Spring is a time for fresh starts, and as flowers bloom and temperatures rise, many of us feel the urge to freshen up our home environment. Spring cleaning not only creates a visually appealing space — it may also bring some notable health benefits for both body and mind.
One example: “People with less clutter report higher psychological well-being and a greater sense of being at home within their space,” says Deacon Joseph Ferrari, PhD, a professor of psychology at DePaul University, who’s based in Lisle, Illinois.
What’s more, people with respiratory problems such as asthma or allergies might find some symptom relief from a cleaner indoor space, says the pediatric pulmonologist Jillian Hochfelder, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at New York Medical College, who’s based in West Harrison, New York.
Spring cleaning is, of course, a chore. But its potential mental and physical health benefits might provide some extra motivation to start scrubbing floors and clearing cabinets.
Here are seven possible health benefits of spring cleaning, plus how to get started if the thought of housecleaning feels overwhelming.
1. Spring Cleaning May Boost Mood
Ever notice that sprucing up your space lightens your mood? Science supports spring cleaning as a strategy for improving mental wellness. One study showed that people who had less clutter in their homes reported a higher sense of well-being than those with more clutter.
On the other hand, prior research has shown that more clutter can cause higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, especially in women.
“Clutter often causes the person significant distress and impairment on their life,” Dr. Ferrari says. Clearing away items that are no longer useful or have limited value can improve your sense of self and bring greater feelings of peace and order, he adds.
2. Spring Cleaning Could Improve Some Asthma Symptoms
Spring may be a beautiful time of birdsong and blooms, but for many people with allergic asthma, it can also be a time of dread, as flowering plants and pollen increase symptoms. While not all outdoor allergens are avoidable, keeping your home as allergen-free as possible could help curb some asthma symptoms.
“Spring cleaning can help remove some indoor allergens, such as pet dander, mouse and cockroach allergens, and dust mites, in your home,” says Dr. Hochfelder. “Removing these allergens, especially if allergic, can help alleviate respiratory symptoms by removing asthma triggers from your environment.”
She adds that wearing a mask while cleaning may be a good idea, too, since it can keep you from inhaling large amounts of allergens while cleaning.
3. Spring Cleaning May Enhance Productivity
A less-cluttered home might elevate your productivity, especially if you work from home.
In a study conducted by Ferrari and other researchers, they found that people with cluttered office spaces had higher rates of indecision, emotional exhaustion, and job-related tension than those with less clutter. They also reported lower rates of job satisfaction and perceived time management. All these factors contributed to poor overall job performance, notes Ferrari.
In short, clearing your home-office desk could clear your head for a better workflow.
4. Spring Cleaning Could Help You Make Healthier Food Choices
Cleaner desk, healthier diet? That’s the implication of one study in which participants were assigned to work either at an orderly desk in a clean room or at a messy desk in a cluttered room. They were then offered a choice of snacks on their way out. Those who worked at the orderly desk were significantly more likely to choose an apple, while those who worked at the messy desk gravitated toward candy bars.
5. Spring Cleaning Could Minimize Allergies
As mentioned, since seasonal allergies are typically caused by tree pollen (an outdoor allergen), cleaning the inside of your home won’t necessarily reduce seasonal allergy symptoms, says Hochfelder. But if you’re allergic to anything within your home, such as dust mites or pet dander, spring cleaning could do your chest, nose, and eyes some serious good.
“Removing indoor allergens from your home can reduce the signs and symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, such as congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes, if someone in the home has an allergy,” she says.
Specifically, she recommends using a vacuum with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to remove allergens as you clean.
6. Spring Cleaning Burns Calories
It’s no exaggeration to say spring cleaning can be good exercise. Thirty minutes of heavy cleaning (such as cleaning windows, for example) may burn an estimated 135 calories for a 125-pound person, 162 calories for a 155-pound person, and 189 calories for a 185-pound person.
For a genuine workout, try tackling harder tasks like yard work or scrubbing on your hands and knees. And if you’d like to torch even more calories, consider cleaning to some upbeat music.
7. Spring Cleaning May Promote Heart Health and Longevity
Springtime chores don’t just burn calories; because cleaning is a form of light exercise that can get your heart pumping, it can offer benefits for your cardiovascular (heart) health, too. That’s one reason why the American Heart Association recommends spring cleaning as a means of getting active and boosting heart health.
