There has been a considerable rise in people who clean on Instagram. They use multiple different chemicals, and their houses are sparkling and clean. Many of them have said cleaning helps their mental health and helps them channel that anxiety into an activity.
Of course, Mrs. Hinch, The Home Edit, and Marie Kondo are all associated with cleaning and organization.
Is there any psychology behind cleaning?
In general, science will tell us that living in a clean and tidy environment is good for physical and mental well-being.
But why?
Studies in 2010, 2011, and 2014 or found the people who regularly cleaned and tidied disrupt the home is restful and a place of peace. And they also found that living in cluttered and messy environments gave people high levels of cortisol.
Cortisol is the stress hormone.
And this goes for anything as simple as making the couch neat and tidy enough to sit on, to washing the dishes.
It is also worth thinking about how you clean your home. For example, if you do speed cleaning, you get your heart rate up, which is excellent for your physical health. If you do it slowly and mindfully, it can be relaxing and improve your mental well-being.
Some people find it more beneficial to have a cleaning company like Green Cleaning DFW, to come in and do the bulk of the cleaning then they can do the small bits that they enjoy.
So here are some ways that cleaning your home can improve your mental health.
Declutter for focus
Our brains are incredible, but there’s only so much that they can do safely without becoming overwhelmed.
Focus is a serious thing for people who are studying or even trying to work in an office. Everything that is cluttered and in eyesight is things that we can see and will immediately affect us.
All of these tasks in our minds are something that we need to take care of, and it begins to interfere with our focus. In addition to clutter, we can’t say things like dishes in the sink, or needing to vacuum will also get stored away, and your mind from time to time while working will be distracted.
So as often as possible, make sure you take care of any of those decluttering and tidying tasks, and it will not begin to impact your focus.
Cleaning and endorphins
Many people choose to put on some music and start their cleaning. An energetic cleaning session, combined with music that you enjoy, ultimately results in you doing exercise. And exercise, as we know, releases endorphins.
So cleaning to your favorite music with a little bit of energy can reduce your stress levels and also help ease any anxiety that you are feeling. Not only that, but you get a considerable boost of satisfaction from living in a comfortable, clean home.
Sleep
A survey carried out by the national sleep foundation found that people who make their beds every morning are as much as 19% more likely to get a good night’s sleep. So something as simple as making your bed in the morning can already give you a boost.
Smells
We often see influences, and those who work from home, lighting candles while they’re working. It has been said that smells and mental health are deeply linked. Which is one of the reasons that aromatherapy can help reduce anxiety and depression. A room that doesn’t smell quite right or is a little bit dusty will impact your mood.
Some scents just seem to work in terms of lifting mood, and once you’ve got a clean and tidy home, the last thing to do is light a candle.
Here are some great fragrances that you should consider.
- Lavender – relaxing scent, often used to unwind.
- Citrus – citrus scents have an energizing impact.
- Pine – in Japan, using scents and the feeling of the forest reduces anxiety and stress.
- Rosemary and peppermint – these are ideal to use in your home office and can help with focus.
If you’re cleaning has got on top of you lately – don’t worry; it happens to everyone, whether they admit it or not. Start by decluttering, then cleaning. Choose one of the playlists below and bounce around until you’re happy.
- Amazon cleaning playlist
- Youtube cleaning playlist
- Spotify cleaning playlist
- iTunes cleaning playlist
And finally, try setting short burst timers using your phone or an egg timer. 5-minute burst cleans impactful and quick!