9 Surprising Benefits of a Clean Home (That Will Make You Want to Clean)
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I hate to clean.
There, I said it. I HATE to clean!
The effort, the time, the gross-ness….I would hire it out if I could. And should I find myself with more money than I know what to do with, I’ll certainly be in the market for a cleaning lady. But until then, I suffer.
Yes, I know how to be quite dramatic too.
The thing is, I know what the power of a clean home can do.
Just this past weekend, Joseph and I tackled the master bathroom that I kept putting off, and even though I imagined cleaning it would be significantly worse than it actually was, I was pleasantly surprised when we only spent 20 minutes to get it back under control.
My mood improved so much after our cleaning session that I wondered why I had been frustrated in the first place. After all was said and done, I was happier, less stressed, and ready to reward myself with a few minutes of light reading. This time, without feeling guilty about the state of my house.
Maybe you hate cleaning as much as I do, and wish there was an easier way to get the job done. While I can’t come over and scrub toilets for you, I can share with you some surprising benefits that make the job just a little less awful.
In fact, you may find you actually want to clean!
1. A Healthier Family
This first one is a bit obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. Bacteria, mold, dust, and dander cause everything from allergies to asthma. Regular cleaning sessions will significantly lower the potential for sickness, and create a healthier family overall.
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2. More Opportunities to Be Hospitable
I don’t know about you, but if I have a friend stop by and my house is a wreck, I’m more likely to over-explain why my house looks that way. It’s not only super embarrassing, I also go into anxiety-overdrive wondering what they think about my home and how it reflects on me as a person!
Don’t get me wrong, your house doesn’t have to be spic-and-span to impress. A general pick-up is easy to do each day, and makes your home look so much better.
I try to spend 15 minutes every evening clearing off counters and putting things back where they belong. It makes a HUGE difference!
3. Less Maintenance and Repairs
By keeping your appliances in good condition, you’ll spend less money to repair or replace them. And how do you do that? By cleaning them! It might not sound like a big deal, but I’m all about avoiding unnecessary costs, even if it means a little extra attention to keep things like my dishwasher running smoothly.
If you’re not sure when you’ll find time to do all the extra stuff when you’re barely keeping up with laundry and dishes, try to establish a regular cleaning schedule first. I’ve found that with a regular routine, you can easily add one deep cleaning task a week {or month} without too much hassle.
Click DOWNLOAD NOW below, and I’ll send you my personal Weekly Cleaning Routine, as well as an editable version so you can customize your own!
4. A Quick Burst of Physical Activity
A good cleaning session always gets my heart pumping, especially if it’s a task like scrubbing down the shower or vacuuming the floors. Plus, our vacuum is particularly heavy to lug around, so it’s pretty much like lifting weights, right?
If you hate to exercise, but want to stay active and healthy, just put on your rubber gloves and tackle a few cleaning jobs for 20-30 minutes. You’ll quickly break a sweat without paying for an expensive gym membership—I always count vacuuming as my workout for the day!
5. Not Wasting Time
I know it sounds super simple, but taking just a few minutes to put items away right after you’re done using them has an amazing effect. Not only will you have less of a mess to clean later, you’ll easily find an item within seconds of needing it. This in turn, saves time, and time is just as important as saving money!
FYI: This is the only tool you need to keep everything organized and under control. I have a ton all over my house to prove it!
6. Less Guilt about Downtime
Have you ever felt guilty about watching Netflix or reading a book? I have a really hard time relaxing—mostly because the moment I sit down, I think of twenty other things I should be doing, cleaning included!
I used to have a specific cleaning day, but right now, I spread out all my cleaning tasks throughout the week. On Monday, I tackle the master bathroom, on Tuesday, the guest bathroom, and so on. Once I get that task completed for the day, then I’m free to relax or tackle other projects.
It’s almost like having your chores finished so you can go play….and feel less guilty about it!
7. Increased Productivity
I recently listened to a podcast by Jeff Goins, and he said something that sent off all sorts of lightbulbs in my head, “Clutter is the enemy of creativity.”
