I love spring. Longer days, a hint of warmth, and life appearing everywhere you look. The hundreds of layers of clothes can be reduced, and you don’t have to prepare for an Arctic expedition to leave the house Everyone also seems more positive and optimistic as the weather turns warmer. There is one area of spring, however, which can prove to be less than ideal… spring cleaning.
It may seem a massive annual burden, one which you dread after hiding in the cosy warmth of winter, where short days and gloomy weather hide a multitude of sins in the home, from sneaky corner cobwebs to windows in desperate need of a polish.
Image from housecleanersingapore.com
As days lengthen and the sun emerges, you start to look around your house with fresh eyes, noticing the spots and areas in need of scrubbing, and the dark corners.
The time has come for the dreaded spring clean.
It may come as a pleasant surprise then to hear that spring cleaning can not only improve the look of your home, it can also have hidden health benefits!
Read on for some of the hidden benefits of getting that feather duster out…
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Decluttering
Spring is a perfect opportunity to finally tackle the clutter lurking within your home.
On the surface, your home may look calm, tidy and organised. Behind wardrobe doors and inside, never opened drawers. However, it can often be a very different story!
Take advantage of the season to face all of the places you have been avoiding, and declutter your home.
Be ruthless; if you haven’t used it in a year, forgotten it was there, or it doesn’t even belong to this house, then it can be disposed of easily. Remember – Reduce Reuse Recycle.
Old keys, buttons, chargers and other miscellaneous objects with no home or purpose can go without guilt, meaning it is easier to find the things you do need in a hurry.
Organise paperwork and files, get up to date with admin and relish in the fact that once your spring clean is complete, you will never have to hunt for something again.
Image from kuzakscloset.com
Get Rid Of Old Clothes
Harder to let go of are our favourite outfits or items, which hold sentimental value.
See this as an opportunity for a new start; sort out your wardrobe and let go of that skirt you’ve been hanging onto since you were fifteen in the hopes it would come back into fashion.
Instead, focus on what your dream style would be, and use this as a chance to change things up and let go of anything unnecessary.
Often, our sentimentality of an item comes from the memories and experiences surrounding it, not the item itself, so be objective and consider whether this item fits in with the shiny new you.
Take time with sentimental objects; consider their value and worth, and explore the reasons you have for keeping them.
You may surprise yourself with how easy it is to let go once you give yourself the time to say goodbye.
Image from urbannaturale.com
Decluttering will not only make the spring clean easier as there is less stuff to move, sort and clean, it will also allow you to keep on top of maintaining that cleanliness all through the year.
Perhaps more importantly, decluttering has been proven to have a positive effect on mental health.
Clutter can cause stress and anxiety, as well as feelings of disorganisation, which can then leak into other areas of life, leading to less productivity and lower overall well-being.
It can overload the senses, making you feel overwhelmed, panicky and out of control, and makes your brain work much harder than it usually has to, to make sense of your surroundings and environment.
Taking the time to declutter and organise your home doesn’t just help you physically, by freeing up your time and making life quicker and easier, it also helps mentally, reducing frustration, stress and anxiety; all good reasons to dig in and get sorted!
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Happy Home, Happy You
Once you have reduced the amount of stuff you own, your job immediately becomes easier.
When everything is stored neatly and correctly, easy to find, and access, there is a greater motivation to clean and maintain your home throughout the year.
Spring cleaning is an excellent opportunity to get rid of dust and dampness, which may have accumulated, both of which can have a negative effect on health.
Take the opportunity to deep clean carpets, which will not only provide a fresh, clean feel through the whole house but remove any nasties that may have thought about taking up residence in your home.
Take this as an opportunity to get into all the nooks and crannies, make everything spotless, and give your home a new lease of life.
Image from goodnet.org
Instead of considering spring cleaning to be a chore or something to be dreaded, instead, see it as an opportunity for renewal and revival.
Get rid of your clutter, get your space and things organised, and head into the warmer weather a refreshed new you!