Spring Cleaning Can Relieve Stress

Get ready for spring! Time to vacuum the refrigerator coils, scour tub grout, clean upholstery, and clear the dust bunnies from under the beds. How did the custom of spring-cleaning originate? Apparently, it began back when people had coal-burning furnaces and houses were coated with soot by spring. Today people like to clean in the spring so, like Mother Nature, we can renew and refresh. And of course, there’s the fact that the weather is finally warm enough to open the windows so the oven cleaner fumes don’t take over the house!

Whatever the reason, the fact is houses need to be cleaned in order for everyone to stay healthy and live comfortably. Anti-clutter experts say that spring-cleaning helps you get in the mindset of spring and grounds you back in your home. During the winter months, people tend to feel stuck in their homes with cabin fever. Spring-cleaning helps us to love our homes again and it helps us de-stress because we’re finally able to find some of the things we’ve been looking for since before the holidays.

Where to begin? How about the kitchen? In this room, you should spend about an hour and forty-five minutes on the fridge alone, de-griming it inside and out and vacuuming it underneath. You should also clean the inside and outside of kitchen cabinets and drawers, the oven, exhaust fan and hood and finish by scrubbing the floor. You should also get rid of expired food products and pharmaceutical products at this time, experts say. This is important to keeping your family safe, especially if you have young children living in or visiting your home.

Next, you should tackle the bathroom. It should take you about half an hour to scour your bathroom sink, countertop and tub, more if there is mold or mildew, soap scum or hard water build-up involved. If you are using commercial cleaners, this is the time to open the windows and let that spring breeze in. If you use a shower curtain liner, you will want to replace it during your spring-cleaning.

As far as general cleaning goes, spring-cleaning guides dictate that you should spot clean the walls, light switches and doorknobs. Vacuuming extends to baseboards, windowsills, heating vents, lampshades, and tops of bookcases and under furniture. Carpets should be shampooed, throw rugs laundered and wood floors polished or buffed.

You should thoroughly dust all surfaces and clean all mirrors. Getting rid of dust and mold is important to preventing allergy and asthma attacks, say experts. This is all part of making your home healthy and safe.

Next, vacuum and flip the mattresses in your bedrooms and then, on to the closets! The first step in cleaning out and organizing a bedroom closet is to take things out that don’t belong there. This is not the place for tablecloths, canceled checks and the box of books you’ve been meaning to donate to the library. Take out the non-clothing items and store them in more appropriate places. Remove things like costumes, evening gowns and other things you rarely wear. Then, after you empty the closet, put back the items you wear on a regular basis – not what you think you’ll wear, or what you wish you could wear. Donate what you no longer need to charity.

Before you know it, you’ll have a fresh, clean house and your home will be ready for the warm weather. And who knows, during your spring-cleaning you might even find something you thought was lost forever. Or, maybe you’ll find some forgotten cash – maybe enough to hire someone to clean the house for you next time!