Spring is well and truly here, with more
light in the day both increasing the warmth of your home and highlighting the
dust in its corners. More than just a bridge between winter and summer, spring
is a time to start fresh, a time to hit the reset button on everything that has
been and lay the foundations for a better tomorrow. Spring cleaning is
well-established across much of the world, with this practical and effective
ritual helping you to take stock and get your home ready for the summer ahead.
Spring cleaning has its origins in the
Persian new year, with Iranians engaging in the practice of 'khooneh tekouni',
which literally means "shaking the house". This is a great way to
approach your annual spring clean, which when done right, will shake everything
up just enough so that it settles down in the right place. While it might sound
cliché, organisation is the key to every successful clean. Before you start,
it's important to create a detailed plan of attack to ensure that nothing is
left to chance.
Perhaps the most important thing to
understand about spring cleaning is that it's more than just cleaning. While
spring de-cluttering and spring tidying don't have quite the same ring to them,
it's important not to limit your options. For example, throwing away unused
belongings or giving them to charity can have a huge impact on your lifestyle
and your frame of mind. Getting rid of things doesn't just create more space in
your home, it also creates potential for new exciting things to come into your
life. Organising your belongings can also have a powerful effect, so create a
special place for your special stuff to help improve the flow of your
life.
Spring cleaning is best approached in a
top-down manner, by doing the big jobs first and filling in the gaps as you go.
For example, there's no point spending all of your time organising your
third-drawer if your entire office space looks like a tip. Time is very finite when
it comes to cleaning, so start with the things that matter and don't get lost
in the details. Along with an important abstract idea, working from the
top-down is also an essential practical skill. Whenever you're cleaning a room,
start with the ceiling fans, light fittings, and cobwebs and work your way down
to avoid dust from falling onto surfaces you've already cleaned.
Along with working from the top-down, it's
also important to compartmentalise. More than just dusting or wiping away the
mould, spring cleaning is about putting things in the right place and creating
new habits for the season ahead. Attacking one room at a time is a great idea,
that way you can avoid the frustration of taking on too much and getting
nowhere. Once you've cleaned a bathroom or bedroom successfully, you'll feel
fantastic and have enough motivation to take on the rest of the house. While
it's easier said than done, spring cleaning is also much more effective when
it's fun. Put on some music to help you get lost in your work, or clean
alongside a house mate to help share the load.
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