If you don’t already have a spring cleaning ritual, it could be a good year to start one. When it comes to spring cleaning, you aren’t just tidying up the house. You might donate old clothes, dust frequently neglected corners and closets, and make your whole home shine. Once you do so, it’ll be easier to keep your space cleaner, since you’ll just need to do a little light dusting, vacuuming, and tidying for maintenance.
And it’s not just your house that will benefit. In fact, there are many health benefits that come with spring cleaning. Even just pushing a vacuum around and sorting through old clothes can be a great workout, but there’s a lot more that you can expect when it comes to positive impacts on your health.
Reduced Allergy Symptoms
Did you know that the air quality in your house could easily be worse than the air quality outside? When dust and other allergens are contained within the closed space of your house, they can be much more irritating, causing you to experience your worst allergy symptoms at home. When you do your spring cleaning, it’s a good time to swap out the filters in your vacuum and HVAC system, so you can more effectively trap allergens and give your air quality a boost.
It can also be helpful to overhaul your cleaning supplies and replace harsh chemicals with natural solutions like white vinegar and water mixed with a splash of your favorite essential oil for a refreshingly clean scent in an all-purpose disinfectant. Baking soda, lemon juice, and biodegradable dish soap can also go a long way in cleaning your home without putting more harsh irritants into the air—all good choices for allergy sufferers and individuals with asthma or other respiratory problems.
Better Sleep
Have you ever noticed how you tend to get a better night’s sleep when you stay at a hotel? Part of the reason this may be true is because sleeping on clean sheets in a neatly made bed actually leads to better sleep. In addition, knowing that the house is clean and being surrounded by an organized space can let you drift off to sleep easier.
Improved Relaxation
When you get home from work, you may just want to kick your feet up and unwind, but this can be impossible if you’re surrounded by clutter, dirty dishes, and dingy floors. A mess will lead to stress, since clutter and messes increase cortisol in the brain, making it hard to relax at home.
Healthier Eating
Healthy choices can cause a chain reaction, and when you clean your house, you may feel inclined to clean your body as well by eating more vegetables and high-fiber foods. Plus, it’s always nicer to cook in a clean kitchen than a dirty one, so you may find yourself making more meals at home once you’ve knocked out your spring cleaning.
Fewer Household Injuries
You are never so young or so fit that you aren’t at risk for an injury caused by a fall, and it’s a lot easier to trip and fall when there’s clutter around your house. During spring cleaning, you can make sure that every stray item in your home finds a storage space or gets donated or thrown out. That way, there won’t be clutter in the walkways, so it’ll be easier to get around—even when it’s late at night and harder to see. If you are getting older or have older relatives at home, preventing household falls is even more essential, since falls are a leading cause of ER visits among senior citizens.
As you clean up your house, don’t forget to clean up your health too. Count on MeMD for the quick, convenient healthcare you need when you don’t have time for a trip to your primary physician’s office.
