People tend to underestimate how much of an impact their environment has on their psychological state, as well as their mood. Having a tidy, clean, cozy, distraction-free place to live and work can help give you a boost toward your goals and aspirations. Meanwhile, constantly living in a pigsty can harm your physical, as well as mental health.

Today, Bored Panda is featuring some of the most powerful and beautiful space transformations after people decided to clean their rooms, as shared on the r/ICleanedMyRoom and r/BeforeandAfter subreddits. Seriously, seeing these pics is like removing an irksome splinter. Check out the most impressive clean-ups below and upvote the pics that brought a smile to your face, Pandas. Do you have any tips for doing chores when they’ve piled up or when you can’t find the inner strength to get out of bed? Drop by the comments and help out your fellow Pandas.

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If you were waiting for a sign from the Universe, this is it, Pandas. Take the time to do a chore you’ve been putting off, whether it’s vacuuming your room, folding the laundry, throwing out that moldy vegetable at the back of your fridge, or doing the dishes. Even doing something seemingly small is a major step forward. We promise you, you’ll feel soooo much better afterward.

#1 Trying To Get My Life Together After A Bad Bout Of Depression

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#2 I Suffer From Severe Depression. As Embarrassing As It Is To Admit, I Had Let My Bathroom Go For So Long That My Cats Had Used The Laundry Pile In The Corner As A Litter Box. It’s Not Finished, But It’s A Small Step Towards A Cleaner House

Image credits: Condor-Avenue

#3 Depression Took Over My Life And Kept Me Down For Months. Finally Got Motivation To Do Better. Next Step Is Bedroom. The Goal Is The Whole Apartment. Gotta Keep Myself Going

Image credits: foreveryoung94

Generally speaking, people tend to have different tolerances for messiness. Most of us know (or are!) a stereotypical artist who embraces chaos and lives in what many assume is a mess, though it’s a carefully arranged system based on convenience. There’s a reason why there are stacks of paper all over the floor… though the dozen mugs of cold coffee next to their desk were probably just forgotten about and far intentionally placed there.

In other words, people are different. Some thrive when there’s a bit of creative chaos or don’t mind a small backlog of chores. Others, however, feel best in a gleaming home that’s always showcase-ready. The issues start popping up when there’s a lack of hygiene. Plopping a sweater and a pair of pants on the back of your chair won’t break the world. Not taking out the trash, letting dust build up week after week, and wearing the same dirty clothes day in and day out, however, is awful for your health and dignity. It also won’t impress anyone who comes over.

#4 I Took A Mental Health Day From Work To Deep Clean My Entire House. It Was So So Bad. There Are Lots Of Before And After Shots. Hope To Bring Someone Some Motivation Because It Feels Amazing For It All To Be Clean!

Image credits: Doodles07

#5 Finally Cleaned Our Playroom/Schoolroom That I Neglected All Summer

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#6 Gave My Depression Dungeon A Makeover!

Image credits: AClitNamedElmo

There are plenty of reasons why someone fails to clean their room month after month. It might have something to do with the deep sense of exhaustion they feel from school or work—they might not have the mental energy to do anything but rest after a long day. Others are (let’s face it) simply lazy and would rather do something pleasurable (watching TV, playing video games, going out with friends) than spend their valuable time wiping stuff.

Meanwhile, if someone is typically an organized person, living in a messy home can, sometimes, be an indication that they might have depression, according to PsychCentral. In short, letting your chores pile up for weeks and months on end can be a reflection of your inner mental and emotional turmoil, feeling overwhelmed, and having an utter lack of motivation. Living in a clean house can help your mental health.

On the flip side, compulsively cleaning your home each and every day for hours on end is potentially a sign that you have OCD: you’re sacrificing time that could be spent enjoying life to the fullest by fighting against literal and metaphorical contamination. In both cases, you ought to reach out to a mental health specialist. You may have undiagnosed depression or OCD.