The impact of cleaning on your heart health could ultimately affect your longevity, too. One prior study found that housework was one of many daily activities that contributed to a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
How to Choose Safe Cleaning Products
As you freshen up your home, it’s important to do so safely. Health risks from home cleaning products are relatively low as long as they’re used as directed, but there are still a few factors to keep in mind, says Bradley Lampe, MPH, a principal research toxicologist at NSF International in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Many commercially made household cleaning products contain volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs. These chemicals can easily evaporate into the air at room temperature, where they can be inhaled, Lampe says.
“High exposure to certain VOCs in air may lead to symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, or worsening asthma symptoms,” he says. “In addition, chronic exposure to some VOCs has been linked to increased risk of cancer, liver and kidney damage, and central nervous system damage.”
To choose a healthy cleaning product that minimizes your contact with VOCs, Lampe recommends taking the following steps.
Consult a product safety data sheet (SDS) for specific information about a product’s chemical hazards and recommendations for safe use. (ChemicalSafety.com, for example, features a searchable database of SDS sheets for many products.)
Look for the Safer Choice label on cleaning products. “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the Safer Choice program to help consumers identify products that use only chemical ingredients that meet strict safety criteria for both human health and the environment,” Lampe says.
Consider a product that’s water-based, fragrance-free, and dye-free. “These products tend to have fewer VOCs and hazardous chemicals in their formulations,” says Lampe.
Try a simple do-it-yourself cleaner. Ingredients you may already have on hand, such as baking soda, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide, can be effective for cleaning.
5 Tips for Getting Started on Spring Cleaning
Figuring out where to start may feel overwhelming, especially if there’s a lot to do. These strategies can keep you from feeling swept away by the process.
Make a list. Before you dive into cleaning, try making a list of tasks you’d like to accomplish. Then order each task by its level of priority.
Tackle one task at a time. Once you’ve rounded up your list of chores, take it one task at a time. This can help you get more done, whereas multitasking has the opposite effect and can be detrimental to productivity.
Set a timer. Spending your entire weekend scrubbing and dusting could leave you feeling burnt out. Instead, devote a shorter amount of time to each chore, setting a timer to stay on track. You might be surprised at how much progress you can make in just 15 to 30 minutes.
Involve other members of your household. “Our items aren't always only up to us to keep. They often involve somebody else,” Ferrari says. If you live in a household with others, try to involve them in any decluttering to prevent hurt feelings about what items are kept and what gets tossed. Plus, there’s strength in numbers! If more people are involved in cleaning, it can provide a greater sense of accountability and motivation.
Consider your “why.” If cleaning for the sake of cleaning doesn’t do much to motivate you, it might be more helpful to tap into your underlying reasons for decluttering your home. Set your sights on your personal “why,” perhaps even writing it down and putting it in a visible place. This can help motivate you to get it done.
The Takeaway
Spring cleaning your home can boost both mental and physical health.
Be mindful when choosing cleaning products — while most commercial products are safe when used as directed, some contain safer ingredients than others.
If getting started feels overwhelming, try cleaning a little bit at a time or tackling one project at a time in order of priority.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
Rogers CJ et al. Home and the extended-self: Exploring associations between clutter and wellbeing. Journal of Environmental Psychology. February 2021.
Vohs KD et al. Physical order produces healthy choices, generosity, and conventionality, whereas disorder produces creativity. Psychological Science. September 2013.
Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights. Harvard Health Publishing. March 2021.
Lear SA et al. The effect of physical activity on mortality and cardiovascular disease in 130 000 people from 17 high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: the PURE study. The Lancet. December 16, 2017.
Knardahl S et al. Individual work-motive values: determinants and consequences for the appraisal of specific health-related work characteristics. Frontiers in Psychology. August 6, 2024.
Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.
He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.
He is currently taking a multiyear personal and professional sabbatical to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, disease, and the processes of healing. He is developing a clinical practice for patients with complex trauma, as well as for others going through significant life transitions. He is working on a book distilling the insights from his sabbatical, teaching, and leading retreats on trauma, integrative health, mindfulness, and well-being for health professionals, students, and the community.
Previously, Dr. Laube was an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he provided primary care and integrative East-West medical consultations. As part of the faculty, he completed a medical education fellowship and received a certificate in innovation in curriculum design and evaluation. He was the fellowship director at the Center for East-West Medicine and led courses for physician fellows, residents, and medical students.
Sarah Garone is a licensed nutritionist, registered nutrition and dietetics technician, freelance health and wellness writer, and food blogger in Mesa, Arizona. She has written for TheWashington Post, Healthline, Greatist, Verywell, and Eat This, Not That, among other outlets. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
