Improve your health with Spring cleaning

Jumping into Spring with a good cleaning means participating in an age-old tradition rooted in biological, cultural and even practical traditions that goes back hundreds of years.

The change of season has long required a good scrubbing because of the byproducts of keeping a home warm. Think of the 1800s and earlier, when homes were coated with a noticeable layer of soot from the fires lit with coal and wood or the lamps burning oil and kerosene.

Spring also coincides with religious ceremonies associated with a tradition of cleaning the home or altar, including Passover, Easter and Nowruz, or Persian New Year.

Spring cleaning isn’t just practical or a tradition, though. Studies have found cleaning, as an activity, can help reduce stress, and the resulting lack of clutter and cleanliness curtails anxiety. It also helps improve health by improving the air quality and helping you remain active without thinking about it.

Here are 7 tips to get you started Spring cleaning:

1. Set a schedule: It’s always better to have goals and structure when starting a big house project. Make a schedule that fits your availability, such as setting particular days or weeks to de-clutter, clean the kitchen, garage, living spaces, bathrooms, bedrooms and more.
2. Top to bottom: Start your cleaning with the ceiling and work your way down. That way you avoid having to repeat dusting or vacuuming along the way.
3. Tidy up: Clutter creates stress in your environment, so it’s important to start any Spring cleaning with a cleanse. Use some quick questions to ask yourself to help you decide if an item is worth keeping. “Have I used this in the last year? Does this item spark joy in my life?” Read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up for more on how to get rid of old items and organize.
4. Enlist help: You and your family helped make the mess together, it’s only right that you clean it together. Simple tasks can be allocated to young children and this is a good opportunity to teach older children how to do more thorough cleaning. They may not enjoy the process but they will certainly love a clean home.
5. Deep Clean: Don’t forget all the items you don’t clean on a regular basis, such as curtains, ceiling fans, blinds, rugs, carpets and anything else. Cleaning these items even a few times per year will help them last longer and cut down on the allergens and germs in your house.
6. Stay safe: Be careful with the chemicals you’re using to clean. Regular household cleaners can be dangerous when mixed together or if used without proper ventilation. So use green or natural chemicals when you can. They’re less harsh on the environment and on your belongings.

These are just a few tips to get you started. See more tips about cleaning individuals items by clicking here.

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