Ten Reasons Why I Love to Clean!

Many people treat cleaning as a chore. It's a time consuming task that never seems to be finished because a week after you clean, entropy takes over and things get dusty or disorganized again. I can definitely see why many people would dislike it but there are so many good things that can come from a good sanitizing of the home! Here are ten reasons why:

1) You discover things you have forgotten about long ago
Often times when I am cleaning I happen upon old paraphernalia that has escaped my mind. Memories are evoked when I see that Christmas card from years ago, flipping through school work projects I had kept because I was proud of them, little nick knacks from past vacations, pictures of younger days and more. It creates a warm feeling of nostalgia and it makes me happy to relive those memories.

2) It's a good break from studying!
If you are or have ever been a student, you've probably decided to tidy your room in the middle of a study session! It's a great way to be productive even if you're procrastinating on the academic side of things. It makes me feel a little less guilty about starting a paper last minute because I did put my time to good use in some way.

3) A clear room reflects a clear mind
When I try to do anything in my room, be it studying, reading, gaming, drawing or something else, if the place is a mess, I find it terribly hard to concentrate! In the middle of reading I may notice out of the corner of my eye the pile of clothes on the floor or the mountain of paper and books on my desk. This takes my concentration away from the task at hand and makes it extremely hard to focus! A messy room makes me feel like I can't think clearly. Writing an essay in a disorganized space makes me feel a little claustrophobic and my mind is a whirl of thoughts like: "urghhh I can't concentrate in such a messy place!", I am clearly not thinking of my essay! Once the space is clean, I have a sharp mind that can focus on anything that I need to!

4) You get a good work out!
Believe it or not, vacuuming, wiping floors, and lifting heavy objects in the process of cleaning can make you break out in a sweat! At the end of a cleaning session I am sometimes panting and sweating because I had to work vigorously to unclutter the place! Hitting the gym can cost money, why not kill two birds with one stone and get your exercise while you make your living space spotless at the same time.

4) Learning to be selective, becoming a better decision maker
This sounds weird right? But it's not as weird as you may think! In many first-world countries people have more than we need. We tend to accumulate things that clutter up homes. When faced with the decision of what to throw out or give away, it can be tough to part with something we've had for many years but never use. I personally found it difficult to give away my old baby clothes just because I've had them for so long and it made me think about my childhood. In the end I did give them away to the needy and it didn't hurt to donate them as much as I thought it would. Learning to keep what you need and discard what you don't is an important skill that also applies to many other areas in your life.

5) Being able to help the less fortunate
I swear I'm not making this one up! After a good cleaning session (this relates to point 4) you may find things that you have no use for anymore...but other people may need that item! Many of the things I no longer need I donate to charities because after all, one man's trash is another's treasure! It makes you feel warm and fuzzy knowing that what you have will help someone else.

6) It's calming for the mind and soul, you can be creative!
Cleaning is not a mindless task but it's not a brain busting exercise like studying. I treat it like a ritual where you do not need to concentrate on any one thing and you can let your mind wander as you clean. Who knows, you may suddenly think up an amazing poem while dusting the mantle of your fireplace and win a literary prize! Even if that doesn't happen cleaning is a great stress reliever, a calm mind is always nice to have.

7) You save money when cleaning!
Oh no! Looks like we don't have anymore lined paper and need to buy some more! A week after you buy some you decide to clean the house and bam! There's a whole stack of lined paper tucked into the nook of your closet! When we find that we've run out of something it's good to give the house a good clean, you may think you need to buy more of something but it could turn out you have a lot of that item hidden somewhere! It could also happen that you find other purposes for old items you thought were useless and in such a way, we save a lot of money. There's no need to buy news things when we already have them or have discovered new uses for them!

8) Sudden visitors don't embarrass you anymore
You're in your room that hasn't been vacuumed in months, there are giant dust bunnies watching you from under your unmade bed and suddenly, you hear the doorbell ring and it's that insanely cute guy you've kinda been getting to know better! You let him in and he sees your room...and yikes! His face turns grey and he makes a face at the smelly half eaten pizza from two nights ago. Now that situation is one none of us want to be in I'm sure so that's why it's so great to have a clean room! Even if it's not the man of your dreams, if it's just the delivery man or your best friend, be kind and greet them with a clean home that's welcoming to both you and them.

9) It's good for your health!
You will be getting a work out from cleaning but it's also very good for you to live in a dust free, mold free and germ free environment. Those nasties could get you sick, if you spend a little time each day making sure that the table tops are wiped after each meal and wipe the condensation off the windows when it forms, you can prevent mold and germs from building up on those surfaces. They are potential illnesses waiting to attack! Living in a hygienic and clean environment means less sick days!

10) You have a clean living space now and won't trip over things anymore!
Apart from removing the fire hazard in your home, apart from getting rid of that huge duffle bag in the doorway that you always trip over at night you now have a clean living space you can dance and jump around in without knocking anything over! You've accomplished something and you've beat entropy in the battle for a clean home! It feels good to accomplish something, it feels even better to have a clear path to your bed, the home is no longer a field of toe-stubbing landmines! Enjoy the feeling of that accomplishment! Perhaps you'll be able to keep the second law of thermodynamics from messing up your room again by keeping organized every day~

Thanks for reading and ciao for now~!