu season as well as the occasional cold virus we bring home.
You Won’t Feel the Effects of Allergies and Asthma So Much
When you clean your home regularly, it can reduce your dust allergy and asthma symptoms. Dust settles in all kinds of places in your home—shelves, ceiling fans and baseboards, plus in your carpet and your upholstered furniture.
Dusting and vacuuming, washing linens, and preventing mold and mildew growth in the bathroom can make it much easier for you to breathe at home. When you’re cleaning for health reasons, you’ll notice the benefits right away; your scrubbing, dusting and vacuuming will pay off in your overall well being.
And when you use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and use a damp microfiber cloth to capture dust particles instead of sending them into the air? Your home is rid of allergens that can lead to an asthma attack or the sneezing and sniffling that come with dust in the air. These vacuums are medically reviewed to ensure they are allergy-friendly for you and your family.
If your goal in 2020 is to live a healthier life, start by cleaning your home.
Maybe you’re like many of our clients, though, and you have a hard time finding enough hours in the day to get everything done.
If this is the case, it might be time to hire a professional cleaning service like Clean My Space CT to tackle the mess and help you live a healthier life this year. We provide residential cleaning services to families like yours right here in Bristol, Conn., so they can focus on living cleaner, healthier and happier lives.
How does it work? It couldn’t be easier. Request a quote today, and we can come up with a schedule that works for you.
And that’s it—because we are all about your convenience. You enjoy a sparkling clean home and all the health benefits that come with it.
