Cleaning House for Better Health - Cheryl C.
A clean home is more than nice to look at. Cleanliness also supports your physical and mental health. Read on to learn why cleaning your house is good for your health and how you can establish a cleaning habit that sticks.
Cleaning for Your Health
A clean home is safer for you and your family. Cleanliness also supports mental wellness by reducing a source of chronic stress. These are six ways a clean home can benefit you:
Essential Tools for a Clean Home
You can’t keep you home clean without the right tools. These are the cleaning implements every house should have.
A vacuum cleaner
A good vacuum makes light work of cleaning the floors. If lugging a heavy corded vacuum stops you from vacuuming, add a cordless vacuum to your cleaning toolkit. Today's cordless vacuums have more power and longer-lasting batteries than prior versions. That makes them an ideal tool for quick daily cleanups, even in homes with pets. If you have allergies, choose a model with a HEPA filter.
A mop and bucket
Vacuuming only cleans loose debris from floors, not stuck-on messes. For those, you'll need a mop and bucket.
Cloths or rags
Cloths are the ultimate multipurpose cleaning tool. Microfiber cloths are great for dusting, but even old scraps of fabric will work for wiping down surfaces around the home.
A scrub brush
Some cleaning jobs need a little more elbow grease. Use scrub brushes to clean grout, showers and bathtubs, toilets, and other tough jobs.
Cleaning ingredients
DIY cleaners are cheaper and less toxic than store-bought products. Stock up on baking soda, white vinegar, borax, and spray bottles, and you can make cleaning solutions for most messes in your home.
Creating a Cleaning Habit
For most of us, the hardest part isn't knowing how to clean or which tools to use — it's getting into the habit. When you clean sporadically, your house falls into disarray between cleaning sprees. Only upon adopting a daily cleaning habit do you achieve a consistently clean home.
If you struggle to maintain cleanliness at home, try these tips:
Living in a messy home is hard on your health. If you're tired of feeling sick and stressed out due to clutter, make a change. By modifying just one habit at a time, you'll make real progress toward a cleaner home.
Cleaning for Your Health
A clean home is safer for you and your family. Cleanliness also supports mental wellness by reducing a source of chronic stress. These are six ways a clean home can benefit you:
- Reduce allergy and asthma symptoms. Regular cleaning removes dust mites, pet dander, and mold, all of which are common allergy triggers.
- Increase safety. Clutter is not only a fall hazard, it's also a fire danger. Fire spreads faster in a cluttered home, and clutter can hinder evacuation and rescue efforts.
- Deter pests. Food messes attract rodents and insects. Pests spread bacteria and parasites and trigger allergy and asthma symptoms.
- Swap mental fatigue for mental clarity. Living in a messy home is like constantly staring at a to-do list. A clean home lets your eyes and your mind relax so you can focus on what matters.
- Minimize stress and frustration. Being unable to find what you need not only wastes time, it also triggers intense frustration. Clean, organized spaces are also considered more calming by many.
- Instill a sense of pride. An unannounced visit when your home is a mess is downright anxiety inducing. A clean home enables you to stay socially active without the stress.
Essential Tools for a Clean Home
You can’t keep you home clean without the right tools. These are the cleaning implements every house should have.
A vacuum cleaner
A good vacuum makes light work of cleaning the floors. If lugging a heavy corded vacuum stops you from vacuuming, add a cordless vacuum to your cleaning toolkit. Today's cordless vacuums have more power and longer-lasting batteries than prior versions. That makes them an ideal tool for quick daily cleanups, even in homes with pets. If you have allergies, choose a model with a HEPA filter.
A mop and bucket
Vacuuming only cleans loose debris from floors, not stuck-on messes. For those, you'll need a mop and bucket.
Cloths or rags
Cloths are the ultimate multipurpose cleaning tool. Microfiber cloths are great for dusting, but even old scraps of fabric will work for wiping down surfaces around the home.
A scrub brush
Some cleaning jobs need a little more elbow grease. Use scrub brushes to clean grout, showers and bathtubs, toilets, and other tough jobs.
Cleaning ingredients
DIY cleaners are cheaper and less toxic than store-bought products. Stock up on baking soda, white vinegar, borax, and spray bottles, and you can make cleaning solutions for most messes in your home.
Creating a Cleaning Habit
For most of us, the hardest part isn't knowing how to clean or which tools to use — it's getting into the habit. When you clean sporadically, your house falls into disarray between cleaning sprees. Only upon adopting a daily cleaning habit do you achieve a consistently clean home.
If you struggle to maintain cleanliness at home, try these tips:
- Set a schedule. It's harder to blow off chores when you've made concrete plans. Decide how frequently you'll complete routine chores and schedule them in manageable time chunks.
- Give everything a place. Belongings that have designated homes are more likely to get put away. If you can't find a place for something, consider whether you truly need it.
- Address recurring messes. If you constantly misplace keys, trip over shoes by the door, or leave clothes strewn about the house, create simple solutions to these messes. Catch-all dishes, storage baskets, and shelves are easy ways to corral clutter.
- Tidy up before bed. Little messes inevitably accumulate throughout the day. Spend 10-15 minutes picking up once per day to prevent today's messes from spilling over into tomorrow.
Living in a messy home is hard on your health. If you're tired of feeling sick and stressed out due to clutter, make a change. By modifying just one habit at a time, you'll make real progress toward a cleaner home.
