Spring Cleaning is Good For You
Cynnamon Schreinert
I know what you are thinking: spring cleaning is not good. Who has a good time pulling items from the dark corners into the sunlight? Who has a good time washing walls and floors? Who has a good time going through a closet and organizing it for spring?
I am one of the people who does. For my entire life I have never been a fan of winter. Nothing about winter inspires me to get up from my bed and endure the cold. It is far better to stay indoors and think ahead to the possibility of spring and imagine what I will do once it arrives.
Well that possibility is now here – spring has arrived! It’s everywhere. Trees are sprouting buds and blossoms, replacing the dreary lifeless limbs before them. The soil has started to see the first shoots of vegetation signifying a new season is upon us.
It is time to take a cue from nature and replace the old soil that has comforted us. It is time to open up the far corners of your home and your mind to prepare yourself for spring.
For me, I find cleaning and organizing a Zen-like event. The power of Zen is defined as being in the moment. When you are on your hands and knees scrubbing your floor, you are in the moment. However, the moment is not just about scrubbing the floor: it’s about scrubbing the recesses of your mind that lingered in the darkness of winter too.
Christopher Kelly, professional declutterer and down-sizing expert in Vancouver, British Columbia says, “Spring is an ideal time to discard the old and make room for the new. Spring is a time of renewal and rejuvenation with spring cleaning, down sizing and cleanses on the agenda.”
Materials available to aid spring cleaning provide checklists covering every possible room in a home. If you are, like me, in a one-bedroom apartment, spring cleaning is easy. For a larger home perhaps more hands are needed. This can provide the whole family with a chance to start over in the spring. Kelly adds, “Through the centuries spring cleaning has seen households come together and clean homes from top to bottom.”
It’s important to remember that at this time we have the opportunity for a renewal. And it begins with the simple task of preparing you and your home for spring. “The winter is a time not just for our material possessions to sit and collect dust but our souls have been sitting,” says Kelly. “The winter is normally a quiet time and it gives people a time to reflect on what they want to do in the warmer weather.” Getting rid of the stale air from winter and replacing it with fresh air will springboard the energy in your home. This is one of the key elements in the ancient practice of Feng Shui. Feng Shui brings positive energy into your home and life through the movement of chi or energy.
The simple act of beginning to clean will spark a change in you. Once you begin to go through items that have sat idle over the winter new ideas will come to you. That discarded blanket will now make an ideal throw for picnics by the beach with a good book (one of the thoughts I had over the winter and will make an effort to have happen this spring). Going through your closet and assessing the current state of the clothes will get you in touch with how you want others to see you. Cleaning all of your windows gives you an opportunity to see things more clearly both figuratively and literally. But it need not stop there. Spring cleaning can move into the office where old files and past due items are dealt with. The simple act of completing and filing items no longer in use dulls that lingering feeling something hasn’t been done.
Imagine, once the cleaning is done you can enjoy spring knowing you have not only spruced up your home, but also your mind and given your life energy a boost. You are not faced with the dreaded ‘I should’ but instead you have achieved the state of ‘I have.’ And that is one of the joys of life!
Not sure where to start?
You may be inspired to start cleaning but don’t know where to start or what to do. Here are a few links to sites with tips and techniques for effective spring cleaning:
Spring Cleaning Tips
Spring Cleaning 101
10 Spring Cleaning Tips