People Who Obsessively Clean & Straighten Their Homes Usually Have These 11 Deeper Reasons
Dragana Gordic / Shutterstock Most of us love a clean house, but for many of us, it’s not always feasible to keep our place in tip-top shape. Life is hectic. Between work, personal lives, and the chaos that comes with sharing a home with pets or kids, finding time to clean isn’t always easy.
Some people can be obsessive when it comes to keeping their houses clean and tidy. In many cases, cleaning and straightening up their home helps their anxiety. For others, it provides a distraction from what’s going on within their minds. We all know someone who takes cleaning to the next level, but have we ever thought about why they do it? For some, there is a deeper reason behind their love of cleaning. Deep down, something more serious could be brewing.
People who obsessively clean & straighten their homes usually have these 11 deeper reasons
1. They feel a need for control
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We’ve all had moments where it felt like our lives were spinning out of control. Whether it’s issues at work or problems in our personal life, when things are going wrong, we look for anything good to hold on to. Some people find that they gain control by cleaning their space. When things feel uncertain, they can control how their environment looks. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that brings them peace in a chaotic world.
A study found that when people are going through periods of uncertainty, they value moments of routine. Ritual behaviors, such as cleaning, are comforting. Whether it’s doing a deep clean or removing some clutter, when someone is seeking control, they may start with cleaning their homes.
2. It soothes their anxiety
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Have you ever felt overwhelmed in your own space? I know when I am dealing with anxious thoughts, I struggle to find peace in a home that feels messy. Clutter can feel overwhelming. When you are already experiencing stressful thoughts, the last thing you want is discomfort in your safe space. If someone is obsessively cleaning and straightening their home, they might have anxiety that feels more manageable in a tidy house.
Clutter can lead to increased tension. While feeling anxious, layering mental strain can make life feel unbearable. Anxious people may stick to cleaning to clear their minds.
3. It provides stress relief
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Feeling stressed or overwhelmed? It may be your messy house. Whether it’s mail piling up or dishes stacked in the sink, cluttered environments bring stress. Someone obsessed with cleaning and organizing may do so to relieve some of that tension. If they feel stressed at home, they are likely carrying that burden with them into other aspects of their lives.
For some, cleaning is therapeutic. It makes them feel better during tough times. You may judge someone for their obsession with cleaning, but to them, it could be a helpful way to relieve stress.
4. They are perfectionists
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Rationally, we all understand that perfectionism is something that cannot be met. No one is perfect; we’ve heard this saying hundreds of times. That does not prevent us from trying to achieve perfection. They place internal pressures on themselves and judge fiercely. An easy way to feel accomplished is by keeping their homes in top shape.
I have a friend who is like this. Any little piece of dust or ring left on the table from a cup is a sign that they are not good enough. Instead, they tackle every little mess to feel a sense of accomplishment. Someone who is always cleaning may be dealing with deeper reasons, such as a desire to be perfect in a world where it’s impossible to do so.
5. Cleaning is a coping mechanism
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Let’s face it, we all have coping mechanisms for when life gets hard. Sometimes, they are not productive. We can indulge in things to make ourselves feel better. However, for some, the act of cleaning their home provides the comfort they need when dealing with complicated thoughts. It can be therapeutic.
We’ve all had moments of stress and anxiety. Whether it’s waiting for a test result from the doctor or trying to distract ourselves from an awaited phone call, these feelings can be overwhelming. Some people pace around the house, but others start cleaning. If someone uses this coping mechanism, it’s a deeper reason why their house is always spotless.
6. It's a trauma response
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You never truly know what someone has been through. Life throws everyone curveballs. Some people are open about sharing their trauma, while others keep it close to their chests. If someone has deep-seated pain in their past, they may try to eradicate it by being the opposite.
Imagine this. Someone grew up with parents who caused them stress and anxiety. Their home was far from a healthy environment. Not only was it mentally and emotionally messy, but it was cluttered and dirty, as well. As a result, they may choose to keep their home in top shape as a response to a childhood they are trying to move forward from. Stressful situations can trigger a cleaning response, one study found.
7. They feel shame
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Sometimes, people feel shame and use it as motivation to clean. They can acquire shame from different places. Whether it’s a controlling husband who demands that she has every corner of the home cleaned to perfection before he gets home from work, or feelings of failure they put on themselves for not being clean enough, there are many reasons. Shame causes people to pull away from others. Instead of sharing why they feel that way, they may put all their effort into cleaning to keep the pain at bay.
“Shame causes us to pull away from relationships, believing that we are bad for other people and unworthy of their love. Ironically, the experience of being abandoned often leads people to self-imposed exile,” says Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D., for Psychology Today. If someone feels shame about how they clean their home, as a spouse or partner might say, they will pull away, afraid they will be abandoned because of it.
8. It alleviates their depression
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When someone is depressed, they can lose the desire to clean their space. When it takes energy to simply get out of bed, doing a deep clean of their living space isn’t an option. Whether it’s leaving the dishes piled up for days on end or living with trash everywhere, these are clear signs that someone is struggling. These individuals have too much going on internally to worry about their external environment.
If someone has dealt with depression in the past that made them live in chaos, they may become committed to obsessively cleaning and straightening their homes. Whether it’s because they are embarrassed by how they used to live, or they made the connection between their mental well-being and living in a tidy space, they are devoted to keeping clean to avoid ever reaching the point they once were at when they were suffering.
9. It gives them a sense of accomplishment
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We have all heard people gush about how making the bed first thing in the morning can change your life. Believe it or not, science backs it up. It’s a little win, but it can spark productivity. If someone is searching for a sense of accomplishment, it can happen easily through keeping their space straightened. Sometimes, it just feels good to check something off a to-do list. Someone who is dedicated to keeping their home clean may be seeking that feeling of accomplishment.
Sometimes, things grow stagnant. Maybe they are not moving up the ladder at work, or have hit bad luck in the dating pool. Whatever the reason may be, they feel like they are lacking achievement. Keeping clean may be the only way they feel accomplished each day.
10. They use it as a way to avoid other tasks
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I don’t know about you, but there are some things I’ll do just about anything to avoid doing. Let’s say you have to make an annoying phone call. It’s with some company where you know you’ll be placed on hold for hours and have to convince them to help you. No one wants to deal with that. When I’m in that space, I’ll start doing something productive to avoid it.
If I’m cleaning, I feel like I am doing something more important than that irritating task I am avoiding. Some people may be dealing with events or feelings they are actively working to avoid. It could be something mundane, or maybe it’s something serious, and cleaning is their way to prevent diving into that.
11. It gives them mental clarity
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The tie between mental health and physical clutter is major. A messy space can bring a messy mind to the forefront. Some people cannot focus when their space is cluttered. If they need to focus on something important, they will be distracted by the thought of dishes in the sink. It’s common, and to prevent it, they keep their homes clean.
“Researchers have also found that clutter can make it difficult to focus on a particular task. More specifically, they discovered that a person's visual cortex can be overwhelmed by objects not related to a particular task, making it harder to focus and complete projects efficiently,” says Sherri Gordon for VeryWell Mind. “In some ways, clutter and mess are linked to negative emotions like confusion, tension, and irritability, while an organized home produces more positive emotions like calmness and a sense of well-being.”
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities, living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
