Yes, you read it correctly: Cleaning will help with your Health resolutions. 

Cleaning has surprisingly positive effects to any healthy living efforts. If you used to think that it is was a chore to be avoided - think again.  

The truth is that a clean and orderly home is a huge part of Healthy Living and will contribute to achieving your goals. 

Here are 5 very ideas on how to get started:

1. Decluttering and cleaning will clear your mind and help you to focus on your goals

Think about it, if your training gear is chuffed with everything else in the wardrobe when you want to exercise, is that motivating? Or the area for doing a yoga is full of clutter and dust - will you achieve tranquility? How do you achieve your eating goals with a fridge full of temptation? Or you are still used to smoking or vaping in the house instead of breathing pure clean air?

What will be the level of success if you want to change some habits but not the environment? 

Do a good declutter, get help from professional organisers or try the KonMari method (authors no1. recommendation for organising and decluttering, not affiliated, more information https://konmari.com/ ).

Create space for your new life, let go off the old and focus on your goals. 

Photo by Avrielle Suleiman on Unsplash

2. Clean air and surfaces are healthier in general

Dust is pollution. A lot of it can create a home for dust mites which love to munch on human skin cells (largely contributing to dust). Dust mites then can cause sensitivities. Airborne dust and other air pollutants on the other hand can enter our respiratory system. Compared to our digestive system, our respiratory system has limited protection against various small molecules. 

Enough motivation to keep your home dust free? It is healthier to do so. Avoid using feathered dusters as they make it airborne. Use a good general dusting all purpose spray and wipe it off.  Diluted washing up liquid and cloth are also effective.

You can literally feel the improvement. 

Photo by Thomas Hafeneth on Unsplash

3. Swap your cleaning chemicals

As we discussed earlier about the airborne molecules entering in to our respiratory system and straight into our bodies - same goes with the chemicals we use.

So for once and for all, if you mostly use the typical industrial type chemicals with quite generous amount of perfumes, you might consider trialling alternative options. These are typically labelled eco friendly etc. and any of them is a better option for your health goals than the main stream chemicals.

We cannot address this enough. 

4. Clean Your Kitchen

No matter what your Health goals are otherwise the kitchen plays a big part of it and keeping it clean will help with your New Years Healthy goals.

Re organise your newly cleaned kitchen so that your health goal equipment (smoothie blenders, juicers, steamers) are at easy access and the not so healthy equipment are moved to 'rarely used' location or removed completely. These simple cleaning tasks and relocation will help you to achieve your goals. 

Also pay attention to signs that may require attention due to potential health risk: brown slime growth in the sink or fridge indicating bacteria growth, greasy dust over the extractor hood, dirty oven. 

Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash

5. Cleaning your sport gear

You have probably done the first step of every New Years health resolutions - bought new gear. That's fair enough.

Cleaning them correctly will help to increase their lifespan so follow these principles:

Do not use fabric softener on any technical sports gear, especially lycra and such stretch materials will be destroyed with the use of fabric softener.

Use milder Non biological detergent on technical and outdoor gear. The enzymes and other stain removers, zeolites, brighteners, and possibly bleach of the stronger detergent are there to break down and remove various types of molecules, and so they will do for your specialist gear improvements.

Milder non biological detergent will clean, but not destroy the technical benefits of rain shield, odour removers etc. 

 Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash

We hope these steps will be helpful to you in creating a new cleaning routine - a healthier lifestyle routine. 

Health - Home - Planet