The tidiness of your home is something that goes beyond the superficial. The ability to locate items for your day-to-day activities or enjoyment is important, and essential in being able to navigate the home and utilize your space effectively. However, there are deeper links between the cleanliness and tidiness of your home and your overall physical and mental health. Ancient practice has known this for millennia, with even Donald Trump employing feng shui in his homes.

Whereas there are home renovations and improvements you can implement, such as walk in showers and wetrooms, that make a house ‘flow’ better, there are improvements you can make without huge alterations.

Decluttering

The first step to improving the feel of the home is to declutter. Over years, the accumulation of clothes, papers, books and memorabilia can start to fill in the spaces in a home that were once looked upon proudly as open. Many Americans employ self storage units and lockups to help put away old but cherished furniture, or store items for a period of time. This also helps in terms of employing an analytical approach – if a nondescript item is untouched for a year or more, why not sell or recycle? The effects of decluttering can be profound. Research has shown there are at least 50 redundant items in every household, and even just photographing cherished objects can benefit mental health.

Cleaning

With clutter removed, cleaning can begin. This is impossible whilst clutter is present, as you won’t be able to identify the surfaces to clean. The importance of cleaning to your physical health is well-known – there are numerous types of bacteria that will flourish unless you keep on top of the cleaning and use the right equipment and treatments. Cleaning has a deeper emotional impact, however, with psychological studies demonstrating that a positive emotional release can be generated through the process.

Rearranging

Bringing the cycle back around to feng shui, a clean and tidy home can be opened up to rearranging. Look into feng shui, if you like; or simply think about your home and what natural barriers there are to getting around it, what spaces feel confined, or whether you can get rid of furniture entirely in other places.

Your mental health and the hygiene of your home are closely interlinked, and poor household clutter levels and cleanliness have been linked to mental health conditions and poor self confidence. Don’t let that cycle build – clean your home and you’ll have a good living space and your wider life.