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#7 I’m Currently In Intensive Outpatient Therapy For My Depression And Feeling Loads Better, So My Room Needed To Reflect That!

Image credits: iamyourshoelace

#8 My Desk Was A Catch All. Now I Actually Have A Space To Work And Craft

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#9 Storage Closet At Work

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A while back, Bored Panda spoke to parenting blogger Samantha Scroggin, from Walking Outside in Slippers, and she was kind enough to give us some top tips about keeping the house clean and doing chores while raising kids.

“Keeping the house clean is a moving target in my experience. But for me personally, an at least somewhat clean house is tremendously important to my mental health. A tidy house helps me feel more in control of my life, and able to handle the curveballs that often come our way as busy parents,” Samantha shared with us during an earlier interview.

#10 Before And After! I Cleaned My Garage!

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#11 Productivity Has Kicked In!

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#12 Cleaning My Disaster House

Image credits: Pure_Platypus8342

According to the parenting blogger, she makes small mental housekeeping task lists each day and tries to get through them.

“The tasks could be as simple as emptying the dishwasher or putting away a load of laundry. Maybe most importantly, I invest in a professional housekeeping service once a month. That helps keep the house in a manageable state to the point that I can keep the house from getting totally out of control in-between visits. That said, I think parenting comes with a certain degree of clutter to be expected,” she said.

#13 I Can’t Believe I Was Able To Push Myself To Do This. I Am Sooo Relieved

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#14 Take 2: From Chronic Binge Drinker To Three Weeks Sober

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#15 This Community Is Beyond Amazing. Every Time I Wanted To Give Up, I Kept Going So I Could Post A Picture Here

Image credits: _whitneybrooks_

“My house is always a little bit chaotic because we all have big personalities and are a loud and busy bunch. But I stress to my kids the importance of us being kind to one another. Kindness and love are at the root of a happy home for me, even when things get crazy and we slip up and say things we don’t mean,” mom Samantha told Bored Panda.

“I have a terrible time getting my kids to do chores, so I don’t have much advice in this department. Sometimes, with lots of praise and often with a small monetary payment, I can get my kids to help with chores they don’t mind. I do insist my kids clear their plates after every meal, and clean their rooms,” she said.

#16 Been Very Depressed And Drinking My Life Away Since Being Laid Off Due To Covid. I’m Finally Pulling My Self Up Off The Ground

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#17 We Had Company Over For The First Time Since Pre-Pandemic So It Was A Great Excuse To Clean

Image credits: practicalsoup

#18 The Last Few Months Have Felt Like An Uphill Battle Against Depression. This Is The Cleanest My Room Has Been In A Long While. It Took Me All Day In 35 Degree Heat But I’m So Glad It’s Done. Here’s To A Brighter Tomorrow

Image credits: KMACoolCoolNoDoubt

Meanwhile, during another interview, Bored Panda spoke about our homes as a way of keeping ourselves happy by staying true to who we are with Dan Bacon, from The Modern Man. He noted that we’ll never impress everyone, so it’s best to focus on living in the type of home where we put our needs first and foremost. Focusing just on how we want others to perceive us is a path to misery and anxiety.

“A man’s home is part of what people initially use to judge his social status and character. However, how he behaves and acts with the people who come over to his place says so much more about him,” he pointed out that how we act and speak is far more important.

#19 Turns Out Living Alone Is More Difficult Than I Thought But I Am Finally Catching Up With The Mess

Image credits: BinkyBarnes42069

#20 Before And After. 7 Hours Free Cleaning

Image credits: CleanwithBarbie

#21 Shoutout To My Mom For Helping Me

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“A man might have a perfectly tidy, well-designed, and stylish home, but be very nervous and try too hard to impress people who come over. So, rather than seeing him as a cool, confident, successful man they can admire and look up to, most people just perceive him as a nervous, insecure guy with a nice place. Alternatively, they may see him as a guy who tries hard to please others with material things because he’s insecure about himself and doesn’t feel good enough in their eyes,” the dating expert told us.

