I've never been into the seasonal cleaning sweep. Apparently, you're not supposed to do a big clean just in the spring?!

Every year, when winter begins, my sister, Katherine, always does a huge clean of her entire house – she literally clears everything out and ends up giving away lots of her things. Her goal: to make it cozy for the colder months without the clutter.

I'll admit it, my house is definitely more cluttered than Katherine's, especially after spending so much time at home over the last few months. I do feel envious at how tidy her house looks on our family Zooms ( I'll never tell her), but I find cleaning super tiring, and I never know where to start. I usually only do it when the house gets really messy or dirty.

Trying to work from home in a cluttered space is definitely not good for my productivity— I needed to find a solution.

A friend recommended Handy, an app you can use to book a professional cleaner. I checked out their site and saw that they connect you to cleaning professionals in your area. You can sign up for monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly plans, and you can schedule an appointment at a time that suits you.

At first, I was skeptical about it - I mean, who would I be letting into my home? Then I read that Handy does a background checkand vets each of the Cleaning Pros available to book through their app. You can even read reviews and see a Pro's rating before you book.

Plus, they prioritize the health & safety of the customers and professionals who use their platform. Their Handy Safety Standardincludes several measures to foster a safe environment during bookings. Some of these include: providing face coverings to Pros to wear during bookings and requiring daily in-app check-ups to validate they are in good health before claiming a booking. They even have a section on their site dedicated to keeping their customers updated on the latest CDC health and safety guidance.

So I decided to try it out.

Here are 3 reasons why I'm glad I found Handy:

1. It helps my allergies

Looking back, I was always sneezing in my house, but I didn't think anything of it — allergies are mostly seasonal right? Well, turns out they're year-round.

After months at home and some not very thorough self-cleanings, the dust was starting to collect more than I had realized. A Cleaning Pro booked through Handy was exactly what I needed to give it an effective scrub down (and just to be extra safe I'd stay in a different room than them).

2. It's a good measure of self-care

After the Cleaning Pro tidied and decluttered my house, I had a new lease on life. I really underestimated how much a clean house can affect your mood. An organized space really motivates me to create better habits – like making my bed every day. Plus, I've been finding working from home tough, so having a clean and tidy dining room area would help me stay focused.

Not having to do it all myself gives me some extra free time to put into prepping meals, etc.

3. I can give to people in need

I didn't know how much stuff I had stored around the house until I started getting ready for my Handy appointment.

Since the Cleaning Pro was going to be decluttering for me, I knew I could take it a step further and went through my closets and cupboards and cleared out anything I didn't use anymore - and gave it all to charity. If it wasn't for Handy, I definitely couldn't have made this next step (hope I'm not alone in hanging onto things a bit too long). Giving myself the gift of a cleaning leads to giving to others, which makes the whole experience priceless.

Handy'scleaning plans are flexible, so you can change the frequency of your scheduled cleaning or book an appointment for a time that works for you. Sometimes as soon as the next day.

I'm signing up for bi-weekly appointments and I'm excited to see how much my Handy plan has a positive impact on my life. Now that the winter weather is kicking in, I definitely will be staying in more and want my space to be cozy and clean. I'm super excited to reap all the benefits of a clean house this winter thanks to Handy!

Handy's Black Friday sale is happening now! For a limited time, follow this link to get a special deal on a cleaning plan!