This is so true! I have personally found that it’s incredibly hard to function, let alone be creative, when you’re surrounded by dirt, grime, and most especially clutter. I can’t even write a single blog post when there’s stacks of paper all over my desk.
Keeping a clean home gives you literal and mental space to work, and allows you to focus exclusively on the task at hand. Which….you guessed it, makes you WAY more productive.
8. More Control
The next time you feel like your life is spiraling out of control, take a good look around your home. What do you see? Is it full of toys? Clutter? Stains? Crumbs? Those things might be a huge cause of anxiety and frustration.
The thing is, you and I have control over those things. We can choose to sweep or vacuum crumbs off the floor, wipe down the counters, and get rid of clutter, which has an immediate effect on our mood.
Yep, it takes time….and work, but when I have more control I have over my environment, the better I feel in control of my life in general.
9. Sense of Accomplishment
Remember how at the beginning of this post, I talked about that sense of accomplishment I felt after tackling the bathroom? Knowing I had crossed something major off my list gave me a huge boost of energy. I was pretty happy too!
One quick glance over your clean and tidy home, and I promise you too will get warm fuzzies whenever you think about all the hard work you’ve done. It also encourages you to continue the habit in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Everyone’s idea of a clean home will be different, so don’t make yourself feel guilty over what you decide to do. Some women love to clean {I unfortunately am not one of them!} Others do just enough to get by, and leave deeper cleaning until it’s time to sell their house. *Ahem*
Either way, cleaning makes that little bit of inconvenience worth it in the long run, and leads to a happier, productive, and healthier life overall. That’s something that I’m willing to clean for, you?
If you liked this post, I have even more cleaning and organizing goodies for you:
- 31 Household Hacks to Clean, Streamline and Organize Your Home
- 5 Tools I Use to Organize My Entire Life
- How to Get Mildew Smell Out of Clothes – a super easy trick!
Do you love, or hate to clean?
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.
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This is such an important blog post! Many people don’t realize that having a clean home does more than just make your space look better! My family has been getting the carpets cleaned in our home every few months and it has really helped decrease my daughter’s allergies and asthma. I also love that you mentioned cleaning makes you feel productive and gives you “warm fuzzies” hahaβ what a great way to put it!
That’s amazing that it helped your daughter so much! Cleaning is important for so many reasons!
I enjoyed cleaning for others people but I just can’t keep up with mine.
It’s funny how that happens! The joke is that a contractors home is full of unfinished projects even though they complete renovations for others all day long. I think that sometimes when we are done doing things for others we don’t want to take the time to do whatever it is for ourselves.
I agree that a cleaner home can make anyone do more inside the house since it’s difficult to function or be creative when you have too much clutter around you. Personally, I can’t focus on my studies when my room is not clean or even knowing that one room in the house is not tidy. Tomorrow, we will be grocery shopping. I might stock up for cleaning products so that we have a supply whenever we need it. Thanks!
I really like that quote by Jeff Goins. Reading that set some lightbulbs off in my head as well. That’s why I’m starting to consider hiring house cleaning services, especially because of how busy my schedule is.
It’s such a good quote!
Oh my word. This is ME!!!! I hate cleaning too, and agree with all your benefits. Thanks for reminding me why I need to get this house back in order!
Happy New Year, Nicole! Hopefully you’re experiencing all these benefits in 2017! π {Which reminds me… I need to go pick up the living room…}
Cleaning is my way of eliminating stress. Living in a clean and tidy home is so relaxing.
So true! I don’t like the process, but a clean home is such a stress reliever.
I love to clean. Feels good
Oh so good!
I love a clean home but don’t love to clean!
I must love cleaning, becuse most of my free time seems spent doing it. Either that of I am the only one in my family that cleans (the more likely culprit ) Though I do like my house clean it seems like such a struggle. It’s not lack of doing it, it’s the small house with to much stuff. But don’t want to purge much more. 2 bedroom with 2 adults and 2 tweens is just to small. It was much easier to live small when the kids where smaller.
It can seem like such a never ending task. Have you gotten your tweens in on the work?
