We were worried about germs for a couple years there, really worried about them to an extent that most of us never were before. Where was the coronavirus hiding? We didn’t know, so we assumed it was hiding everywhere. We treated each surface as though it was contaminated, and that helped many of us avoid getting sick as often as we might have otherwise.
Now, we are past all of that to some degree. We still see people with masks and still see some evidence of the pandemic world with sinks outside of stores and hand sanitizer stations set up in some places. Our home is the one place we have real control over, and it is there we can start getting back to normal.
One of the side effects of that pandemic is that many of us still believe that every surface could be contaminated. There probably is bacteria on almost every surface we touch, from doorknobs and countertops to taps and dishes. We are simply more aware of it now than we ever were before.
How do we get back to normal in the home so that we don’t feel like we need to wear gloves all the time? It starts with keeping a clean home, killing the germs as well as we can and getting rid of dust and dirt as frequently as we can. If we use powerful enough cleaning agents that are designed to kill most germs, and we clean frequently, there will be little to worry about when it comes to germs and bacteria in the home.
For some of us, there will be a need to update our cleaning practices- to use better, safer methods and to clean more thoroughly. Some people will never be satisfied with how well they clean and will always wonder if there might be some germs lurking in the place they missed or in the spots they didn’t clean as well as they would have liked. For those people, a hired cleaning service might be in order.
The Miami house maid industry is picking up steam these days, and you can find maid cleaning services really raking in the business post pandemic. People want clean houses, and they don’t always trust themselves to be able to provide that. So, they turn to the professionals.
There is no shame in that, and it can be wise for people who are elderly and at risk of contracting illnesses easily. For the infirm, for the shut-ins and for the feeble, it makes a lot of sense to hire someone to do the cleaning. For the busy person who works constantly and has many responsibilities, it is also sensible to hire a cleaning company for their needs. They cannot clean like they may want to, so they get someone else to do it. What could be more practical?
Getting into a routine will help as well, as it allows us to create a sense of the normal. If every day is different, then every day has the potential to be full of worry and anxiety. If there is something normal and routine in every day, then that can help to ground us and to make us feel stable.
When we create a house cleaning list for each day and each week, that gives us something to get done, so our minds stay occupied. It helps us to settle into a routine and to do something expected on a regular basis. That is comforting to the mind, even if the work might not be the most enjoyable.
It is helpful to establish regular routines every day, even in something as simple as cleaning that you might do every day anyway. Give yourself a set list of chores to get done, and you might notice how that settles the mind and helps you to feel at ease. Even when things go wrong in the day, you have something normal and expected to do that is not likely to be full of surprises. This can help to calm us and to make us feel at home in our own home.
The mind thrives on order and structure. It likes lists, organization, and tidiness. A tidy home creates less stress, whereas any kind of mess in the home will cause some level of stress and anxiety. You don’t want to let your home get too disorganized or chaotic, as that can make you feel unwell and make it difficult to focus.
You can start to lose some of your confidence or your sense of mental order when the house gets out of order. Most people don’t ascribe that much importance to cleaning their homes, but when you look at the mental and physical health benefits of this practice, it will become much more vital to you.
If one set of routines and cleaning schedules doesn’t work for you, then don’t be afraid to make modifications. You need to find a schedule that is right for you and that allows you to do the things that need to be done without overwhelming you.
It is okay to get help when you need it and to make changes to a long-established routine when you find it is no longer working in your favor. Schedules and routines should be for your benefit, and your own schedule should be designed to accommodate you. Don’t allow yourself to be a slave to it, as that will simply cause stress for you.
Once you get into a good routine of house cleaning and you are able to keep the home organized and tidy, then you will experience a sense of safety and a sense of the familiar in your daily life. That will help you move beyond the pandemic-era stress and the coronavirus panic many people felt.
There are many who are still recovering from that period, and if the group includes yourself, then your recovery can speed along if you do these simple things at home.
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