It was supposed to be a joke when Monica on Friends talked about cleaning as “the thing” she does to relax when stressed. I even had a good chuckle myself because, well, who doesn’t like to chuckle.
The thing is that Monica is actually the one who is having the last laugh at all of us as cleaning really does have health benefits, especially during times of high stress. It’s not just something to do to pass the time. We all know that there are environmental benefits (goodbye dust bunnies and random smells), but did you know that there are physical and mental health benefits as well?
Like it or not – cleaning can actually be a beautiful part of our overall health routine!
Let’s learn why!
Cleaning Gets Physical
Cleaning is physical – there’s no way around it. Even if gently sweeping a broom across the floor, you’re still moving. And all movement is good for your body.
Cleaning and the physical aspects help to get our overly sedentary bodies moving, get the blood flowing, our heart rate up, and a much-needed stretching of our muscles.
Not only that, but when we clean, we create a healthier environment for our house because we minimize dust, remove dirt that carries particles (and even bugs) that impact air quality, and help to limit the spread of any bacteria from surface to surface and person to person. Removing pollen, pet dander, mildew, and other hidden microbes ensures that we’re not inadvertently harming our immune system.
Cleaning is Psychological
Cleaning is such a gift for our mental health. It allows us to feel a sense of accomplishment. It provides our mind time to wander and daydream; time to indirectly sort through our thoughts; and time to just be focused on something else that has a clear beginning and end.
Cleaning allows us to gain a sense of control of our environment – which is so much more important since the spread of COVID-19 due to the lack of control many of us are feeling in this uncertainty. There are also short- and long-term impacts on one’s mood, helping to lower one’s risk for anxiety and depression.
Further – cleaning, particularly deep cleaning, can inspire us to get creative or reconnect with hobbies. So many hidden treasures are found when we clean – old paintbrushes, pictures of travelling, medals from track and field days – that we can be inspired to start these hobbies again. Tapping into things that brought us joy for the sake of joy. And without cleaning, we may not have found these old treasures. Reigniting joy is just good for all our mental health these days.
Cleaning Stops Clutter
Clutter just appears suddenly. I know – I’ve seen it happen. But clutter, no matter how small, has an impact on our ability to focus, be present, and relax within a space.
Even more, clutter impacts our ability to make healthy decisions. A 2013 study highlighted in Psychological Science showed that when people are in a clean, more organized environment, they tend to make healthier choices both in terms of diet and physical activity. Meaning – our clutter isn’t just impacting our mental health…it’s impacting our ability to CHOOSE to make healthy physical choices.
When we take the time to remove clutter, even something as small as organizing the papers on our desk in a nice pile rather than “strategically scattered,” we improve our ability to tune into our body so we can understand what we actually need.
To get the benefits of cleaning, you don’t have to do a top to bottom of everything (like Monica would). Rather, a simple scrubbing of a toilet or vacuuming one single room, heck even emptying the dishwasher or putting those sink dishes into the dishwasher, can be enough to help give you a health boost.
If you already have your health routine in place, though, let us know. Perhaps professional cleaning can take you to a whole other level?
3 Cleaning Truths Successful Companies Don’t Want You to Know About
Your business may not be in cleaning, but cleaning is still part of your business. It represents your brand, your goals, an overall experience for your clients and employees alike. Knowing this, is your business unintentionally leaving some dirt on your brand’s reputation by not utilizing a proper cleaning service?
Perhaps your office or studio is absolutely spotless, thanks to you and your team staying late and scrubbing down the toilets, wiping down desks, and chasing the dust bunnies away. But, did you truly start your own business so you could scrub it at night? As a Calgary small business owner myself, I understand the urge to do your own cleaning in order to save a few pennies here and there, and that often starts with cleaning. Yet, if “cleaning” is being spoken in hushed tones over the water cooler, it may be time to think about professional services. Imagine what could happen to your business, your reputation, your team’s happiness if you invested in an economical professional cleaning service?
Let’s explore a few truths as to how commercial cleaning can advance your company.
