Home Improvement Can Help Affect Mental Health

Doing some home improvements is no longer a strange task for us ever since the pandemic began. The lockdowns have kept us grounded in our houses and we began to notice the things or areas that our household needs improvement. There are also times that I personally do see what needs to change, but because I don’t have enough budget to do any changes, I just let it go and tried to brush it off my mind. If I don’t try to forget it, the thought would bother me, and it feels irritating

In my previous post, I discussed about when is the right time to do some exterior homerepairs and how plants help improve your home.  This time, let’s talk about how home improvement can actually help improve your mental health also. According to an article from Blunt Therapy, studies show that more than 70% of Americans areunder extreme stress -  and that was before the pandemic. Stress can cause a lot of health problems for you if you continue to ignore it. Unfortunately, your home can be one of your life’s greatest stressors, especially if it’s a chaotic, disorganized mess. So the most basic thing you could do to make your home a safe haven for you and your family is to get rid of clutter.

Get Rid of Clutter

Clutter may contribute to depression. For instance, a study published in "Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin," found that women who described their living spaces as cluttered or full of unfinished projects were more likely to be fatigued and depressed than women who described their homes as restful and restorative.

After watching plenty of HGTV videos, I’ve seen a lot of tips in how to organize your home and get rid of clutter and the “before/after” videos are amazing. Here are some simple tips to get rid of your clutter in your home:

-          Start by printing / writing “Toss”and “Give” on separate pieces of paper

-          Place each paper on a big empty container each

-          Toss items that are broken, stained, ripped, outdated or have missing parts. Include here expired food, broken kid’s toys, old makeup, broken electronics.

-          Give and Donate: donate items that you no longer use but that are still in good condition such as books, old clothes, old working electronics, etc.

Clean Your Bathroom

Your bathroom is one of the busiest rooms in your house and it’s a place you go to everyday to clean yourself or just spend time in the toilet and watch YouTube videos. Regardless of what you do, it helps if you have a nice, clean bathroom to spend your time to.

To start, cleaning your shower head is one of the most important thing to clean in your bathroom because it’s the first one you notice every single time you take a shower – at least this is how I feel and my personal observation. So every time I take a shower and notice that my shower head is old and could see stains on it, it stresses me out a bit. According to an article from Real Simple, this is how you clean a shower head:

•  Fill a plastic bag partway with white vinegar. Be careful not to overfill the bag, as it could overflow when you submerge the shower head.
• Place the bag over the shower head until the entire fixture is immersed in the vinegar. If you need to adjust the vinegar level, do so now.
• Fasten the bag with a piece of string or twist ties wrapped around the neck of the shower head. Carefully test how secure the bag is to make sure it won’t slip once you let go.
• Let the shower head soak for several hours. For an especially dirty fixture, leave it overnight. If you have a brass, gold, or nickel-coated shower head, remove it from the vinegar after 30 minutes, as any longer than this could damage the finish.
• Untie the bag and remove it from the shower head. Run hot water for a minute to flush out any mineral deposits stuck inside the shower head.
• Scrub the fixture with an old toothbrush if build-up remains. Focus on the areas around the holes where water comes out. Turn the hot water back on to flush out even more residue. Repeat this process until you no longer see mineral deposits.
• Polish the shower head with a soft cloth for a finished look. 

If you want to save time and if you have the budget, then you can always hire someone to do a shower remodel Tallahassee or shower remodel in California depending on your location.

Home Improvement Improves Your Mood 

Aside from the benefits of having a cleaner home, the relationship between a clean house and mental health can help you reduce your anxiety.  What's more, studies have found that having clean sheets and making your bed are associated with a better night's rest. And, when you get more rest, that provides a whole host of mental health benefits including an improved mood.

So doing some home cleaning is really good for you and I'm starting to think that this should be included in your essentials list. So make time to declutter your home and clean those rooms even if it's just one step at a time.