Does A Dirty Home Mean Children Are Happy?

Kids. It may be a pain to raise them, and they can be annoying at times, but we would do absolutely anything and everything just to make sure they are okay. My mother once told me, if in the near future I was to need a vital organ due to some crazy incident she would give her organs up for me. At first, I thought she was just exaggerating, but I now realize she truly meant every single word. I’m sure most parents around the world share that same love for their kids. Unfortunately, some parents could be negatively impacting the health of their children without even knowing it. You see, a house that is dirty, unkept, and unorganized can heavily influence the physical and mental well-being of your children.

A Clean Home Is A Happy Child

Contrary to popular belief, a dirty house does not mean the kids are happy. Happiness does not stem from dirtiness and disorganization. It just does not make sense since a dirty home generally gives off vibes of procrastination and lack of discipline. Children flourish in discipline, structure, and organization. They love to know when school will end, what will be for dinner, what mommy and daddy expect of them, and things of that nature. 

The role a dirty home plays in the mental well being of your kids is a lot more prominent than what most people might think. A study conducted by a team of psychologists from UCLA shows the direct relationship between clutter and stress. The study was basically about a team of researchers observing the lives of multiple families that lived in different neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area and came from different demographics. During the period of observation, the psychologists noticed most of the families were obsessed with their possessions since they would pile their stuff throughout their house. They came to the conclusion America is a clutter culture and Americans find so much joy in rewarding themselves with material possessions. Strangely enough, it’s those piles of possessions that increase their stress. “It’s difficult to find time to sort, organize, and manage these possessions,” says Anthony Graesch, a professor at Connecticut College. “Thus, our excess becomes a visible sign of unaccomplished work that constantly challenges our deeply ingrained notions of tidy homes and elicits substantial stress.” Later on, the team looked at the participants’ levels of diurnal cortisol, a measure of stress, through saliva provided by the families. They learned there is a direct relationship between the condition of the homes of the families and their diurnal cortisol levels also known as their stress levels. An interesting factoid the study found out is that a family with dual-income parents tends to be more distant from their children. The reason behind this is because not only does the family spend less time together since both parents spend the majority of their time working, but the parents try to make it up by buying their children a lot of toys and gifts. Ironically, the parents just end up giving their little ones more stress since the majority of the presents end up flooding their room with clutter. To sum things up, the stress of having a dirty, cluttered home is a real thing. Kids nowadays go through so much stress, whether that be from school, social media, work, etc. The last thing they need is to encounter stress at their beloved home.

A Dirty Home Is Anxious Child

On top of the scientific research on the subject, psychologists also found clutter can be a great source of anxiety. According to psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter, there are 8 main components that contribute to clutter causing an abundance of stress and anxiety. The first is clutter fills up your child’s brain with a ton of stimuli from the external world which leads to their mind working extra hard to process the information it is receiving. Second, clutter distracts them from the things that really matter. Think about it, say your child is going to do their homework at the kitchen table, but nobody cleaned it. Most of their focus shifts to the food crumbs, dirty dishes, and used napkins on the table. It can be very difficult for them to focus on their homework with the disgusting mess surrounding them. Lack of focus can lead to slow learning in little ones. Third, clutter makes it hard for them to relax. Most kids find it easier to relax in a well-organized setting. Fourth, clutter causes their brain to think their work is never finished when in reality they might've had a productive day. Fifth, clutter can cause little ones to feel anxious because they don’t know exactly where things are. Sixth, clutter causes mixed emotions in your child. Some kids might feel insecure and embarrassed when one of their friends comes over and notices how dirty their house is. Seventh, clutter limits the creativity and productivity of your children. How is this possible? Simply because a lack of open space prevents creativity and productivity which Carter says is necessary for brainstorming, thinking, and problem-solving. Lastly, clutter can cause your children to get very frustrated when they can’t find what they need at the moment amidst the huge mess in their home. Kids have it bad already with e-learning, you know, they have to deal with technical issues, time management, self-motivation, and on top of other things. Don’t you think it is fair to help them out by providing them with a clean home? Everyone needs a clean and organized place to relax, study - especially your little ones!

A Dirty House Can Make Children Sick

Moreover, there are physical health factors involved when a house is dirty. One of them is your child can get sick. If you let dirty dishes stack up in the sink, dust accumulate on your furniture, and the growth of pathogens in your house then you will be putting your child’s well being at risk. This is especially dangerous now during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. You might remember during March, a lot of us dedicated a considerable amount of time meticulously scrubbing and disinfecting surfaces out of fear of contracting COVID-19. We did this rightfully so because research suggests once the virus particles come in contact with a surface or object it will remain there for a couple of days and can spread. However, some people are starting to believe the chance of transmission via surfaces is very small or even impossible. As a result, they aren’t putting a lot of focus on cleaning their house like they used to before. Truth be told, it would be unwise to think the virus cannot spread via fomites because there is just not enough data and too many variables to consider to arrive at a solid conclusion. What you should do is put your children’s risk in perspective. It is better to be cautious and not put them at undue risk. 

At first glance cleaning a dirty home can seem like an impossible task to overcome, but you do not have to go through it alone! Tackle the job as a family. Assign small cleaning tasks to your children so they can handle more responsibilities as they grow older and get a sense of accomplishment. If you have a hard time convincing your kids to clean, try to make it fun for them. Your kids might see cleaning as a boring, atrocious task but it doesn’t have to be that way. Turn on some of their favorite tunes and make the activity enjoyable! You know the negative effects a dirty home can have on your children, so make it your goal to maintain your house clean even though it can be a huge hassle. Your kids are worth the effort!

A Dirty House No More!

We understand it can be difficult to manage work, school, family, and cleaning. Which is why we are here to save the day! Our staff here at Seattle’s Green Cleaning Fairy goes above and beyond each time we clean our client's house. Our cleaners are very meticulous and conscientious when it comes to cleaning. We are well aware of the positive mental and physical effects a clean home can bring to a family, which is why we treat each home like it is our own❤️ Feel free to ask for a quote today!