May 10 is National Clean Up Your Room Day! This is an unofficial holiday that makes moms happy and has children cringe. “Go clean your room!” is a phrase that most of us heard a lot growing up.
But mom was right. There are many reasons why it is a good idea to clean that room.
· Better Physical Health
Keeping dust and dander under control will help anyone with respiratory problems. Having all air vents unblocked allows clean air to circulate.
Any dirty dishes or food left in the room will attract bugs or even rodents.
Clutter can cause trip hazards.
By actually doing the work of decluttering and cleaning you will improve your body. A tidier home will give you a fitter body!
· Improve Mental Health
Keeping a clean room will start your day off right. Take the two minutes and make your bed. It is a large piece of your bedroom and will give you a sense of accomplishment with just a little time investment. At the end of the day, you will thank your morning self when you crawl into that nicely made bed. According to Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, “making your bed every morning is directly correlated with higher levels of productivity and overall happiness.”
Making it a habit to clean and declutter your room each day will spill into your life. As Marie Kondo states in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, “From the moment you start tidying, you will be compelled to reset your life. As a result, your live will start to change.”
When you clean and declutter your room you feel a sense of control that will carry you through the day.
· Saves You Time
Finding that one pair of shoes you want to wear or the top for those slacks or the special bracelet you know is on the dresser somewhere can take up a lot of time when getting dressed if you don’t have your room tidy and everything put away.
Keeping the clean and dirty clothes separated will keep you from rewashing clean clothes that have gotten mixed up in the dirty pile.
For inspiration on how just 10 minutes a day can save your time and energy use our Organize Your Home 10 Minutes at a Time deck of cards. Just pull one card like one on the bed or the top of the chest of drawers, set your timer and see what you can accomplish. You will be surprised on how much can be done in such a little bit of time.
If taking time to declutter your room each morning and do a weekly clean can make such a difference, why not work it into your schedule? The next time you are tempted just to shut the door on your mess remember the benefits that just a little bit of time can make.
If you want help or just some accountability in setting up projects or working your organizational plan join Diane Quintana and me on our Clear Space For You clutter support group.
Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients tackle the toughest organizational issues. Jonda does hands on organizing and virtual organizing. For more of Jonda’s tips connect with her on Facebook.
You definitely make important points. Personally, I'm pretty iffy about making my bed, but I absolutely think it's an important aspect of teaching kids to respect themselves and their surroundings, the same as pushing their chairs back in at the table/desk (as they taught us in school) or tidying. I think the biggest problem is that, starting around kindergarten, parents will tell kids to clean up their rooms without providing detailed lessons as to what that means. It's better to start at the toddler level with role modeling and practice, and making it seem like just another of life's tasks, like brushing your teeth. The more it's treated as work or a chore, the more kids will avoid it, but…
With pretty much every indoor allergen like dust and mold, cleaning is super important to me. A lot of people do not realize how much their living environment affects how we feel. Thanks for talking about this topic.