If Cinderella can be happy cleaning and decluttering, so can you. Spring is finally here, which is when we normally come out of hibernation and set aside time for cleaning spaces that were inconvenienced by the cold weather (garages, vehicles, attics, basements, yards). But that’s no reason we can’t create small daily habits to declutter and organize our space for health and happiness.
“Create small daily habits to declutter and organize for health and happiness.”
We all have that miscellaneous chair, aka “the chair”. If you’re a culprit, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The chair that gets buried in unfolded laundry, or add the three shirts you tried on that morning, that pair of pants you have to return, or the jeans you think you can get away with wearing a second time before washing them. We’re not limited to just “the chair”. It extends as far as the junk drawer in your kitchen, the pile of mail on the hallway table, the six pairs of shoes by the front door, the jackets hanging on the banister, the dishes in the sink, and the jewelry and makeup you used but haven’t had time to put away on your dresser.
All of the clutters can inhibit your health and happiness potential. Taking a few minutes daily, an hour weekly, or a planned schedule monthly to clean and organize your space, is key to your wellness success.
Here are the top five benefits to decluttering and cleaning your space:
1. Reduce your STRESS.
Like it or not, all that clutter is chaos. Mentally and physically, you are aware that it exists and as a result, may procrastinate cleaning, therefore it becomes an additional stressor on your list of things to do. Multiple spaces with clutter can become overwhelming and add to your stress. Prioritizing time daily, weekly, and monthly to declutter can help reduce your stress.
Examples:
Daily: tidy the bed sheets upon waking, wash dishes when done eating, organize items on the dresser when getting home from work, open the mail and toss the junk mail, delete junk mail in your email inbox, hang your jacket in the closet
Weekly: do laundry/fold/put away clothes, clean out the fridge, water the plants, vacuum the house, empty the garbage, put away all miscellaneous items into organized drawers/spaces
Monthly: clean and dust the home office and bedrooms, wash the car, organize seasonal items (patio furniture, BBQ equipment)
2. Feel JOY that it’s done!
It’s a delayed reward that requires effort but once it’s completed, you feel accomplishment, satisfaction, and joy that your space is clean and it’s one less thing to think about.
Example:
Spring cleaning your vehicle after winter makes your car appear, smell, and feel clean inside and out. You can now cruise around the city bumpin’ to your tunes in a clean and organized car that you can feel joy about.
3. Increase your PRODUCTIVITY.
You may not think it inhibits your potential to be productive but having additional crap and dusty items in your personal and work space can limit your brain’s potential. Do you need all the extra paper, post-its, notepads, desktop documents, and fancy pens laying around? When working in an organized, tidy, and clean space, after benefits #1 and #2 on this list, you are less likely to be distracted on the external factors and can boost your creative potential and ability to get work done.
4. Less sniffles, sneezes, wheezes, and a physically/mentally healthier you!
Too much clutter can lead to accumulation of dust, allergens, and insects/pests. We often forget and neglect certain spaces so make sure to clean carpets, air filters, bed sheets, and don’t forget behind couches, underneath beds and dressers, on bookshelves, in window sills and blinds, and the back of closets and storage spaces. If you always had messy behaviours, it could be tied to how you deal with all life situations. Developing a cleaning habit can help address your responses and coping strategies in life and increase your mental health and happiness.
5. Increase time in your schedule for FUN!
Because Cinderella didn’t just clean, she had a fairy Godmother help her get to the ball to have some fun. Proactively creating cleaning habits and scheduling tasks can free up time for you to dedicate to other fun activities.
Examples:
Having an organized space means you can invite friends over without the shame or embarrassment of a mess.
If you have a family, assign chores to each person, which means more time for family fun. Team work makes the dream work.
Decluttering and becoming cognizant of money spent on unused items can increase your financial awareness. Asking yourself “do I need this?” can save money on unnecessary junk and mean more money to spend on what is valuable and fun for you. Here you come dream resort Jamaica!
We can’t have clean without cleaning products. Many household cleaners are filled with toxic ingredients. The purpose of cleaning is to improve health and happiness, yet common household cleaners are made with chemicals that add to our toxic load and health risk. Think about the warning symbols on a can of cleaning spray, and a long list of chemical ingredients that you don’t know. The products we use are inhaled through our respiratory system and absorbed into the skin upon contact. The toxins can accumulate in the organs, and increase the risk of asthma, hormone disruption, nervous system disabilities, and cancer. If you have young children, the health risk increases because they often touch everything and put their hands in the eyes, nose, and mouth, and they can enter cupboards and drawers where cleaning products are kept and sometimes accidentally ingest it.
Chemical products aren’t necessary to have a clean home. Here’s a money-saving, simple, and natural all-purpose GSV All-Purpose Cleaner recipe.
GSV All-Purpose Cleaner
By Jasmin Jagpal
Ingredients:
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp baking soda
3 – 4 cups water
1/2 lemon, juiced
Optional: 5 drops of lemon/tea tree/lemongrass essential oil
Instructions:
Combine all of the ingredients together into a spray bottle or a container.
Spray or apply to a surface with a clean cloth. Scrub and wipe with a damp cloth.
Happy cleaning!
Side effects are cost savings and better health to help you get to that dream trip quicker!
Dodson, Robin E., et al. “Endocrine Disruptors and Asthma-Associated Chemicals in Consumer Products.” , National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, July 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404651/.
Zock, Jan-Paul, et al. “The Use of Household Cleaning Sprays and Adult Asthma.” , American Thoracic Society, 15 Oct. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2020829/.
Zota, Ami R, et al. “Reducing Chemical Exposures at Home: Opportunities for Action.”, BMJ Publishing Group, Sept. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5561392/.
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