The Value of Cleanliness.
Cleanliness is a value “next to godliness” contributing significantly to health and beauty. At Ocean Blue Services, LLC, this means we provide impeccable cleaning services and work on doing whatever it takes in our capacity as cleaning professionals to keep your environment free from filth.
On a practical level, cleanliness prevents the proliferation of germs and diseases. A study headed by Nicole R. Keith, Ph.D. of 998 African-Americans between ages 49 and 65 reports that those who lived in houses that were cleaned regularly were healthier than those living under disorganized circumstances.
Several surveys conducted in business establishments also indicate that absenteeism due to illness is reduced when employees work in a well-sanitized work place. Keeping your environment free from pollutants likewise, suggest hygienic practices of its occupants.
A 2010 study of how cleanliness affected stress levels in 60 women chronicles the following:
- Women living and working in places that were clean and neat described restorative and restful life circumstances.
- Women whose living and work spaces that were cluttered were more prone to depression and fatigue.
- Higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol were found in women subjected to filthy conditions.
Results were published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
The National Sleep Foundation also conducted its own analysis of how cleanliness affected sleep. Its conclusion reported two significant results:
- There was a 19% spread between people who got a good night’s sleep versus those whose repose was fitful because the former made their beds in the morning.
- 75% of respondents reported a more restful slumber due to clean, fresh smelling, and comfortable sheets, pillows, and mattresses.
On the biological effects of cleanliness, another research found that clutter renders focus and concentration difficult. It turns out that when surroundings are messy, the visual cortex gets overwhelmed and overloaded with task-irrelevant objects, making it more challenging to direct attention into completing assignments and goals.
In addition, our very own bodies are excellent examples of neatness and organization. In the atomic level, numerous integrated biological and neurochemical systems operate in sync when maintained well. But when cells get “messed up”, ailments arise.
Approaching cleanliness from a different perspective, another study summarized the top 3 reasons why people find it difficult to maintain a cleaning habit, namely:
- The surroundings are too messy and filthy. Unneeded knickknacks or files were picked up and stored over time, which eventually lead to clutter, waste of storage space, and accumulation of dust and molds.
- There is not enough time to clean. Sanitation and organization take up quite a bit of time, effort and energy people would rather dedicate to other endeavors.
- One tends to forget what it is like to live and work in clean environments and tolerate disorderly surroundings. Consequently, one’s attitude veers towards accepting merely satisfactory outputs over exemplary results.
It is quite clear that cleaning regularly and keeping your home and workplace uncluttered and sanitized has numerous advantages. Some people may be desensitized to mess. But the fact remains that our body will crave external symmetry and cleanliness mirroring the perfectly organized internal systems of our anatomy.
So the next time you dread having to clean your house or office, try to keep in mind all the benefits cleanliness has to offer. Then give Ocean Blue Services a call to assist you in making your space immaculate again.
