Whether you have an entire house for yourself or you share an apartment with other people, living in a clean environment is essential for your mental and physical health.
According to an interesting article published on Very Well Mind, clutter and mess have a negative impact on our mental health. In fact, they may contribute to depression and lead to decreased focus and higher levels of cortisol.
Also, according to an Indiana University study, people with clean houses tend to be healthier than people with messy houses. Not to mention, cleaning and decluttering help gain control over your environment and can improve your mood.
Keeping your space in order and clean is one of the essential habits you should include in your daily life.
What follows are nine simple, small habits that can help you keep your house clean and free of clutter.
1. Place a Cup of Water With Lemon in the Microwave
Task Duration: 1 to 2 minutes
If you have a microwave, a great and easy way to clean it is with water and lemon. To do it, the first thing you have to do is fill a cup with water and lemon juice — one lemon is fine.
Then, place the cup in the microwave and set the time to five minutes — on high power. Wait for three minutes, remove the cup, and then wipe the inside of the microwave clean.
If you think about it, placing the cup in the microwave only takes a few seconds, and cleaning the inside takes no more than one minute.
2. Remove the Dust From Your Nightstand
Task Duration: 1 to 3 minutes
This is something you can do in one to three minutes. And it’s essential.
A dusty bedroom can have a negative impact on your physical wellness, triggering allergy symptoms and preventing a good night’s sleep — which is crucial to your overall health. Also, dust particles are known for their potential to cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Since your nightstand is the closest piece of furniture you have while you sleep, and the one of the places where dust accumulates the most, it’s essential to clean it every day or every other day.
When you clean it, make sure to remove the dust not only from the nightstand but also from every object on it. For example, if you have a small lamp on it, clean the outside and its bulb. If you have a book, make sure to clean its surface.
3. Place Your Pillows Under the Sun Every Time You Can
Task Duration: less than one minute
This is a great hygiene habit, especially if you are allergic to dust. And placing the pillow under the sun only takes a few seconds.
Obviously, it’s essential to wash and change your pillow case frequently, if possible every five or six days. However, between washes a good way to kill dust mites is to keep the pillow under the sun for three hours. Keep in mind that sunlight only kills dust mites, and washing your pillow case is necessary to get rid of the allergens.
4. Clean Under the Bread Toaster
Task Duration: 1 to 2 minutes
Another quick task is to clean the space under the bread toaster, as crumbs tend to accumulate there. It takes only one to two minutes. To do it, simply remove the toaster from where it is usually placed, and remove the crumbs with some paper towel. Then, clean with some disinfectant spray or wipes.
Obviously, you’ll have to clean the bread toaster too on a regular basis, however that takes a bit longer, which is why it has not been included among the micro-habits to keep your space clean.
5. Sweep the Floor of One Room as Soon as You Have Two Minutes
Task Duration: 2 to 4 minutes
Sweeping the floor is a very quick task and it should be done every day. Depending on how big your space is, it usually takes anywhere between 3 and 15 minutes. To make this a simpler habit, sweep the floor as soon as you have a few minutes, but clean just one room at a time; this way, it will only take 2 to 4 minutes.
By sweeping the floor, you get rid of all the dirt that accumulates on your floor and prevent this dirt from spreading through the air and contaminate other items in your space.
6. Wash the Floor, One Room a Day
Task Duration: 2 to 4 minutes (for one room)
Same as sweeping the floor. This is a rapid task if you only wash one room per day. And you need to do it after sweeping the floor in order to disinfect it — yes, sorry, sweeping is not enough.
To wash the floor you’re going to need a bucket and a mop. Then, as explained in an article published in The Spruce — a blog specialized in housekeeping — you need to choose a cleaning detergent that is designed for your flooring type.
To keep my floor sparkling clean, I usually follow these steps: I fill the bucket with hot tap water and the detergent I chose. Then I mop the floor, I let it dry, and mop again with hot tap water to rinse residual soap.
7. Open The Windows
Task Duration: less than one minute
To bring in fresh air, it’s essential to open the windows every morning after you get up. It’s a mini task that takes less than one minute and that you can repeat at any moment during the day.
Also, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air. Keeping the windows closed can trap in pollutants, while opening the windows can reduce this pollution.
Another benefit of opening the windows is that by doing it you will let CO2 out and allow fresh, oxygenated air inside.
8. Declutter Your Desk
Task Duration: 2 to 5 minutes
According to an article published in Harvard Business Review, our environment has a significant impact on the way we work. When our space is a mess, so are we.
Also, research has showed how our environments can significantly influence our emotions and behavior, and affects our decision-making and relationships. As a result, cleaning and decluttering your desk on a regular basis is a must for your mental wellness. It can save you time and energy, and can help you focus more.
The first thing you have to do to keep your desk free of clutter is removing all the items on it and cleaning it. Then, instead of putting back all the items you removed, you have to keep only the things you are going to need on a daily basis. You can use a drawer to put away all the things you’re going to use sporadically.
9. Use an Automatic Hanging Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Task Duration: less than one minute
To keep your toilet clean and fresh, one of the best things you can do is buy those hanging toilet bowl cleaners, that clean the toilet every time you flush.
All you have to do is clip the hanging toilet bowl cleaner over the rim of the toilet, and change it every 2 weeks.
Not only these micro-habits won’t take much of your time — as they can be repeated easily in any moment of the day — but they will also contribute to your mental wellness.
When it comes to keeping your space clean, the most important thing you should keep in mind is this: cleaning and decluttering is a form of self-love.