Here’s Why Spring Cleaning Benefits Your Mind & Soul
When springtime rolls around, do you find yourself with a sudden urge to reorganize, clear out, and tidy up? I know I do—and, it turns out, there are concrete mental health benefits to doing so.
You might assume that spring cleaning is a relatively new phenomenon, but it’s actually been a tradition for centuries, with roots in many cultures. For our ancestors, warmer weather and more sunlight at the start of spring enabled and inspired them to tackle those dusty nooks and crannies that were overlooked during the long, dark days of winter.
There are plenty of practical reasons to purge, organize, and clean our homes when springtime rolls around. But, thanks to numerous studies, we now know that it’s also good for our health—and not only because we reduce germs and grime in the process. A clean and organized home can actually affect the way we feel. And, since we spend so much of our lives at home, a clean house can make a major impact on our mental health.
Mental Health Benefits of Spring Cleaning
Did you know that living in unclean spaces can affect your quality of life? One study has shown that cluttered homes tend to raise stress levels and are linked to depressed moods, leading to poorer health outcomes, particularly in women. Meanwhile, a study performed in China found that participants were more likely to report good health when they were living in tidy homes.
A tidier, less cluttered environment also creates surprising ripple effects. Research has pointed to benefits such as better sleep quality and reduced allergy symptoms in a cleaner home environment. Another study showed that, compared to participants in a disorderly room, participants in an orderly room chose healthier snacks and donated more money when prompted.
That’s because the way we behave in one area of our lives often indicates how we behave in all areas of our life. When we exercise discipline and take control over our physical environment, we may also exhibit a greater sense of control in our other habits—for example, reducing unnecessary stressors like procrastination.
It’s no surprise, then, that other research has associated untidy spaces with less physical activity. Fortunately, cleaning itself can be its own form of exercise. Scrubbing floors, cleaning bathrooms, and rearranging furniture can give us a real workout (and the endorphin boost that comes with it). And less strenuous activities, like washing dishes, dusting, or sweeping, can have a calming, meditative effect, as we’re forced to repeat the same motions and focus on the task at hand. So, cleaning can be both an energy booster and a relaxing activity—it’s a win-win.
Ultimately, maintaining a clean and organized environment allows us to relax at home rather than being stressed-out in the very place that’s supposed to be our sanctuary. We enjoy better concentration and focus in a space that’s uncluttered versus chaotic. And, practically speaking, we help eliminate or reduce many elements that can negatively impact our everyday physical well-being, such as bacteria, viruses, and pollen.
6 Effective Tips for Spring Cleaning
Of course, not everyone is going to relish the opportunity to tackle cleaning chores around the home. But these tasks can be made simpler and more enjoyable by creating realistic goals, focusing on one area at a time, and finding everyday opportunities to maintain neatness in the home. Here are some of my top tips for happier, healthier spring cleaning:
1. Start small, but start now.
Many people feel intimidated before they even start tidying up, telling themselves they don’t have the time or energy for a massive spring cleaning session. Don’t psych yourself out before you start. Choose something small and easy, like one drawer in the kitchen. Set a 5-minute or 15-minute timer. It’s that easy! You’ll often find that when the timer goes off, you’re engrossed in the task you’re tackling and feel motivated to keep going when you see the progress you’ve already made in such a short amount of time.
2. Enlist the entire family.
Women tend to feel more stress in the home because they’re so often the ones who are in charge of keeping it tidy. Take a weekend (or 1 weekend day) and get the entire family on board for a spring-cleaning spree. Enlist your kids to clean out their belongings and set aside toys or old clothes to donate. (Bonus: Giving back has been shown to improve mental health, so they’ll get an extra feel-good boost in the process.) Design a treat, like a fun family outing at the local park, as a reward for everyone’s hard work after you finish.
3. Streamline your spaces.
Let’s face it: Stuff accumulates, and many Americans are drowning in their possessions. For the future, make a decision to be more mindful about what you acquire. But for now, think critically as you clean. For each item you own, ask: Do I need it? Does it add to my life? Have I used it lately? Do I have more than 1 of the same item, and can I get rid of extras? Donate or toss anything that isn’t needed.
For the items you want to keep, group similar things together so that they’re organized and you can easily find them when needed. This might mean filing papers in labeled folders or creating a dedicated space for kids’ toys in their closets. Then, when a new item enters the home, you’ll know where to place it. Remember the saying, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
4. Work with your lifestyle.
Each family is unique, and you’ll want to assess and accommodate your particular needs, strengths, and challenges. Maybe you work from home, and your office gets cluttered in a flash. Maybe your garage, closets, or spare bedroom easily become catchalls for junk. Or maybe your kitchen gets out of control during home-cooked meals. Understand your habits and potential problem areas to better divvy up tasks among family members—and keep an eye on any typical trouble zones.
5. Envision the positive results.
If you’ve ever cleaned a cluttered or dirty space, you know the sense of accomplishment you feel when you’re done. But when you find a “why” behind your cleaning tasks, you’ll find yourself much more motivated to start. Will you save a ton of time by getting organized, enabling you to find something right when you need it rather than hunting around for minutes or hours? Are you planning to host a get-together for friends in your newly clean, welcoming environment? Or maybe you’ll be able to cut down on expenses—displaying and enjoying the objects you already have rather than buying more. Ask yourself what a clean, decluttered space will give you, and keep this in mind while you work.
6. Make a daily effort.
To make seasonal cleaning efforts easier, maintain your home on a regular basis. Get rid of junk mail before it piles up. When you enter a room and notice something misplaced or unnecessary, put it away or throw it away. Wipe down the countertops and table after dinner so that you wake up to a clean kitchen the next day. Establish routines for yourself and the entire family to make maintenance easier. List daily and weekly to-dos, check them off as they’re completed, and celebrate keeping up-to-date with them.
The Joys & Benefits of Spring Cleaning
The mental health benefits of spring cleaning are numerous, yet in the whirlwind of everyday life, it can be easy to let these tasks fall by the wayside. The good news is, we don’t have to whip every corner of the house into shape overnight. By taking a slow and steady approach, and making a regular routine out of tidying the home, you never again have to be intimidated to tackle cleaning—during the springtime and year-round.
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