Welcome to the Spring Cleaning Series! Over the next six days we’ll be helping you room-by-room to Spring Clean. Today, we’re going to start with a simple clean sweep of your entire home, but first a bit of history:
Why do people spring clean?
The tradition of spring cleaning is rooted in several different cultures, including Chinese and Iranian, and extends far back into history in each culture’s New Year’s customs.
In Iran, the new year or Now Rouz arrives on March 21 and is a time of regeneration in which Iranians engage in the khaneh takani ritual or “shaking of the house.” Every corner of the house is inspected and cleaned from under the bed to the kitchen corner. Fresh flowers are brought in afterword so that Spring can officially arrive.
The Chinese also clean in anticipation of the new year to rid their homes of bad luck and misfortune. Of course, there’s a biological explanation for spring cleaning as well. With more sunlight in the Spring, we come out of hibernation ready for a clean slate.
To begin to let light into your home, start with a once-over.
Before you begin:
Suggested Music – Gnarls Barkley for momentum. Get if free from Pandora.
Suggested Scent – Orange for energy
3-Step Shake Down:
1. Walk through your house with a trash bag and throw away any old pretzel crumbs, water bottles, and junk mail. If anything can be recycled, make sure to separate it from the trash.
2. Find two large boxes and label, “Give” and “Sell.” Walk through each room and decide what’s taking up mental space. In her Spring Cleaning Guide, Simple Mom recommends that you ask yourself two questions as you go:
a. Is this thing useful to me (us)?, and
b. Is this thing beautiful to me (us)?
Planet Green reports that the Give/Sell method is also a green method of cleaning since once you’ve “managed to get rid of those magazines you’ll never read and those clothes you’ll never wear by donating, recycling, selling or reusing,” you make someone else’s life a little greener too.
3. If you’ll have a yard sale after you’re finished Spring Cleaning, carry some masking tape and a marker with you during this task to tag items for sale before placing them in the “Sell” box.
This is supposed to be a quick project, so trust your instincts, go with your gut and don’t be afraid to shake down the house.
Let us know how it goes and tomorrow, we’ll move on to the Kitchen.
I feel like I want to go into my storage and apply these steps. Or, just box up a bunch of stuff in my parents house and see if they notice. Aaaah, clutter!
I REALLY want to clean now. How did you make spring cleaning that inspirational and fun!? I feel like Alice is supporting me and providing me with tips on my spring cleaning tactics. Just as you said, “Let us know how it goes and tomorrow, we’ll move on to the Kitchen.” Stay tuned…spring cleaning has officially commenced :)
[...] know that the cleaning work will be done in an hour or two and then I can take pride in creating a safe, comfortable environment to live [...]