8 Secrets Why Women Love to Clean

It's a Reflection of Who You Are and How You Feel

As a regular treating psychologist on TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive, Beaton knows the detrimental effects a cluttered and dirty space can have on someone’s mental health. “Disorganization degrades a person’s sense of self-worth,” says Beaton. “If you feel like your space is cluttered and dirty, it’s difficult not to internalize that.”

A messy home can also be an indicator of how you're feeling about yourself. “People are less likely to take care of their environment when they don’t feel good about themselves,” says Deibler. “And the more chaotic their environment becomes, the worse they feel about themselves.”

But beyond undoing the negative effects of living in a mess, cleaning your home “gives you a chance to reassess the message you want to send about who you are to yourself and others,” argues Augustin. If you’ve had a major life event such as going back to school or becoming part of a couple, reorganizing your home is an opportunity to telegraph that to the world by putting up new pictures or restocking your bookshelves.