The Cleaning Trick to Tidy Your Home and Mind Fast

It’s 6PM on a Friday night, you’re back home after a long day at work and your place is a mess.

Clothes are spilling out of your draws, the lipstick you put on this morning has smeared across the mirror and last night’s dinner is rotting on the kitchen table.

Energy levels are low and the very last thing you want to do is to clean. If fairy godmothers existed or a magic genie, this would be your very first wish.

But what if I told you that cleaning could be fun? Like many, you would think I’d be joking.

Yet have you ever considered that cleaning could be good for you? Not only are we aware that having a clean space feels nice, the physical act of cleaning can have incredible results to our overall well-being.

Health

In a recent study, it’s been found that as little as 30 minutes of light housework per day can burn 85 calories, and 153 calories for 30 minutes of heavy cleaning. That is more calories burnt than a 50 minute walk!

Dust is a large contributing factor for those who tolerate allergies. However, it is the accumulation of other culprits that can worsen allergies — such as chemicals from aerosols, mould and pollen from our indoor plants. Maintaining a regular cleaning routine is essential for improving the lives of allergy sufferers and ensuring the air quality in our homes is high and safe.

As the saying goes, a tidy space is a tidy mind. Mess or general untidiness can actually impact our stress levels. In a 2009 research study in the US, it was found that clutter heightened the stress hormone cortisol in environments that were messy. Not only can a cleaner space improve these levels but it can leave us with a sense of accomplishment and enhance our focus. The Princeton Neuroscience Institute found that in environments that were inherently messy, the objects would act as great distractions to those who needed to focus. So by clearing these spaces and creating a habit of putting our clothes away or washing dishes as soon as we have finished with them, can substantially change our mental state.

But when does the cleaning become fun, you ask? Well, there are certainly many ways to help make this entire process a more enjoyable one.

Step 1

Start by picking the room or area that you spend the most amount of time in. For most people, this ends up being our bedrooms. It is especially important to keep this space organised as studies have shown that mess can affect how we sleep. In an interview with Megan Slack, sleep expert Dr. Chelise explained that ‘the brain […] makes strong associations between environment and behaviour. Therefore when your bedroom is calm, comfortable and quiet your brain will associate your bedroom with relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep’. Whilst in comparison, if your bedroom is full of clutter, this adds tension to your brain and elevates stress — making it much harder to fall asleep.

Step 2

Once you have chosen the selected room or area, set a timer. This could be the same amount of time spent waiting for your dinner to cook in the oven or it could be used as part of a game. Perhaps you set a 15 minute timer: the test is to clean the space as best as you can within the time. Not only does this act as a fun challenge, but during the process it makes the activity much faster. You’d be surprised how quickly 15 minutes can go by!

Step 3

It’s important to set some rules. Whether this is cleaning the dishes before bed, making your bed every morning or putting clothes back in the wardrobe rather than piling on a specific chair (we all have THE chair!). By picking just one rule that you religiously stick to can tremendously aid in creating and forming a habit. Once you have acquired and maintained one habit you can add more. Psychologists determine that it takes approximately 10 weeks to form a habit, so although it may take some determination, the pay-off for a clean space is worth it!

Step 4

Ensure that every object in your space has a home. For example, books on the shelf, cutlery in the draw, coats on hooks. Not only does this help in the frenzy of losing something, (that you will always know where something should be), it leaves us with the fulfilment of completing a small task.

It’s now 6PM on a Friday night, you’re back home after a long day at work and your place is spotless. Clothes are neatly folded in your draws, the lipstick you put on this morning is inside your makeup bag and the plates from last night’s dinner are clean.

Energy levels are high and the fairy godmother is you.