I have just recently been able to stay on top of cleaning and organizing. Everything has always been clean but not so much organized. One extra benefit I’ve noticed with having a clean home that has small children is it keeps them from having anxiety and stress! The emotional stress clutter has on adults is just as real in children. I noticed my son had an easier time playing when everything was in order, easy to access and he had space to move. If we don’t “reset” his play room, he has a hard time deciding what to play with and loses track of things. He helps as much as a 2 year old can help but I pick up his toys 3 times a day. Luckily he’s not the “pull everything out from every where” kid and it only takes me 5 minutes per pick up. My older daughter also acknowledges how much easier it is to focus on homework and projects when everything is in place.
Thanks so much for your comment, Kristina. It’s awesome to hear the extra benefits that keeping a neat house provides for your children! It’s so true that we often think the benefits of a clean home are exclusive to adults – but it’s great that you are able to see it positively affect your kids as well! So it’s a double boost for you: Living in an organized space makes you feel better. Living in an organized space makes your kids feel better, which I’m sure makes you feel even better! π
Kalyn, I love that you take the time to reply to comments on your blog! This is a great article… I have to admit, I used to dread cleaning, but learned about flylady, which helps me keep it under control. It didn’t take long to realize that I feel better when the house is clean! Now I have a business representing a line of healthy cleaning products that make cleaning faster and easier. Who knew something I hated would lead to a career, lol! π I’d love to send you some to try and hear what you think of it… let me know.
It’s amazing how much better you feel when you have a clean house to live in! Congrats on your business! My friends have some of those Norwex cloths and from what I hear, love them. I don’t do traditional reviews for businesses here on Creative Savings, but if you were interested in learning more about other ways to work with me, you can send a request to [email protected]. Hope you have a great day!
I have always been organized and a clean freak ever since I was a child not sure as to why but a habit I proud of. My husband thinks that I’m a little to hung up on the clean thing and I always say that an organized and clean home saves so much time! time you would looking for things . Why be frustrated when you can’t find something .I can’t truly relax unless my home is clean and organized. I always knew the benefits of having a clean and organized home it just seemed like common scents to me. Happy home happy life is my motto!
I HATE cleaning too (thought I was the only one)…you’re right. When you finally get down to it & get it done I always find myself feeling motivated and relieved. I like your idea of a 15 minute pickup each day. I can clean so much in 15 mins!
We should have T-Shirts for our “We hate cleaning” club. π I’m amazed at how often my 15 minutes turns into 30 without me realizing it. Just a little bit of motivation can go a long way each night!
I loathe housework. It’s the time and the fact it’s a bit like Sisyphus in Greek mythology rolling that stone up the hill only to watch it roll right back down and have to push it up again repeated over and over for eternity. In my case I only have so long to live and so many things I would like to be doing in that time or even just putting my feet up with a good book beats scrubbing a kitchen sink or toilet that will just look dirty again in a day or two. On top of the never ending laundry, vacuuming, floor washing, cooking, other work. I’d much prefer riding my horse or playing with my dog in these precious few enough moments of life. I’d hire someone to do it if I could justify the expense in terms of my disposable money and priorities for it and if I could get over having a stranger touching all my things and having the run of the house which weirds me out. Meanwhile things will remain disheveled here. ?
Hi Mia! Your analogy of Sisyphus is spot on {and oddly enough – the second time I’ve heard of that Greek God in just one week!}. I’m with you – I would totally hire out my cleaning if I could, but I think my husband and I are starting to get on top of all the housework and experiencing the aforementioned benefits! For now. π
I would also add that a clean house is good for your child’s confidence. Just my personal opinion, but I came from a messy house and I think it had some negative effects.
I clean homes for a living for everyday people like you and me without loads of money they just realize the value of a clean home.
Last thing, no amount of cute decorations will fix a messy house. It would be better spent on a cleaning gal once a week.
I love that point you make about cute decorations not fixing a messy house. I’d much rather be in a house that is clean and a little on the plain side, then work around “cute” clutter that collects dust!
Growing up all I can remember my mom doing is clean.
