How Spring Cleaning Benefits your Home and Health

The rite of spring cleaning is a time to promote healthy living, involving everything from reducing allergens to getting rid of toxic cleaners.

Warmer weather. The birds are chirping. Flowers have begun to bloom. Bees are buzzing. These are a few welcoming signs of spring. A season when many of us begin the ritual of spring cleaning. Over the years, this task has become an unwelcoming chore for many. HouseKeeper.com wants to show you some ways spring cleaning can be a cheerful event, which promotes mental health, physical fitness, and a healthy household.

Not only is the annual cleaning a time to clean our environment — for many people, it is a time to clean our minds. Spring cleaning is a mental process that is symbolic of a fresh start. We’ll take a look at some of the mental aspects of spring cleaning, and how it can affect our mental state and thinking. We’ll also consider the physical aspects of cleaning and how it can affect our health, not only the physical space but how the products we use can contribute towards a healthier lifestyle.

What are the Origins of Spring Cleaning?

What is spring cleaning and what are some possible origins? The HowStuffWorks.com article, Why do we traditionally clean our homes at the beginning of spring?, identifies several possible sources. The first, a possible origin comes from the Jewish culture, who adopted new rituals to celebrate their exodus from bondage in Egypt. The same article indicates that the yearly cleaning practice can be attributed to the Chinese who clean their homes following the Chinese New Year, which rids them of bad luck and misfortune. The Washington Post article, Spring cleaning is based on practices from generations ago, attributes the practice to necessary cleansing that was needed after winter months when homes were warmed with wood and coal.

Regardless of the origins, let’s look at several ways in which this annual cleaning can be used to promote physical and mental heath in our homes and personal lives.

Emotional and Health Benefits of Spring Cleaning

Along with the celebration of the New Year, spring cleaning is a start to a new you! A clean environment contributes towards better thinking and a better mental state. In addition, a cleaning our house or apartment can be a physical practice that removes unwanted memories. In addition, spring cleaning is an activity that can help us get organized!

The San Diego Tribune article, Spring cleaning sprouts physical, emotional health benefits, mentions “We tend to be more positive, patient and calmer when we are in a space that we can be proud of and that does not feel chaotic.”

The same article advises that we start by planning, so a cleaning job that involves several rooms may not be done in one day or weekend, but possibly completed after several days. As you move through each room and clean your environment, you’ll feel better as you complete each task.

How to Make Spring Cleaning Fun?

Cleaning is hard work, but this doesn’t have to be an unpleasant task. Parents can encourage their children by playing games during the cleaning and possibly rewarding the children for the completion of tasks. Playing music while cleaning can easily make the task more enjoyable. Why not mix up the musical selection and let each family member choose their favorite song? Are you a bachelor or bachelorette? Why not invite some friends over to clean and offer to help them with the cleaning of their apartments?

Spring Cleaning Task Checklist

The MarthaStewart.com article, Spring-Cleaning Checklist suggests following tasks should be on your spring cleaning checklist:

For a more extensive house cleaning checklist check out our Ultimate Housekeeping Checklist

Get Green This Spring!

Finally, before we actually move forward with spring cleaning, we have to be honest with ourselves? Are you keeping it green? Traditional cleaning products are filled with toxic chemicals that can do more harm than good. Housekeeper.com recently featured the article Why You and Your Housekeeper Should be Using Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products, which advised checking the labels of cleaning products and encouraging the use of environmentally safe cleaners.

HouseKeeper.com hopes that this article has helped to show that spring cleaning isn’t just an annual chore but also a symbolic fresh start not only through the cleaning your home but also your mind and body. Done with the right attitude it can be an event that promotes mental health, physical fitness, and a healthy household. If you like the idea of a fresh start but cringe at the idea of all that work why not hire a housekeeper to do the dirty work for you!

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