Spring Cleaning and Decluttering for a Healthier Home

Spring is here, which means the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the sun is shining. It also means it is time to do a complete decluttering and spring cleaning of your home. Why? Studies have shown that a messy and unclean home can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health. Everything from general stress, anxiety, depression, and reduced attention span can be worsened when your living space is not taken care of. Spring is the perfect time of year to do a deep clean and declutter of your home in order to boost your mental and physical health.

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Household clutter may start out as a small and insignificant pile of papers but it can accumulate over time and become a much bigger issue. How can decluttering create a healthier living space for you and your family? Studies have shown that a cluttered living area can increase stress, anxiety, and depression. Over 77% of Americans say they are living with some form of stress.  The last thing you want is for your home to become an additional source of stress.

Reduce stress

Clutter can be removed from your house by going from room to room and parting with items that are no longer necessary. Items such as magazines, newspapers, papers, and bills can pile up in drawers and on counters and should be thrown out.

In your bedroom, extra clothes, mismatched socks, shoes that you no longer wear, etc. can all be removed and discarded or donated. With fewer clothes in your closet, it will be easier to find an outfit and in turn reduce stress.

The kitchen probably has quite a bit of unused items, such as the expired bread crumbs in the back of your cabinet and the dressing you thought you would like but actually hated that has been hanging out in your refrigerator for months. Get rid of all of these kinds of items. When you have removed them you can reorganize your cupboards so that items are more visible for you to use. This simple task will make cooking much more enjoyable and add to your enjoyment in the kitchen.

Finally, reduce stress by decluttering your bathroom cabinets. You probably have a few half-empty bottles of conditioner, expired antacids, and unused expired vitamins. Getting rid of these will not only reduce stress but will also make your home healthier since you can replace them with brand-new unexpired items to benefit your health.

Avoid injury

Believe it or not, decluttering won’t just reduce the stress in your life, it will also reduce your risk of injury, especially if you are an individual over the age of 65. One in four senior citizens every year will fall in their homes, resulting in 3 million emergency room visits. Falls are also the leading cause of injury-related death for those over 65 years of age.

Decluttering and deep cleaning your home could reduce the likelihood of such falls occurring. During the decluttering process, remove any unnecessary furniture and accent pieces that could be a tripping hazard.  You should also remove unnecessary wires and cords that will get in the way. Check the edges of your rugs and floorboards. Are any of the corners rolling up? If so, tack them down to eliminate a possible tripping hazard.

You’ve decluttered and parted with quite a bit of item. You’re probably already feeling more relaxed in your home. Now you can set into a deep spring clean that will eliminate allergens and reduce your risk of illness.

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Reduce Allergens

The average quick home cleaning session will miss quite a few areas of your home where allergens tend to thrive. The most common indoor allergens are dust, mold, mildew, pet dander, and mites. All of these are microscopic in size but when they accumulate they can cause severe allergy symptoms including hives, rashes, difficult breathing, and sinus congestion. The main sources of indoor allergens are pets, soft furniture, carpet, bedding, mattresses, pillows, and damp areas.

During your spring cleaning, you can reduce allergens in a few different ways. If you have pets, wash their bedding in hot water if possible. If your pet enjoys sleeping on your bed, you will need to wash all of your bedding in hot water. While your bedding has been removed you should give your mattress a deep clean. Vacuum the mattress, spot clean it with a stain remover, sprinkle the mattress with baking soda, and then vacuum it again. When you are done cleaning the mattress you should cover it with an allergen reducing cover. The same is true for your pillows. Keeping them encased will prevent dander and dust from building up in them.

While you are focusing on dust and dander you should vacuum your blinds, furniture, and carpets. Quite a bit of dander and dust can be trapped in these areas and lead to allergies. Wipe down light fixtures, ceiling fans, window sills, picture frames, mirrors, and moldings to completely eliminate dust from your home. Next, move on to your walls. Wipe them down with warm soapy water. You can do the same with your hard surface floors. For your rooms that have carpeting, you should use a steam cleaner to remove ground-in dander, dirt, and other allergens.

A final component of removing allergens with spring cleaning is removing items that could create a mold or mildew issue.  Many mold issues begin in the bathroom where humidity can linger. Scrub your bathtub or shower with a mold removing tub cleaner, paying special attention to the shower seams where mold can hide. Next, make sure the exhaust fan is in working order so that it can remove excess humidity. You should also switch out filters in items such as your home’s heater and vacuum cleaner. If you have window air conditioning units you should clean the filters before installing them. If you see mold in the unit, take it apart and clean it with a mixture of liquid bleach and water.

To prevent mold or mildew from becoming an issue you should use a dehumidifier in your basement during the warm summer months and ensure that you have proper ventilation in your home.

Prevent Illness

When you come and go from your home every day you are bringing back germs from the outside world. Everything you touch from doorknobs to the refrigerator handle has outside germs on them. Cleaning high-touch areas while spring cleaning can reduce these germs and prevent you from getting sick.

Other high-touch areas are light switches, sink handles, keyboards, cellphones, and countertops. These areas should be wiped down with an antibacterial cleaner. Not only does spring cleaning reduce common illness-inducing germs, but it can also remove the risk of sickness from food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli.  These types of pathogens can reside on cutting boards and food storage areas.

When you spring clean, you should remove all of the food from your refrigerator. Next, wipe down all the areas where food resides with a solution of 1 gallon of water and 1 tablespoon of liquid bleach. You should do the same with cutting boards and countertops where food is prepared.

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Deep cleaning and decluttering your home at the start of spring is a great way to revitalize not just your home but also your life. Cleaning improves mental and physical health while decluttering prevents additional stress. While spring cleaning and decluttering may seem like a difficult chore, in the end, they are beneficial to you and your family’s mental and physical health.

Published in: Home advice | Author: Lynn