Spring cleaning goes beyond improving how your home looks.
It can do more for your health than you might realize, potentially improving how you breathe, sleep, and ultimately feel day in and day out.
To reap the full health benefits of spring cleaning, though, you’ll need to clean your home from top to bottom. Thankfully, experts agree that focusing on dust and decluttering in the most frequently used living spaces is the most beneficial places to start.
Physiological benefits of spring cleaning your home
As the spring selling season gets underway, the task of cleaning your home may seem daunting if you are looking to move.
But even if you're staying put, spring cleaning should be top of mind, especially if you’re looking to improve your health this spring season and beyond.
Fewer allergens
Many common indoor allergens, including dust mites, pet dander, and pollen can accumulate in bedding, carpets, and soft furnishings.
These materials act as reservoirs, and everyday activity can stir particles into the air, contributing to ongoing exposure.
Brown University’s Clean Indoor Air Initiative found that by improving indoor air quality, you can reduce the risk of respiratory disease transmission by up to 80%. And spring cleaning is an effective way to achieve this.
When you thoroughly clean your home this spring, you minimize allergens, improve air quality, and reduce the risk of breathing challenges, congestion, coughing, and other symptoms.
Less stress
Research by the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that clutter increases stress levels and has an overall negative effect on our well-being.
“When we declutter, we see a quantifiable reduction in cortisol, our body's production of the "stress" hormone,” explains Lori Bohn, Ph.D., board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and medical director at Voyager Recovery Center in Lake Forest, CA.
By removing items from all around your house, you can indulge in a minimalist lifestyle and in turn, achieve a sense of mental clarity, which contributes to decreased stress.
Better sleep
According to the Sleep Foundation, poor indoor air quality can trigger nighttime allergy symptoms, which can take a toll on sleep and lead to repeated awakenings.
If you’re struggling to get a good night's sleep, a clean bedroom can make all the difference.
Less dust, cleaner air, and fewer distractions all support better sleep.
Improved mood
“Engaging in physical cleaning activity will release endorphins into your system, mimicking some of the positive effects of light physical activity on your overall mood,” explains Bohn.
It can be just what you need to manage mild symptoms of depression and anxiety in a natural, sustainable way.
Helpful checklist of ways to effectively spring clean
If you’re ready to reap the real, tangible health benefits from spring cleaning, follow this room-by-room cleaning checklist by Isabella Flores, cleaning expert and professional organizer at Sparkly Maid San Diego in San Diego.
Remember, it doesn't matter where you start—just that you start!
Bedrooms
Remove all bedding and wash in water at or above 130 degrees to kill dust mites.
Vacuum the mattress using a HEPA-filter vacuum cleaner attachment on all surfaces (including sides).
Wash all decorative pillow covers, since they are often one of the largest repositories of dust mites in any given room.
Wash window treatments, such as curtains and blinds.
Use a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA-filter attachment to thoroughly vacuum floors surrounding and below the bed.
Clean all hard surfaces, including nightstands and headboards.
Kitchen
Replace old dingy sponges and dish towels.
Discard expired or food that won't be eaten from your fridge.
Move the fridge from the cavity behind it to clean it.
Clean oven and microwave interiors.
Remove all items from the kitchen pantry, and clean the shelves with a multipurpose cleaner.
Bathrooms
Remove mold from ceilings.
Disinfect all surfaces, including toilet seats, faucets, and light switches.
Clean vents and extraction fans to avoid excess dust leaking into your bathroom.
Declutter the inside of all cabinets.
Scrub tile.
Wash bath mats.
Add a window squeegee to shower to help remove condensation after showering.
Living rooms
Clean under couches and television cabinets.
Deep clean area rugs.
Use a steam cleaner for carpets and upholstery.
Wipe down ceiling fan blades.
Install an air purifier.
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