5 Surprising Health Benefits of Cleaning You Didn’t Know

Cleaning is often a bit like marmite, either you love it, or you hate it! But unlike a lot of other chores, cleaning can significantly boost your wellbeing by reducing stress levels and helping you improve your focus.

In light of World Wellbeing Week, 24^th – 30^th June, Olivia Young, Cleaning Expert and Product Development Scientist at Astonish, highlights the positive benefits that cleaning can have on our wellbeing.

Reduced stress and anxiety

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘cluttered home, cluttered head’, which essentially refers to the impact that our homes can have on our mental wellbeing. If you have a cluttered, messy or unclean living space, it can be quite overwhelming and can lead to increased feelings of anxiety or stress. By keeping your home clean and organised, you can combat these feelings and help promote order and control – which is calming.

Cleaning also has a power to help us feel present and in the moment, allowing us to focus directly on the task at hand. Whether it’s sorting through the laundry, scrubbing at the sink or dusting all surfaces, cleaning can be a form or mindfulness that helps you stay present in the moment, reducing thoughts of worry.

Improved clarity and focus

If your home is unclean and messy it can be really hard to focus on anything other than the dirt and the mess! You’ll probably also find that if you try to ignore it and just crack on with your day, it’ll be at the forefront of your mind – keeping you distracted and unable to focus on anything else. By ensuring your home is clean and tidy, you will find that your brain feels calmer and is able to focus a lot more efficiently without the distraction of an unclean home.

This can be particularly important if you work from home, as it can boost your productivity and creativity. There is nothing quite like a stack of washing or last night’s dishes to distract you from your task at hand! By ensuring your home is clean and tidy, you will have a clearer workspace and fewer distractions, meaning you can seize the working day with ease and focus for longer.

Enhanced sleep and rest

Getting a good night’s sleep is absolutely essential to feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, giving us the energy we need to complete our day-to-day tasks. There is nothing worse than tossing and turning at night, with your mind unable to switch off and unwind. This is where having a clean and clear living space can really help – especially in your bedroom! Try to keep this space as clean and tidy as possible, as doing so will create a more peaceful and relaxing environment that can improve the quality of your sleep.

If you do struggle with sleeping and winding down on a night, it could be worth considering introducing some type of cleaning and tidying up into your evening routine. Obviously it wouldn’t be an ideal time to do a full deep clean of your house – but this can be simple things such as putting the dishwasher on, wiping down the kitchen or putting away laundry. This can help to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down, aiding better sleep patterns in the long run.

Increased sense of satisfaction

Cleaning your home, whether it’s one room, one floor or the entire house top to bottom really does offer a sense of satisfaction, as it feels like a worthwhile accomplishment. Completing tasks that provide this can be really powerful at boosting your mood and levels of wellbeing. There’s no better feeling than when you get to the end of the laundry basket, you finally get rid of the stain on your sofa, or you do a full deep clean and feel like you’ve got a whole new living room! It really is a fantastic mood booster.

One of the main reasons as to why cleaning offers this sense of accomplishment is because often it brings immediate, visible results. Instead of waiting around for a feeling to kick in or having to complete a lengthy task to see any results, cleaning can be more of an instant transformation, meaning it can instantly provide boosted wellbeing.

Making cleaning even more enjoyable

Incorporating regular cleaning into your routine can lead to significant improvements in your overall wellbeing, making it a valuable practice beyond maintaining a tidy living space. If you do struggle to get into the swing of cleaning, here’s some top tips to make it even more enjoyable so you can receive the wellbeing benefits:

• Put on some good music. Listening to your favourite music while cleaning can make the task more enjoyable – after all, who doesn’t love dancing round their living room whilst dusting!
• Set some small goals. Break down cleaning tasks into smaller, manageable chunks to avoid feeling overwhelmed. This will be really satisfising as soon as you start to see the results.
• Make it a team effort. Cleaning with family or friends can make the task more fun and foster a sense of teamwork – plus making it enjoyable is a great way to get the kids to help out more!
• Treat yourself. Give yourself a small reward after completing cleaning tasks to reinforce the positive behaviour – unless of course the satisfaction of a clean and tidy home alone is enough of a reward!

For expert cleaning tips and a range of effective cleaning products, visit the Astonish website.