Domestic Delight, Part II – Can You Be Too Clean?

Posted by Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

November 5, 2008

Want to know what I did last night? I cleaned every surface in my bedroom. It’s spotless and I can even eat off the carpet…except it’s beige and I would make a mess and have to clean again. Yes, I’m still in clean mode! A few days ago, I attacked my living and dining rooms. I’m not sure why I’m so focused on ridding my home of every speck of dust, but I love, love how great it feels!

I’m not alone with my current obsession with being clean. I recently read an article in Psychology Today (October 2008) aptly titled “Cult of Clean: America’s Dangerous Obsession with Germs.” The article had an interesting take on the reasons why we clean:

“Because we never seem clean enough, all our scrubbing and scouring only stokes the anxiety it is meant to allay. But it may be sabotaging our physical health as well.”

Does that mean that I spent a good 30 minutes of quality cleaning time in my bedroom because I’m feeling anxious? Hmmmm…I feel fine and not particularly stressed out. The economy, perhaps?

But the bigger question is: am I putting my health at risk with my new “hobby?” According to the article, the human body has about 100 trillion cells but only 10% of them belong to us. You guessed it, the rest are germs, most of which live in our digestive tract. They help us to break down food and protect us from bugs that cause disease. If we got rid of all the germs in bodies, we would die within two weeks. Maybe those germs aren’t so bad afterall.

So, back to my original question: Am I putting my health at risk by being super zealous about cleaning? The answer is yes if I’m using harsh & non-ecofriendly chemicals and if I’m trying to be completely germ free. Then, what’s a girl (or boy) have to do to stay clean AND healthy? First, try not to get preoccupied with germs and then follow some basic cleaning tips. You won’t believe how easy some of these are to follow, especially tip #1.

1. Wash Your Hands. Use warm soap and water and wash your hands for 20 seconds, especially after using the restroom. See, I told you it was easy.

2. Try Not to Touch Your Face. Those bad-guy germs can enter your body through you eyes, nose, and mouth. Ok, this one’s not so easy. I touch my face all the time.

3. Know Where Bad Germs Like to Hang Out & Break Up The Party. Some of the most common hang out spots for the germs that make us sick are:

Kitchen sponge. Change your sponge every week or sanitize.
Vacuum bag. Replace once a month.
Toothbrush. Disinfect regularly.
Trash can. Disinfect each time the bag is changed.

There are a few more places that germs can lurk (like the remote control) but if I listed them all then I’d probably get the urge to clean again. Now, if only I could figure what could be making me feel anxious.

Do you clean when you feel anxious or stressed out?