Buildings impact our health in nine major ways:

1. Space Design
2. Furnishing and Equipment Design
3. Lighting
4. Sound or Acoustics
5. Odor
6. Air Circulation
7. Air Temperature
8. Relative Humidity
9. Hygiene

Cleaning has the largest effect on numbers five and nine: odor and hygiene.

Odor

Dr. Berry notes: “Odor is a common complaint in buildings. Many odorous pollutants found indoors can be smelled before their concentrations reach toxic levels. Our sense of smell is very important to how we perceive our environment. It is [often] a reliable warning of chemical overload and potentially harmful exposure.” [brackets ours]

Hygiene

Removal of organic dusts, textile and other fibers, toxic or infectious materials, and other unwanted matter, goes a long way in preventing illness, short- or long-term.
Indoor Health Council uses the term “hygiene” referring to both air and surface cleaning.

(Adapted from Protecting the Built Environment – Cleaning for Health, by Dr. Michael Berry, published in 1994, pages 34-36)