1. A Clean Home Supports Your Immunity
Are you always surprised to see how much dust and pet hair accumulates under the couch and other furniture over the winter? Sadly, we end up breathing in some of that dust, along with the mold and mildew that it develops, and it’s hardly surprising that we also tend to suffer from allergies and other respiratory issues at this time.
By really cleaning your home, you’ll be able to get rid of these pollutants and breathe deeper and better. This will help support your immune health and decrease seasonal allergy symptoms in the long run.
To get the most benefit for your immune health, follow these cleaning tips:
- Dust thoroughly: move the furniture, get rid of cobwebs, dust all the difficult-to-reach spaces like lamps, curtain railings, picture frames, railings, etc.
- Clean the curtains, carpets, and rugs, as well as the couch and other soft furniture.
- Air out pillows, blankets, and bedding, or put them into the dryer for 10 minutes to get rid of dust mites if it’s safe for the fabric the item is made of.
2. Kitchen Reorganization Promotes Better Nutrition
Spring cleaning is the perfect chance to get rid of all your unhealthy foods and set new healthier nutrition habits. As long as you’ll have those potato chips and cookies in the pantry, you’ll never be able to motivate yourself to start a healthy diet. Treat the deep kitchen cleaning session as an opportunity to reset your food habits, even if just a little.
To get the most benefit for your nutrition, follow these cleaning tips:
- Clear your pantry, fridge and kitchen shelves of the foods that don’t serve you.
- Motivate yourself to cook more by tidying up the countertops, sharpening knives and rearranging everything in the most convenient way for you.
- Have the healthiest foods as readily accessible as possible: store healthy snacks at eye level or in a basket in the middle of the table, and hide any foods you’d like to stop eating in the most difficult-to-reach spots in your kitchen.
3. Giving the House a Deep Cleaning Protects You From Illness
You probably heard this one a lot lately, but cleaning areas and objects that are in heavy use by several people often, such as door handles, light switches, and the remote control, prevents the spread of viruses and other germs. And while that is definitely a very sensible piece of advice, with the weather slowly warming up, you ought to also give your kitchen a bit more love and attention in order to prevent food-borne illness.
To get the most benefits for disease prevention, follow these cleaning tips:
- Give heavily used items, such as cutting boards, sinks and the fridge and freezer a deep clean and make sure to clean sinks and boards daily to prevent food-borne illness.
- Sanitize items you and other family members use every day, such as light switches, door handles, smartphones, remotes, and the computer.
- Switch towels and bedding more often.
- Clean shared areas in the home, such as the kitchen, the living room, and the bathroom frequently.
4. A Tidy Bed Improves Your Sleep
Making your bed in the morning and keeping your bedroom clean and clear of distractions may sound like a very small and insignificant detail, but those who suffer from insomnia may benefit from following those habits. According to the National Sleep Foundation, people who have the habit of making their beds every day are 19% to sleep well regularly.
The same article also suggests that 75% of people sleep better and more comfortably in clean sheets, so maybe try replacing your sheets more often for better sleep.
To get the most benefit for your mental health, follow these cleaning tips:
- Make your bed every morning.
- Replace bed sheets more often.
- Clear your bedroom, especially your bedside table or cabinet of items that don't promote sleep, especially electronics.
5. Cleaning Relieves Stress and Depression
A sense of order may seem like a trivial thing, but cleaning and reorganization can go a long way in calming you down and even easing symptoms of depression. And it doesn’t matter if it’s because you feel stuck indoors these days, or have chronic high-stress levels or depression, tidying up your space may bring relief to your mental health.
To get the most benefit for your mental health, follow these cleaning tips:
- Get rid of those things that don’t bring you joy and irritate you, mend broken things and replace the ones that cannot be repaired.
- Declutter your home: this means getting rid of old useless junk in your garage, going through and throwing out old clothes and organizing the contents of shelves and cabinets.
- Turn cleaning into a meditative and calming ritual, a way to get rid of stress and anxiety. This may not work for everyone, but it's worth giving it a try.
6. Securing and Cleaning Your Home Helps Prevent Injuries
This may not be something we think of often, but making one's home more spacious and safe is an important function of cleaning, especially for older adults. In fact, falls are the reason behind 3 million ER visits in the US alone every year, with an average 25% of people over the age of 65 suffering a fall according to CDC. To avoid dangerous injuries, it's important to secure your home.
To get the most benefit for your safety, follow these cleaning tips:
- Organize the rooms in your home so that you always have an obstacle-free path, free of low small pieces of furniture, vases, house plants, cords, and other tripping hazards.
- Secure all the rugs to the floor and repair loose floorboards to avoid slipping and tripping.
- Keep items like bags, shoes, and shopping bags in designated areas and don't let them lie around on the floor.
- Equip areas in your house, especially the bathroom, with handles that will let you grip at them if need be.
Go to BabaMail