#22 After A Bout Of Depression, Many Unsuccessful Attempts To Do More Than Fill The Dishwasher, And A Lot Of Takeout Due To Not Wanting To Be In The Kitchen… It Is Clean

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#23 Flipped The Switch And Cleaned My Mom’s Bedroom!

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#24 I Cleaned My Way Out Of My Depression Nest So I Could Start The New Year On A Better (And Cleaner) Note

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“Remember that most people care more about themselves than other people. So, allow people to talk about themselves, rather than always trying to be the center of attention. Also remember to not try to oversell yourself or your place, to hopefully gain people’s approval. Be confident and secure in who you are as a person and let your surroundings provide additional clues about who you are and how you approach life,” Dan tackled the topic of having guests over at one’s place.

#25 I Cleaned The Damn Playroom

Image credits: Chrissykissthecorpse

#26 After Being This Dirty For Over A Year I Finally Cleaned My Living Room In January And I’ve Kept Up With It So Far

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#27 My Partner’s And My Bedroom In Our First Place Together. Just Need To Add Pictures And Plants To This Room!

Image credits: cxriad

“If you enjoy placing a lot of importance on your home because it means a lot to you, then do that. If you only see it as a place to live and want to focus your attention on other things, you should do that. You can never impress or please everyone, no matter what you do. Just look at celebrities as an example. They have millions of people who love them and millions who hate them,” he said.

#28 Cleaning My Disaster House

Image credits: Pure_Platypus8342

#29 My Kids Room. They Helped, And Agree We Can’t Let It Get This Far Again… Fingers Crossed! It’s Been An Good Time To Purge And Organized

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#30 Cleaned My Desk

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“The same applies to your home. You will never make it, furnish it or arrange it in a way where everyone loves you for it and wishes they had it. Some people will love it, others will like it and some will hate it. So, just enjoy doing what you want to do. That’s the only way you’ll truly be happy.”

#31 I Helped My Boyfriend Clean His Room!

Image credits: Byejordan

#32 From Chronic Binge Drinker To Two Weeks Sober

Image credits: i_gotmilkalloverme

#33 Depression Cleaning

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#34 Depression Room Clean Up

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#35 Sometimes Life Happens. We Live In Our House And It’s Never Picture Perfect But This Kitchen Was Shameful. New Job, Long Hours, Sick Kids… It’s Been A Hell Of A Year And We Are Only 3 Months In

Image credits: Doodles07

#36 Finally Got My S**t Together And Cleaned And Organized The Living Room

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#37 I Finally Cleaned Our Pantry

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#38 Last Room Of The House After Spending A Week Cleaning

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#39 I Don’t Know How It Got This Bad, But Never Again!

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#40 Cleaned My Room After 3 Years Of Depression

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#41 Getting My Mental Illness Diagnosed And Starting Medication Is Literally Changing My Life

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#42 Two Full Days Of Work, Still Worth It Though!

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#43 It Will Be Messy Again In Two Weeks, But I Really Tried

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#44 Still Have More To Go, But At Least Now I Can Concentrate And Not Be Overwhelmed!

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#45 Two Weeks Sober And One Corner Tackled

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#46 Cleaning Really Gives Me Some Space In My Mind As Well

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#47 Downstairs Cleaning- Before And After

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#48 I Cleaned!

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#49 Finally Cleaned My Desk And Organized My Makeup

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#50 I Cleaned My Boyfriends Depression Nest When He Was Working Overtime One Weekend

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#51 After Two Years Of Living In A Mess, I’m Proud To Say That My Room Has Stayed Clean And Organized For A Whole Month Now. I Regularly Do Laundry, Vacuum And Tidy Up When I Can (Something I Only Could Dream About A Couple Of Months Ago)

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#52 3 Loads Of Laundry Later

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#53 I’ve Been Living In A Depression Nest For Over A Year. Not Anymore!

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#54 “Collected Random Items” Room < Crafting Room!