The benefits of spring cleaning extend beyond having a clean and organized home. From improving allergies to saving money, we’ve put together a list of 7 ways spring cleaning can have a positive impact on your life.

1. Relieve Stress
Just like the snow lining the ground, any stress and worries should melt away as spring nears. One great way to reduce stress? Clean your home! A new study by the Scottish Health Survey shows cleaning your house can reduce stress by 20 percent. As an added bonus, choose lemon-scented cleaning products. Studies have shown that the positive scent of lemon helps relieve stress faster and bring positive feelings to the people in your home.

2. Gain Productivity
It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of procrastination during the wintertime. Cleaning and organizing is a simple task that will bring new motivation and productivity to your life. Spend a day decluttering your home—sort through your miscellaneous items and donate or throw away what you don’t use. Doing so can boost energy levels and save time in the future.

3. Improve Allergies
It’s hard to enjoy the warm, sunny days when you’re constantly sneezing and sniffling. According to WebMD, regularly cleaning your house can eliminate allergy triggers and relieve symptoms. Washing blanket and sheets, dusting surfaces, and regularly wiping down counters can dramatically improve allergy symptoms. Do these few things and you’ll be able to soak up the sun and enjoy the warmer weather with no pesky allergy interruptions.

4. Get Active
With so many holidays taking place throughout the winter months, it’s easy to pack on some unwanted weight. One way to get back on track with a healthy lifestyle is to organize and clean your home. Psychology Today says living in a clean and organized environment can not only improve your mental health, but it can help encourage healthier food choices. A clean kitchen means more room to cook and create healthier options. Additionally, less clutter makes your mind feel more at ease, and you feel like you have more time. Cleaning will make going to the gym and sticking to your New Year’s resolution much more simplistic.

5. Save Money
How often do you find yourself digging through your cupboards looking for something you’ve misplaced? If you’re anything like us, it’s probably more often than you’d like to admit. Being disorganized not only makes you lose your mind, but it makes you lose your money as well. Even if it’s an inexpensive item like a $2 can of diced tomatoes, repetitively rebuying things because you cannot find them is both unnecessary and wasteful. Organizing can make both you and your wallet feel a lot better.

6. Connect with Others
People often associate cleaning with hard work and boredom. What if we said we can change that? Instead of cleaning on your own, work together with your partner. Doing so can create a greater sense of connection and teamwork. Throw on some upbeat tunes and get to work! Digging through old memories and accomplishing a task together can bring back nostalgic memories and mementos while having fun. Spending a day retelling old stories and working as a team can do wonders for any relationship. Plus you’ll have the reward of a glimmering, relaxing home when you are done!

7. Give Back
When was the last time you dug through your closet only to find twenty shirts you haven’t touched in years? What about that pair of jeans that no longer fit? Cleaning out your closet can make more space for you, and have a positive impact on the local community. Donate your unwanted clothes to a local organization such as DVIP or the Shelter House. For more organizations accepting clothes donations, check out this donation guide created by the University of Iowa’s Division of Student Life. The benefits of donating your used clothes span beyond helping others—you also help the environment. When clothes are sent to the landfill there isn’t enough oxygen to break them down, which then produces greenhouse gases. According to Planet Aid, every 100 million pounds of clothes that are recycled is equivalent to removing 26,000–35,000 cars from the road. Cleaning out your closet will not only make you feel good, it can also help others feel good too. And THAT is something to smile about.