Lack of warm temperatures aside, March has arrived and it’s time to emerge from our wintery cocoons and begin investing in spring. However, before you stock up on the season’s latest and start throwing your sweaters to the back of the closet, it’s time to give your home a little TLC and put the spring back in cleaning “ and not just for the wardrobe space, but for your mental health. So here’s why it’s important to keep your place clean and organized at all times of the year.
Messy Bed, Messy Head
Spoken by the Queen of Television herself, Oprah’s been one to equate good mental health to a clean living space for many moons, and while she may not be the guru of everything, she knows a thing or two about living peacefully. It’s been long proven that living in clutter and disarray will lead to a negative headspace, and if reruns of Hoarders have taught us anything, it’s that you can’t live a focused or driven existence with your life’s possessions scattered around you. Start small, and focus on a specific area every day: make your bed Monday, pick up your laundry Tuesday, and by the end of the month, you’ll be living clean without the shell-shock of a one-day organizational blitz.
Germs
It may sound germaphobic, but to opt out of cleaning and disinfecting your living space is something that will guarantee to make you sick. Not only do we shed dead skin on a daily basis (gross), but after being holed up without fresh air circulating for several months, your home can become a cesspool of stuffiness and re-circulated air. Meaning? If you were sick in January and February and haven’t disinfected or cleaned the area you sought refuge in, your germs are still present. (And don’t even get us started on what you track in if you wear your shoes in the house.)
Positive Energy
Sure, it may seem trivial or repetitive of Oprah’s living strategy, but if you don’t take the time to go through what’s stayed couped up from November onward, you’ll miss out on a cathartic experience that leaves you feeling clean, recharged and free of negativity. No, your sweaters may not be the source of sorrow themselves, but by purging your life of clothing or items you don’t use, need or like, you’re not just physically cleansing your space, but you’re symbolically freeing your life of the unnecessary things weighing you down.
Superficiality
If you haven’t signed up because of Oprah’s methods, the biological aspect, or all things Feng Shui, think of it this way: when comparing a messy living space and one that’s clean, organized and aesthetically pleasing, which do you like best? By keeping your place well-maintained, not only will your home be one you can physically appreciate, but your furniture, knick-knacks and general space will look better “ and isn’t that why you invested in your items and apartment in the first place? After all, why spend on dé©cor if you can’t actually appreciate it.
