Whoever said that cleanliness is indeed next to godliness knew what they were talking about. Cleanliness plays a huge role in maintaining our physical and mental health. On the contrary, lack of cleanliness puts every aspect of our lives in jeopardy.
There are many aspects when it comes to cleanliness. It certainly starts with personal hygiene, but it extends into our homes, our workplace, and the environment we’re living in. Maintaining cleanliness in all aspects of our lives returns with a lot of benefits to our health, and here’s an overview of the extent of these benefits.
Enhanced Physical Health
There are a plethora of conditions, infections, injuries, and even diseases that are associated with the lack of cleanliness. Even if the average person keeps good personal hygiene, the surrounding environment can be detrimental if not clean.
This is something that health care officials in London, UK, have realized lately. The levels of the harmful gas NO2, the main culprit being cars, has risen to an alarming level. It caused aggravation of asthma for more than 4000 individuals over the course of 3 years, prompting healthcare officials to take necessary precautions. Londoners as well are seeking professional cleaning services in London to take care of every inch of their home, as NO2 can also be produced in the household as a result of using gas stoves, smoking tobacco, or fuel-based heating systems. Asthma can also be developed from continuous exposure to dust, making the need for thorough cleaning services a necessity.
Cleanliness protects us against asthma attacks, but it also helps keep us strong and healthy in the following aspects:
- Lowering the risk of skin infections from lack of personal hygiene
- Lowering the risk of food-borne infections from lack of others’ hygiene
- Lowering the risk of getting infected by bacteria and microbes accumulated in kitchens and bathrooms
- Lowering the risk of slipping and falling in a messy house, which could lead to injury
Improve Mental Health
By maintaining our personal hygiene and decluttering from the mess around us, our mental health thanks us for it. A lot of research has been conducted on the effect of cleanliness on our mental health, showing that organized individual who maintains the cleanliness of their environment suffer from lower levels of stress and anxiety. On the contrary, messy environments catalyze the development of emotional stress, anger, anxiety, and irrational behavior.
How We Feel About Ourselves
There’s an undeniable feeling of serenity that washes over you once you take a hot shower after a long day of work. The same goes when you clean your home after weeks of scattered mess. There’s a reason we feel this kind of relief after cleanliness, and whenever we answer to this calling, we instantly feel better about ourselves. Some research has even shown that the act of cleaning itself lowers anxiety levels!
How Others See Us
There’s no doubt that our cleanliness affects the impressions we make on other people as well. A messy individual who’s constantly searching for their stuff under layers of clutter certainly doesn’t give the same impression as one who has an organized office. The latter gives much more professional vibes than the first, and that makes all the difference in the work environment.
Better Relationships
Building a professional image isn’t the only social benefit from cleanliness. Perhaps what’s even more important is how it affects our personal and intimate relationships. Aside from the fact that personal hygiene and general cleanliness can significantly increase the odds of building successful intimate relationships, personal hygiene is especially important in the continuation of intimate relationships. Otherwise, the two partners might infect each other with conditions and diseases that could’ve been avoided.
Increased Productivity
When an individual’s life is working properly in its different aspects, it brings more prosperity to the individual. A healthy person will be able to perform physical activities, maintain their mental health, nourish personal relationships, and thrive in their work. They experience increased productivity in all of their lives as a result, and maintaining their cleanliness ensures they keep their progress.
You can either judge the benefits of something by seeing its direct impact or after witnessing the negative side effects once it’s been taken out of the equation. In the case of cleanliness, it works by combining the two together. A lack of cleanliness can result in many health hazards, on both physical and mental levels. Meanwhile, maintaining good levels of cleanliness brings nourishment and well-being into your life. This can be witnessed in an enhanced self-image, leaving better impressions, maintaining successful relations, and experiencing productivity in every aspect of your life.