10 Reasons We Love to Clean Our Home

Cleaning your house can be a lot more than a practical chore.

Some of us love it and many people hate it, but cleaning is a fact of life. Unless you can afford a housekeeper, live in a house that cleans itself, or love living in filth, the chore of cleaning is one that just isn’t going away.

No matter how you feel about cleaning, science tells us that keeping everything clean and organized is good for us. It helps us feel better about ourselves, reduces stress, improves our productivity, boosts our mood, and is a great way to stay physically fit.

Not everyone at LoadUp feels the same way about cleaning, but those of us who have the cleaning bug would like to share some reasons why we love to clean. If you’re not already, we hope this article will inspire you to be a clean freak too.

Why You Should Keep Your House Clean & Organized

Believe it or not, there are some people out there who enjoy cleaning. I am one of those people. I’m sure my mom might disagree, but I love cleaning.

Cleaning is pretty much mindless work, which makes it calming for me. There are no important decisions to make, no critical thinking required, no feeling the need to impress, and (usually) no deadline.

The Perks of Being a Clean Freak

As a Millennial, I love the instant gratification of cleaning; I clean something and it instantly looks better. I like to really get into cleaning and scrubbing because it’s a good workout and feels a lot better than lying on the couch watching TV.

If I’m ever feeling depressed or overwhelmed by what’s going on in my life, I automatically start cleaning something because it gives me a sense of control and at least improves the environment I live in.

An added bonus to cleaning is that I might discover belongings that I really love and just forgot I had. And I’m not the only person this is true for.

Positive Effects of Cleanliness

There are several studies that point to the physical and mental health benefits of keeping a clean and tidy home. For example, in one study, participants who were at a higher risk of heart disease but cleaned their homes on a regular basis tended to be more healthy and active than those who didn’t.

Whether you’re someone who loathes cleaning with all your being and looking for a little inspiration or if you’re a clean freak just looking for some validation, there are plenty of reasons to love keeping a clean house.

Here are 10 big reasons to love cleaning and keeping your home organized:

#1 It’s an easy goal to accomplish.

Cleaning has a process, an end goal, and a result. It’s something you can accomplish in a short amount of time and once you’re finished, you have something visually appealing that you have the satisfaction of knowing that you did.

Even something as simple as organizing the junk drawer or cleaning out the refrigerator leaves us with a sense of accomplishment. That feeling gives us a boost to our confidence in our abilities, which can carry over into other areas of our lives.

That boost in your confidence that you can succeed will make you feel like you’re ready and able to tackle other challenges in your life as well, improving your success at work, in relationships, and other areas.

#2 Cleanliness is a mental health barometer.

A messy house can be both an indicator of mental health issues as well as a contributing factor. Because people tend to neglect the care of their surroundings when they don’t feel good about themselves, a dirty and disorganized living space can be a sign someone is suffering from mental illness.

Vice versa, an unkempt home can also cause a decrease in the quality of one’s mental health. When someone’s environment is dirty, cluttered, and chaotic, they start to feel ashamed and overwhelmed by it, internalizing those emotions into feelings of worthlessness about themselves.

#3 A messy house means a messy mind.

When you neglect responsibilities in one area of your life, you tend to do it in other areas as well. This means that the state of your home and its cleanliness are direct indicators of what’s going on in your mind. Because cleaning is one of those small, day-to-day tasks, it is a part of our lives.

When we stop attending to the task of cleaning and keeping everything organized, that’s a sign that our lives are out of order as well. Likewise, if you’re going through a rough patch in your life, paying more attention to the cleaning can make you feel more competent and accomplished, helping you to get back on track.

#4 It’s free therapy.

Cleaning your surroundings can trick your brain into thinking you’re cleaning your mind. Many people prefer to do their weekly cleaning tasks on the weekend or their days off because it gives them a sense that the rest of the week will go more smoothly with everything fresh and in order.

People who love to clean also find it to be very therapeutic, myself included. When you’re cleaning, you have the opportunity to let go of your day-to-day worries and sort of let your mind wander while doing something productive, which can be very calming.

#5 A clean home just feels better.

