The well-worn phrase, ‘tidy room, tidy mind’ has a lot more weight behind it than is first apparent. Pinterest and Instagram have become inundated with accounts dedicated to the organisation of homes, minimalist decor and clever storage – the before and after compilation their bread and butter.
Why is it that we are drawn to the transformation of mess and the sparkly after shot? While leading psychological research has attributed clutter to stress and anxiety, it has also discovered that cleaning up mess can actually have positive benefit on your mental health. In light of national Suicide Prevention week; we wanted to write this blog about the immense benefits of keeping a tidy workplace and a tidy home on your mental wellbeing.
The Science
In recent decades, mental wellbeing has been taken much more seriously than in previous years and as a result, has been the centre focus of countless studies. Increasingly so, a link is being drawn between cleanliness, organisation and improved mental health. For instance, a study at the University of California has shown that those who described their house as messy or chaotic displayed increased levels of cortisol, a steroid hormone that is produced in response to stress. It therefore goes without saying that cleaning up and de-cluttering will alleviate this build-up of the negative stress hormone. Over 3,000 people reported to the Scottish Health Survey that regular housework was enough to decrease anxiety and stress levels, with further research placing that decrease at around 20%.
In addition to this, another study found an interesting link between peripheral mess and an individual’s activity levels. It revealed that people with the cleanest surroundings are actually the most active. While the exact point of correlation is unclear, there is something about a messy environment which causes people to lose motivation.
Another way that a clean environment can physically benefit your mental health is through the removal of harmful pathogens or allergens. On any given day, the air quality inside your home or place of work is five times more polluted in comparison to the air just outside your front door. Therefore, it makes sense that the cleaner your living/working space, the less susceptible you are to illness or other allergens that prevent you from reaching your full potential.
How Focus Cleaning’s Services Can Help
Here at focus cleaning, we entirely believe in the healing power of cleaning; we should, we’ve made a living out of it for over 15 years! We take pride in providing an unobtrusive, professional and reliable commercial cleaning service that runs across almost every professional sector, ranging from office and warehouse cleaning to school cleaning and healthcare cleaning.
Not only do our services meet high hygiene standards and aesthetically improve your professional space, a clean and bright environment is proven to boost both yours and your employees’ mental wellbeing, and promote a happier and healthier workspace! Get in touch today to find out more about what we can do for you!