TRUTH ONE: CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO CLIENT HAPPINESS
Yes, when a client comes into your office, a patient into your practice, or a yogi into your studio, they are absolutely judging the space they’re in. By welcoming them with a truly clean space – dust free, smell free, stain free, junk free – you’re creating an environment people want to be in. Even better, you’re creating a business that people want to come back to, while sharing their positive experiences with their friends.
Other benefits from cleanliness show up in your team’s performance by through improved focused, increased engaged, and overall happy attitude when working in a clean environment.
TRUTH TWO: CLEAN IS IN THE EYE OF THE CLIENT
What you may believe is clean may not actually be clean to your clients or customers. Make sure that you think of who is using your space, why they’re there and what the space is used for to understand what clean truly is. From there, it’s a matter of utilizing a cleaning service that supports the type of quality clean your business requires.
For example, we have a chiropractor practice as a client who happens to specialize in babies. As such, they have babies crawling on the floor of their practice all the time. It is absolutely crucial that their floors be immaculate so the parents bringing their babies in can rest easy knowing that they are letting their child crawl on a clean floor. We all know that there is nothing quite like the eagle eye of a parent. Ensuring this practice is clean at all times is essential in supporting our client’s reputation with their key clientele.
TRUTH THREE: CLEAN MAKES HAPPIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE TEAMS
More and more, we’re learning how hygienic workplaces contribute to your overall employee health, satisfaction, and productivity. Ensuring your business is clean, truly clean, helps improve employee productivity as it limits the spread of airborne illnesses, such as the nasty flu. While it is obvious why building a culture of “cleanliness” is important to keeping employees healthy (e.g. hand washing programs, work remotely if contagious, “no touch” doors, etc.) in order to limit the number of sick days taken, we’re also learning more about how a clean workplace can enhance the overall mindset of your team. By reducing clutter in the office, kicking out those dust bunny “employees,” and even wiping the fingerprints off the glass doors that welcome clients, your team will begin associating quality and positivity with your environment. As such, you’ll have happier, healthier, and a much more productive team focused on the role you hired them for in the first place.
By using a professional cleaning service, you’re also going to help improve the indoor air quality. Reason being is that we have the proper tools to remove the type of dust that sticks to walls, windows, and mirrors – those particles that get in the vents and send who knows what throughout the air and into our lungs. We have also invested in the right supplies to ensure we’re taking the dirt with us, such as high-powered vacuum cleaners, leaving your studio space with a real clean, not a surface one. With cleaner air comes easier breathing. This ultimately leads to a team with clearer thinking abilities, allowing them to be more creative and engaged.
ULTIMATELY, CLEANING AND BUSINESS GO HAND IN HAND
Cleaning doesn’t have to be done every single day in order for your business to benefit from professional services. What’s important is understanding what clean is to you, your employees, and your customers. When working with a cleaning company, such as Clean Club Calgary, you have a dedicated team member whose sole purpose is to make your office spectacular and represent your brand in a positive light. This means gaining a clear understanding of what “clean” is, how often your cleaning should be done, and how cleaning can support your overall business goals.
If you’re not sure whether your business could benefit from a professional cleaning service, take a moment to answer the following (be honest…we won’t tell):
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Toilet Time: Does someone want to sit on the toilet or are you making your customers squat more than they need to?
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Garbage Smells: What’s the garbage can smell like? Not the actual garbage bag…but the can itself? (yep – these too need to be washed)
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Fridge Critters: Is there something crawling in your team fridge? If yes…your employee satisfaction is most likely not that high…or at least falls every time the fridge is opened.
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Look Way Up: When was the last time you cleaned the high areas in your office, removing the dust that impacts air quality?
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Smiles Abound? Observe the overall mental health of your employees. While there may be a number of items that contribute to a person’s mental health stressors, make sure the cleanliness of your environment isn’t one of them.
If your answers to these sent some shivers down your spine, you could very well need support in seeing how cleaning can support your business growth. A commercial cleaning company will be able to walk you through each of these questions (and then some) to understand what your primary concerns are and how to start addressing them.
The ultimate truth here is that you’ve worked hard to build a business you can be proud of. Take it even further by investing in cleaning services that focus on you, your productivity, and your client satisfaction. Connect with Clean Club Calgary to see how you can relax with commercial cleaning services.