One of my favorite things in the world is to clean my entire house before going on vacation or out of town for the weekend. The feeling that I get when I come home to a clean, sparkling home when I’m travel weary is one of the best feelings imaginable.

The act of cleaning and having a clean, organized environment also gives us a sense of control which brings us comfort. You may not be able to control your partner’s reaction to that time you left the stove on or your boss’s feelings about that big report you flubbed, but at least you can create order in your home and make it an inviting space.

#6 Cleaning is a great stress buster.

Whenever I’m feeling stressed out or have a deadline looming that I don’t feel prepared for, I often find myself cleaning. In fact, many people turn to cleaning as a distraction from events and circumstances that may cause them anxiety.

Because cleaning is a relatively mindless activity, it allows us to turn off our brain for a while and give it a rest. So the next time you’re feeling stressed at work, do the dishes or tidy up the break room. Not only will you feel less anxious but you might get a few brownie points from your boss too.

#7 It gives your brain a break.

There’s been an increased interest in mindfulness and meditation in general in recent years, due to their positive effect on mental health and stress levels.

Cleaning activities have been found to have a similar effect and are actually part of religious practices in Zen Buddhism.

Because the act of cleaning is a simple task that requires repetitive physical motion and zero critical thinking, it allows your brain to take a break from the everyday thoughts of our busy, work-focused lives and instead to just “be here now” and relax for a moment.

#8 It’s cheaper than a gym membership.

We all know that regular exercise is good for our physical health and our mental wellbeing, but did you know that cleaning can be a form of exercising? When doing moderate to intense housework, your heart rate is increased, you work several muscle groups, and easily burn calories.

Because cleaning can be good exercise, it releases those feel-good chemicals in the brain we know as endorphins, the same chemicals responsible for producing what’s called “runner’s high.” One study showed that even a mere 20 minutes per week of cleaning around the house can improve overall mood and increase resistance to stress.

#9 A clean house keeps pests away.

This benefit of cleaning up regularly is a pretty obvious one, but it’s one of the most important and often gets overlooked. Insects, rodents, and other unwelcome critters don’t need a whole lot to live off of in order to get by.

Leaving out dirty dishes or garbage, as well as rarely sweeping, mopping, or wiping down surfaces means you’re basically inviting pests into your home, and I don’t mean your mother-in-law. Not only is having an infestation of some sort gross and disgusting, but it’s also a serious health hazard.

#10 It affects other areas of your life.

Especially when your home is cluttered and disorganized, you’re wasting a whole lot of time on finding things when you need them that could be better spent on other activities. You also cost yourself more money by buying things you already own when your home is a mess.

If you have children, it’s doubly important to keep a clean and tidy household and to get them involved in doing so. Children need to learn early on how to care for their surroundings. This lesson is further enforced when they see regular cleaning and organization being modeled by their parents and other trusted adults.

Your kids need to learn how to keep a clean house to prepare them for when they have their own, and this kind of life skill gets taught by parents early on.

You Can Learn to Love Cleaning

So there you have ten great reasons to keep your home clean, organized, and clutter-free. I hope this article has helped you to understand the benefits that cleaning can have on your life and your health.

It may not be an enjoyable task for everyone, which is why it’s important to be reminded of the benefits from time to time and to keep your goal in mind while cleaning.

It may also help make the task more fun and go by more quickly by making a special playlist of favorite songs to play while you’re cleaning. You might also want to invite a friend over to help you get started or just to keep you company while you clean, to make it more enjoyable.

Stop Worrying About the Clutter

If you find yourself with a lot of clutter and just feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you know you need to get rid of but you have no idea where to even begin when it comes to figuring out what to do with it all, stop worrying about it!

Thankfully, you’ve got LoadUp on your side. You don’t have to worry about all the logistics and leg work of getting rid of your old, unwanted junk items when you book a pickup with LoadUp, the professional, licensed junk removal experts.

Do you love to clean? Let us know your reasons for loving to clean and your favorite cleaning tips in the comments section!

If you’ve got some stuff to get rid of after cleaning and decluttering, whether it’s a little or a lot, choose LoadUp for exceptional junk removal service with honesty and transparency.