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Why Do We Find Cleaning and Organising To Be Calming?

Writer's picture: Vasudha IyengarVasudha Iyengar

Clearing out that overstuffed closet or pantry can help you feel more at ease. But why is this the case?

Woman cleaning and organizing her bookshelf

Over the past few weeks, my Instagram and Pinterest feed has been inundated with a specific type of content. I only see videos and images of people organising their kitchens and cleaning up their cluttered closets, which I find extremely entertaining.


I know, I know it does sound strange, but hear me out. I feel some innate satisfaction in watching stylised videos of cereal being transferred into a beautiful container or even someone stacking their fridge with weekly supplies. The internet has seen a rise in such videos that fall under the category of “organisation porn”. You must check it out, they can be quite addictive.


For me, however, this form of satisfaction goes beyond consuming content about organisation and cleaning. Once in a while, when the cleaning bug strikes, I put on my favourite podcast and begin cleaning out my space, which makes me feel calmer and makes this exercise comforting.


While organising my closet last week, I was struck by the thought of whether I was the only one who experienced this calming effect or if others did as well. What does psychology have to say about it if it was the latter? So I put on my researcher hat once more and started digging to see what studies and experts had to say about it. This article is a collection of some of the research, and it will look at the calming effect of cleaning as well as the benefits of a clean environment.


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Why Does Cleaning Feel Therapeutic?


According to researchers and experts, cleaning and organising can be calming for three reasons. This is because it can help us focus, give us a sense of control and accomplishment, and also serve as a workout. Let's take a closer look at each of these aspects.


a. Focus


Let's say on a particular day you have a jam-packed schedule. But when you look over at your house. It is an absolute mess. The sink is full of dishes, your bed is undone, and the floor needs to be swept. This environment would become a part of our workplace for many of us who work from home. If you ignore these and sit down to work, they will remain at the back of your head.

Man clearing his desk
Clearing out unwanted objects from our surroundings helps us focus more at work.

Studies show that if our visual field is filled with clutter, each item competes for our attention thereby overwhelming our visual cortex (part of the brain that processes visual information). When we are overexposed to multiple stimuli at the same time, our brain's responsiveness to the stimuli declines, which can have an impact on our attention and decision-making.


De-cluttering and clearing our surroundings reduces the number of objects vying for our brain's attention. As a result, we not only feel calmer, but we are also better able to process information and focus on our work.


b. Control and Accomplishment


Our lives are extremely unpredictable, and we are constantly confronted with new challenges. According to psychologist Jamie Zuckerman, during times of stress and uncertainty, we crave a sense of familiarity as well as structure and order. As a result, we engage in cleaning and organising activities not only because they are familiar behaviour patterns, but also because they decrease our feelings of helplessness. Furthermore, in uncertain times, these activities help us feel more in control of our surroundings by establishing order or structure, which provides us with a calming sensation.

Happy woman cleaning kitchen shelf
Cleaning up a cluttered and messy corner can give us a sense of accomplishment.

In addition to this, there is a sense of accomplishment associated with clearing out space. Personally, I feel triumphant when my closet or desk is organised.


Cleaning out an extremely cluttered space, according to psychologist Forrest Talley, can be a daunting task. He claims that when we are able to take control of a situation and proceed to de-clutter a space, we feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence. He goes on to say that our success in this task will motivate us to tackle other problems that appear daunting.


c. Physical Activity


The World Health Organisation recommends that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 partake in at least 150-300 minutes of physical activity every week. Being physically active is associated with a range of benefits such as reducing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes along with improving our well-being and mental health.

Man vacuuming floors with headphones in his ears
Household chores account for a significant portion of the physical activity required each day.

Being physically active does not only mean going to the gym five times a week or doing an outdoor leisure activity, it can also be in the form of doing chores. In fact among the majority of the population household activities such as vacuuming, dusting, doing the dishes etc., comprise most of the daily recommended activity levels.


According to experts, housework produces similar neurochemical responses to a workout. Domestic chores, according to studies, release endorphins, which are mood boosters. This explains why we feel more at ease after cleaning or organising.


Effects of a Clean Environment


Having looked at why we might enjoy cleaning and decluttering, let us learn about some of the benefits one enjoys being in such an environment.


An abundance of psychological research points toward the deep association between our living spaces and our well-being. Take for example the 2016 study which indicated that the greater clutter in our homes can result in lower well-being.


In addition to it having a mental impact, the presence of clutter can have physical ramifications, particularly among women. According to a 2010 study, women who perceived their homes to be cluttered had higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) than those who did not perceive their homes to be cluttered.

An empty furnished living room
A clean and well-organized home has an effect on our physical and mental health.

Furthermore, cleanliness is also associated with better quality of sleep. According to a 2010 survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, individuals report having better and longer sleep when the room was clean, their sheets were fresh and their bed was made.


While the above research heavily focuses on home environments, its findings can also be extrapolated to work environments as well. Clutter in our workplace can refer to the objects that contribute to a disorganised workspace (e.g., invoices, sticky notes, electronic devices, unwanted stationary etc.). The presence of office clutter is a salient stressor in the workplace which in addition to affecting well-being can impact employees’ job performance too. The above studies emphasise the importance of a clean environment for both our physical and mental health.


Cleaning and organising are excellent stress-relieving activities. However, as with everything else, we must be mindful of why we choose to do it. According to experts, it should not be used as a tool to avoid dealing with current issues. While cleaning spaces can help you avoid negative feelings in the short term, if these feelings persist, it is critical that you seek professional help. That being said, if you currently have an over-stuffed and cluttered cupboard in front of you, maybe give the organising schtick a shot.

References McMains, S., & Kastner, S. (2011). Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(2), 587–597. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.3766-10.2011 Murphy, M. H., Donnelly, P., Breslin, G., Shibli, S., & Nevill, A. M. (2013). Does doing housework keep you healthy? The contribution of domestic physical activity to meeting current recommendations for health. BMC Public Health, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-966 Roster, C. A., & Ferrari, J. R. (2019). Does Work Stress Lead to Office Clutter, and How? Mediating Influences of Emotional Exhaustion and Indecision. Environment and Behavior, 52(9), 923–944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916518823041 Roster, C. A., Ferrari, J. R., & Peter Jurkat, M. (2016). The Dark Side of Home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 46, 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003 Saxbe, D., & Repetti, R. L. (2010). For better or worse? coregulation of couples’ cortisol levels and mood states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(1), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016959


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