April 7, 2025

The Psychology of a Clean Home: How Tidiness Affects Your Mood

There is usually a lot to do and see in New York: museums, bustling public places, restaurants, Sports centers, thriving corporate culture, and everything you can think of. The city is rightfully one of the best places to live in the world.

However, beneath all these is a racing lifestyle—a routine that never stops, a city that never sleeps. From the famed Times Square to your office door and the creaks of your apartment that welcome you home, it is easy to lose touch.

It is easy to get lost while trying to survive in the city, and you forget the essence of cleanliness. The importance of keeping your space clean and seeking to declutter periodically is one of the most incredible hacks for improving your mental well-being.

This post explores the obvious yet subtle connection between cleanliness and mental wellness and how a clutter-free space can significantly reduce stress, improve focus, and provide more happiness. So, without further ado, let’s get cleaning.

Cleanliness and Its Link to Mental Well-being

Even if it’s as little as one (1) hour of cleaning every other day, you cannot deny how freeing it always feels. Arranging the bookshelf, tidying up the sitting room, and folding laundry just has a way of brightening up your mood. 

Living with clutter is challenging. It can become overwhelming and stressful, and it can even make it difficult to concentrate. In a city that never sleeps, like New York, the stress doubles. It even gets hard to focus.

Living in a closed-up and cluttered space can hurt your mental health. It might sound preposterous, but your immediate environment goes a long way in impacting your mental well-being. People living in cluttered homes have been shown to have higher levels of Cortisol, the stress hormone.

This increase has been linked to a myriad of health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and complications of the heart. With the hassles of living in New York, regularly decluttering your space will result in better life satisfaction and sleep patterns.

You should never pass up an opportunity to declutter your home, as it helps you create space for new possibilities and frees up your mind to reinvent itself with innovations that spur growth. What are the other benefits of cleaning and decluttering that you might not have been paying attention to?

The Magic Decluttering Does For Your Mental Health

For a long time, you have been underestimating the damage a cluttered space can do to your mental health. It’s not only about having an arranged or clean space; clutter is anything between you and the life you want. Our environment also affects our mood, but only a few people notice this connection.

You might have things in order in your home, but when did you last use a surface cleaning liquid on your desk? When was the last time you changed your bedsheets to aid your sleep?

By controlling or entirely removing clutter, we can significantly reduce stress, become less anxious, and be more confident in the long run. Decluttering brings about the following benefits.

1. Greatly Relieve Anxiety

A disorganized space increases anxiety. Living in New York already comes with so much—bills, corporate culture, work deadlines, etc. You do not want to add anxiety to that mix.

An unclean space often brings loads of anxiety. If your space is cluttered, you will be constantly stressed, worried, and on the edge, wary of more clutter accumulating.

Decluttering can give the mind the reset it needs and allow it to find peace. Allowing the mind to wander while focused on decluttering your space can help you think more clearly and calmly.

2. It gets you into Productivity Mode.

Different reports have noted that having a cluttered space always helps to get those creative juices flowing. However, when you declutter, you solve problems and get things done, and this is non-negotiable.

When you declutter, you gain energy to help you tackle the other items on your to-do list. The visual accomplishment you also feel after decluttering is incomparable. Decluttering boosts your productivity significantly.

3. Helps Sharpen your focus

A cluttered home can be very messy and chaotic, making it difficult to focus on the tasks that matter.

In a decluttered space, you can better focus and have a long-lasting attention span because you can easily find things where you left time.

Your sense of organization improves as your mind is better positioned to complete assigned tasks.

4. Boost your Mood and Improve your Physical Health

Humans need to allow their minds to wander sometimes. It is said that the best innovations known to man were made during these times.

Decluttering your space is an excellent hack for keeping the mind alert and the body active. Once we have decluttered, we will feel less stressed, and even better, we will feel accomplished when we see the progress.

5. Higher Self Esteem

There is a perception you get when you are new to someone’s space, and you see it all arranged and neat with everything where they are supposed to be.

This is what decluttering your space is meant to mean. When you live in a cluttered space, you might have trouble staying organized, making you feel out of control.

When you take charge and step up to improve your living space, your self-esteem improves, and feelings of competence and pride may be restored.

Generally, when you declutter your space regularly in a busy city like New York, your lifestyle and well-being improve, and you cultivate better relationships with your colleagues, neighbors, etc. You also feel comfortable inviting your friends into your home when you are confident it is always tidy.

Easy Tips to Learn for Decluttering Your Space

Now that we have focused on the numerous benefits of decluttering and enjoying the mental benefits, it is essential not to rush into it. It is vital to have a process. Take note of the following tips for decluttering;

Do not Strive for Perfection.

No one is judging you, and deciding to take the first step to declutter your space and free it up is your first win. You do not need to hide the items you use all the time; do not take motivation from the internet on this. Be unique in clearing up your space.

Start Small

They say slow and Steady wins the race. When decluttering, it is important to start small. Pick out one drawer or cabinet and organize it one after the other.

By doing this, you are using positive feedback. When you can organize a drawer, the sense of accomplishment you get pushes you to do more.

Have Structure

For everything you do to declutter effectively, one of the best things you can do is have a structure and a template to follow.

If you have friends over for a mini-hangout, you will undoubtedly want to declutter your kitchen or living space after a lovely time.

You can schedule someone to take the items you no longer need, and this will undoubtedly prompt you to have a target date set up for when you will complete the decluttering process.

In addition, you should remember to go easy and give yourself some extra time. Decluttering sometimes takes a lot of time.

Let White Glove Cleaner Help

In a fast-growing city, a bubbling one like New York, we know that spending all your active hours scrubbing bathtubs or vacuuming floors is counterproductive. That is why we are here for you. You do not have to do the ‘heavy lifting’—let us do it for you.

White Glove Cleaner, a Manhattan cleaning company, prides itself on cleaning with a conscience,. The focus is always on you, as we focus on all of your specific needs and preferences. To cope in a bustling city like New York, you need a cleaning company that prioritizes you and provides the best services. Our cleaning services are targeted at keeping you refreshed and always ready to go.  Contact us today to schedule a cleaning service in New York City.