The Physical and Mental Benefits of Cleanliness
In 1947 a doctor named Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis noticed that a contagious fever, common in maternity wards, spread less quickly when caregivers washed their hands with a solution of chlorinated lime between treating patients. That discovery saved the lives of hundreds of new mothers and infants in Vienna and hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide during the flu epidemic of 1918.
Although we no longer use chlorinated lime, Semmelweis’s hand-washing method continues to save lives. Keeping living areas and our bodies clean is the single most important thing we can do to stay healthy.
Every summer news articles remind us that diseases such as the rhinovirus, commonly found on cruise ships and in elementary schools, thrive on surfaces that several people touch (stair rails, door knobs, sink handles).
When a virus or other contagion is diagnosed in people who have used common areas, cruises are canceled and schools are closed while cleaning crews disinfect every surface including walls, ceilings and heating and cooling ducts. Those news articles as well as prominently posted notices and announcements are necessary to contain the inevitable new introduction of the rhinovirus and others like it.
Recently science is discovering that clean areas might be invaluable for mental health as well.
The symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are reduced in homes that are regularly monitored for cleanliness. People who suffer from those illnesses benefit from learning and practicing keeping their living areas clean.
Sanitary areas improve learning scores in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and reduce negative behavior in children who have experienced trauma and neglect.
Making your home or office disease resistant is important, especially in homes housing the elderly, infants and pregnant mothers. The process can be simple. Spraying all touchable surfaces with an antiseptic like rubbing alcohol can kill many infections but the easiest way to avoid disease is by keeping surfaces clean and dust free. If a contagion doesn’t have residues found in dust upon which to feed and lie in wait, it often doesn’t live long enough to reproduce.
Regular vacuuming and dusting also controls and eliminates mites, fleas, spiders, and bedbugs. Regularly mopping floors and clearing walk areas inside and outside your home makes accidents less likely. (Especially on stairs.)
Hygiene in general is the easiest way to stay physically healthy, but studies have shown that clean areas can ease the symptoms of many mental disorders as well. Lack of hygiene is both a cause and a symptom of mental illness in hoarders, people suffering from depression, and in some cases in people with agoraphobia.
Keeping a daily and weekly chore list that includes organizing clutter, regularly disposing of trash and unused items, vacuuming, dusting, hand-washing and bathing or showering can boost mental and physical health and protect others in the home.
The benefits of cleanliness are being studied for treatment of people suffering from everything from anxiety to zygomycosis.
The good news is that avoiding illness can be as easy as washing your hands.
