cleaning = healthy

Cleaning 'improves mental health'

This is the kind of housework the researchers had in mind

Working up a sweat while performing household chores may not just improve the cleanliness of your home, but your mental health too, a survey suggests.

Just 20 minutes of sustained exercise a week - from cleaning to jogging - can impact upon depression, the British Journal of Sports Medicine study found.

The more strenuous and frequent the activity, the greater the effect.

University College London researchers looked at a survey of 20,000 people on weekly exercise and state of mind.

Another study in the journal also found such exercise among the middle-aged and elderly may delay the ageing process.