Springtime has always been associated with cleanliness and tidiness as nature shakes off the last throes of winter and pleasant sights and smells begin to blossom. However, like many other life aspects, the Coronavirus has radically transformed the world’s view of sanitization. With pollen and other allergens accompanying the pandemic this year, spring cleaning is a must.

But if the Coronavirus has taught us something, it’s that cleanliness brings peace of mind. In addition to the practicality of tidying up a disorganized household, a simple spring cleaning checklist yields numerous health and skin benefits to bolster your body health and enhance your mental wellness.

Winter weather has been shown to negatively impact the immune system: less vitamin D from the sun is available, blood vessels in the upper respiratory tract narrow, and immune response is slowed in lower temperatures. These factors all add up to subtract the viability and capability of your immune system. When spring finally rolls around, your body is still recovering from its weakened state, making it susceptible to budding diseases and allergies.

Spring cleaning—or a deep cleaning—safeguards the body as it restores its immune system. Cleaning habits such as dusting, vacuuming, decluttering, and sanitizing greatly reduce the population of germs and microscopic organisms who can pounce on your body’s recovering immunity. Disinfecting the hands and household surfaces can provide some of the best defenses for your body while the weather warms up.

Some alternate sanitizing uses may also ease the risk of disease during the spring months. Targeting frequently touched objects such as phone screens, steering wheels, keyboards, and tabletops can go a long way to maintaining your body’s health at home. Sanitizer can also remove leftover label adhesive, eliminate residue from glasses, and even clean up acne on the skin.

Another drawback of the winter months derives from the trapped heat in your home. While it might feel comfortable to sit cozily in front of your heater while those frigid temperatures prevail, the reduced airflow from outside sources causes your household air quality to become stale. With nowhere to go, bacteria, dust, and pet dander linger in the air, inviting airborne diseases such as the flu, the common cold, and even COVID to enter your respiratory system.

A classification of airborne particles known as PM 2.5 (smaller than 2.5 micrometers) pose the biggest threat to your health, as they are small enough to seep through your pores and lead to major health risks. These tiny pollutants can permeate the air of your home as the result of smoking, cooking, and running car engines.

Changing out air filters and inviting fresh air inside by cracking windows open can greatly reduce irritating allergy symptoms throughout the home, as well as cut down on the presence of PM 2.5 particles. Plants can also be moved outside to minimize colonies of mildew growing indoors. Installing air purifiers and humidifiers to trap the allergens and bacteria can also prove a worthwhile investment, especially when placed in strategic, high-traffic locations in the house.

Did you know that dust particles can also affect the skin? Excessive buildup not only introduces foreign bacteria to your pores, but also results in cracked and itchy conditions across the body. The dry, heated air of the winter months also tends to aggravate sensitive skin areas such as the hands and face. Other skin irritants can crop up from dirty clothing, household fragrances, latex, and even the presence of too many cleaning agents.

Likewise, as the weather warms up, wardrobes will switch out long sleeves and coats in favor of t-shirts and shorts. More exposure means more chances for pollen and other seasonal allergies to land on the skin and wreak havoc. In particular, pollen causes a yellow color to appear across the skin after enough contact. This effect is made even worse when combined with pollen’s allergy inducing behavior.

By wiping the germ slate clean around your home, allergens and other substances are less likely to land on your skin, keeping your body smooth and naturally healthy. Cleaning household surfaces and floors can eliminate the microscopic pollen and other debris which gets tracked in the front door or blown through an open window.

Be sure to use reliable cleaning products around the home to best avoid rashes and dry symptoms from chemicals. The use of high-quality hand sanitizer formulas—such as those found in MUSE Health’s products—can also eradicate skin invaders while providing excellent moisturization to heal cracks and flakes. MUSE Health’s sanitizers effectively kill germs without damaging or drying the skin.

Many psychological studies have demonstrated that a clean and well-organized environment produces positive mental health benefits as opposed to the disdain often felt when the house is a mess. When the laundry is piled on the floor, the trash can is overflowing, and the sink is stacked like the Leaning tower of Pisa, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed and stressed. In fact, stress and depression have even been shown to hinder the immune system, easily increasing the likelihood of disease robbing you from your spring activities right in your own home. Your physical health is tied to your mental health.

Proper attendance to household chores and thoughtful house cleaning not only imbues a sense of accomplishment, but the resulting living conditions reinforce a clear mind to match the clean home. When the house is organized after a thorough declutter, so too is the mind freed of burdens and allowed to relax properly.

Spring cleaning also often works in tandem with the invigorating disappearance of winter weather to uplift your mental wellness. Seeing as vitamin D is paramount to your mood, make sure to filter sunlight into your home to provide another natural asset to your wellbeing.

Spring cleaning represents an ample opportunity to enhance the health of your body and skin while alleviating mental roadblocks and stress factors. Coming out of winter, maintaining a strong immune system can be difficult as the air is assaulted with all sorts of nasty invaders. With proper investment, spring cleaning can do more than get you caught up on your various household tasks—it can give your body the jumpstart it needs to secure a happy, healthy lifestyle throughout the rest of the year.

Take advantage of the new life sprouting outside. Blossom your body’s health alongside the revitalized outdoors with a fresh take on your cleaning and sanitization methods.