I strive to make sure my kids will remember me playing with them and doing crafts.
That said, I agree with each of your benefits of having an organized house. Right now I am working on decluttering/downsizing so there is less work when it comes to picking up around the house.
So true!! My children just see me clean or gripe at them to pick up their stuff. I so appreciate this reminder. I do better because I take them many places. Then at least I get away from the messes?
thought I’m the only one don’t like to clean. Thanks for sharing the motavation!
I don’t love to clean. Mainly because i quickly become overwhelmed. My husband doesn’t make it any easier because when he cleans, it will take him 30 min to an hour tops and everything looks brand new. I can literally spend all day and it not even look like i made a dent. our house isn’t filthy by any means, it does have clutter. I would love to be more organized. I don’t want nor do i strive for a magazine clean and clutter free house. I think homes should look like they are lived in. Any suggestions on how to not get overwhelmed and be more efficient?
You and I speak the same language, because overwhelmed is my middle name! π I just try to pick ONE thing that is really small to give me a “quick win”. So if I’m looking at a cluttered desk, I will just choose one stack of papers to sort through and not even think about the rest.
Another idea is to get a few storage baskets and put all the clutter into those baskets and then clean your space without any clutter in the way. Then you can start to sort through the baskets one at a time rather than all at once, and reintroduce {or get rid of} items as you see fit.
Hope that helps!
I love this, and am now beginning to get up earlier in the morning so I can get some cleaning done every day. The nights are hectic for me, and by the time the girls go down I need some down time. Now that I am working on getting up and cleaning in the morning, I also don’t feel bad about my down time. Which also leads to more undisturbed quality time with my husband (unless I lay down next to him on the couch if we watch a movie,because well then I’ll just fall asleep – it happens).
Cleaning does not come naturally to me. I like a clean house, but as I have struggled with health issues the past 5+ years, the energy that it takes to keep up with my kids and my house has left me with a few rooms that are embarrassing. I am starting to get my health under control, but I still have to be careful. My part time job, my one child still at home, and my husband are all that I can handle many days. I have managed to keep the main part of the house clean, but getting into the bad ones are a real struggle for me. I am setting little goals, and have learned that if I don’t feel up to it that day, I have to let it go. My husband is not a slack, but he has a demanding job and just finished his doctorate, so he has not always been able to help. A lot of it is that I need to get rid of things that have piled up while I was sick. This house is too big, and I need to purge, but that takes energy. I guess I am feeling overwhelmed.
Just one step at a time, Deb! Some days, I only focus on one drawer, or a part of the drawer to keep from getting overwhelmed. The nice thing is not everything has to be done at once. It’s an ongoing process, and I think the more we embrace that, the more we are able to enjoy life and not stress so much about the things around us. I will personally be praying for your health issues — that’s always a hard feeling when you don’t have the energy to complete a task, but don’t overcommit either. Rest is important too!
purge!!!! it feels so good
And the less stuff you have, the easier it is to keep clean. I personally get unsettled when there is clutter.
One good thing about living alone is that I only have myself to blame if there is any mess
I hate housework too. My husband and I share the housework so it helps make it go faster. Although with two little boys by the time we get one area cleaned and move onto the next kid clutter has already moved back into the first! :o)
I can’t imagine trying to keep up with everything with 2 little boys running around, but what an awesome hubby you have to help with chores!
I’m with you, I would LOVE to hire someone to clean my house, at least for the deep cleaning. Things have been a little crazy at our house which has put keeping things organized last on my list. Boy has it effected my attitude! I’m just never at ease when there are toys on the floor and dishes to be washed. I need to try that 15 minutes a day schedule. Because nothing beats waking up to a clean house. π
I have to admit, I love to organize and clean! It kind of gives me a peace of mind. And for some reason, I love to clean by myself and don’t want anybody’s help, because I am used to do it my way! π
I wish I was like that! It would make my house chores SO much easier. π
Do you have children? If you do, assigning age-appropriate chores teaches children beneficial habits and fosters a sense of belonging.
I totally agree, Judy. It’s also a great way to teach children discipline and respect for their surroundings.