10 unobvious advantages of spring cleaning
Alexandra Savina
Spring is not only associated with an increase in daylight, warming and primroses, but also with traditional spring cleaning. The weather outside the window is still a little like spring, but for general cleaning neither a serious reason nor a clear calendar time is needed. It is customary to be skeptical about spring cleaning and the tradition of organizing work from the Soviet era, but general cleaning has a lot of advantages. We talk about some of them.
Life and breathing will be easier
Alas, few of us are suited to cleaning so responsibly that weekly dust in the most inaccessible places. The fact that dust is harmful to health is well known to all: for example, dust mites that feed on dead human skin cells (of which dust is in many ways) can cause allergies, in particular, people with asthma. It is impossible to completely and completely rid the house of dirt, but it is completely within your power to improve the situation. Spring cleaning is a good reason not to be limited to weekly cleaning of floors and a light rubbing of surfaces from dust and to wrestle with dirt more thoroughly.
Have to get up from the couch
Cleaning a gym will not replace a full trip to the gym, but it will definitely help to become more active: an hour of intensive work with a mop helps burn about 150 kilocalories, half an hour with a vacuum cleaner can get rid of an average of 120 kilocalories, and washing windows burns about 160 kilocalories per half hour. It is worth remembering about the recommended daily rate of steps (for an adult it is 10 thousand steps per day): during cleaning, constantly moving from room to room, it will be very easy to perform.
You can combine business with pleasure
A big plus of cleaning is that it, like no other business, is easy to combine with other occupations. During the time you do household chores, you can listen to voraciously several issues of an interesting podcast, a TED lecture, an audiobook that you just couldn’t find time, a couple of fresh music albums or watch several episodes of your favorite TV series (of course, provided you will not be greatly distracted by the video - dusting or vacuuming without looking is impossible). The Internet is replete with motivating and invigorating playlists for cleaning for every taste - all that remains is to turn on the music louder.
Develop concentration
For those who do not like to do household chores to music, cleaning has its advantages. Monotonous actions - putting things in the closet, washing floors or, for example, cleaning the refrigerator - help to focus and carefully think about problems or work tasks, plan your time or analyze the events of the past week. The possibility of at least a little distraction and disconnecting from the infinite information flow is a big plus for cleaning in silence.
Make room (for new things)
The first and most obvious step to take when dismantling cabinets during the general cleaning is to get rid of all the things that you haven’t worn for at least a year and hardly ever wear. This will help to free up space (including for new things), and free hangers will finally appear in the closet. By examining cabinets and shelves, you can find things that you have long thought were lost - even if they are no longer needed, it’s still nice. Unclaimed things should be carefully folded and not tucked deep in the closet or on the mezzanine - give them to those in need or friends in the near future.
Earn or help those in need
Getting rid of unnecessary things is a mandatory element of general cleaning. There are several ways to deal with them, and first you need to assess the state of the unnecessary thing. If the clothes are in fair condition, they can be donated to charity, distributed to friends or sold through social networks or special services. Things that have outlived their time, you can with a clear conscience to give for recycling; Many brands, in particular, the giant of the mass market H & M, periodically organize collection points for unnecessary clothes. No matter what you do with unnecessary things, giving them away will make you feel better.
Reduce stress
It’s unpleasant to go into a dirty and cluttered room, even if you don’t give yourself this report and don’t understand why you often prefer to spend evenings in a cafe, and only come home to spend the night. According to a study conducted several years ago, women who thought they had a mess at home felt more depressed during the day and found it more difficult for them to return home from work.
Cleaning helps reduce stress caused by clutter. Studies show that such a monotonous exercise, like washing dishes, helps to calm down well - provided that you are fully focused on the process. Data from another small study suggests that we tend to eat more in a dirty kitchen and in a stressful environment - one more reason to finally clean up the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets.
Strengthen relationships
It is not necessary to cope with spring cleaning alone - this is a good reason to talk with a partner, friends or relatives and work together on a common goal. In addition, loved ones can help you gather your courage and finally part with clothes and things that are dear to the heart, but are no longer needed objectively.
Scientific evidence also suggests that household chores are worth doing with a partner: studies show that the likelihood of divorce in heterosexual couples in which a man devotes more time to domestic chores decreases, and fathers who share household chores with their wives equally, daughters grow up more ambitious.
Make a small revolution
General cleaning is like a small repair: it does not bring radical changes, but it helps to look at a well-known space in a new way. You can make a small permutation, move the furniture, and also change the tired covers on the pillows, chairs and couch to new ones. In addition, spring cleaning is a good reason to think about how to organize space and storage of things in a new way in order to save space in the apartment. Fortunately, the ideas on how to do this are great.
And in the end, bring at least something in order
The end of a long cleaning always brings satisfaction. A clean apartment or room inspires cleaning up in other areas: it is more pleasant to work at a clean table, and after many hours of cleaning, tasks and affairs scare a lot less. Scientists also concluded that by working in a clean and tidy room, we become more productive. The experiment showed that in a clean room, people are more likely to do what is expected of them - they choose a more wholesome food and agree to participate in a charity program. Solid pluses.