Feature Photo by: Ketut Subiyanto
Ahh, the ritual of spring cleaning! If you’ve been itching to give your home a thorough scrub as the weather warms up and flowers bloom, you’re not alone. Spring cleaning embodies more than just tidying up our physical spaces; it symbolises a mindset of renewal and rejuvenation. As the seasons change and the world awakens from its winter slumber, we are prompted to shake off the cobwebs of the past and embrace fresh beginnings.
Spring symbolises renewal, both in nature and our consumer culture, so the desire to hit the reset button is completely natural. It’s satisfying to extend this renewal to our living spaces. Our bodies sync with the seasonal changes around us, leading to a surge of energy in spring. Brighter days, warmer temperatures, and increased outdoor activity invigorate us.
Spring cleaning isn’t merely about organising closets and scrubbing floors; it’s about clearing out mental clutter, letting go of what no longer serves us, and making space for growth and new opportunities. With each sweep of the broom and every item decluttered, we invite positivity and vitality into our lives, so I wanted to delve into the mental health advantages of spring cleaning. And, of course, I’ll also share some handy tips and my usual product suggestions.
THE BENEFITS OF SPRING CLEANING
Spring cleaning is a cherished tradition with historical roots. Originating from a time when homes were heated with wood and illuminated by lanterns that left soot on every surface, the arrival of spring signalled a time to refresh the home by airing it out, beating the dust out of rugs and bedding, and meticulously cleaning floors and windows.
In modern times, with busy schedules and less time for cleaning, spring serves as a reminder to tackle neglected chores. As I previously mentioned, it symbolises a fresh start, emerging from winter hibernation as sunlight exposes forgotten dust. But what I asked myself is, why does this time-honoured tradition bring such gratification? The answer lies in the fact that these cleaning and tidying acts help our mental health, and here’s how!
It enhances your mood
Cleaning one’s surroundings can have a significant positive impact on emotional well-being for many individuals, particularly by fostering a feeling of control over one’s environment.
Cleaning is not only satisfying for many people but also serves as an effective method for managing stress and anxiety. By establishing an organised living environment, we exert control over our surroundings. Since we often can’t control external stressors, maintaining a well-ordered personal space can bring a sense of calmness and peace.
It’s ritualistic
Rituals hold great significance in our lives. By integrating cleaning into your daily, weekly, monthly or yearly routines you contribute to a healthier lifestyle in various aspects. The comfort of waking up or returning to an aesthetically pleasing environment or maintaining an organised space for work can bring peace of mind. Across different cultures, the practice of maintaining a clean home has been a longstanding tradition, promoting tranquillity and revitalisation.
It’s a type of meditation
Engaging in household chores, from sweeping to disinfecting, is inherently meditative. It allows you to disconnect from the digital world, fostering a deeper connection with your personal space. The immediate visual impact of cleaning provides a sense of accomplishment and empowerment, enhancing feelings of control. Conversely, clutter can lead to distraction, a sense of being overwhelmed, and feelings of powerlessness, impacting mental well-being and self-perception.
It boosts your health
Spring cleaning can have positive effects on your respiratory health too. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, overlooking dust and pet dander as potential triggers can be dangerous, as these allergens can circulate through the air and settle on surfaces. Thorough cleaning can help remove allergens and prevent new ones from entering your home. When you feel physically better, relaxation comes more easily.
It’s good exercise
Engaging in physical activities like spring cleaning can help burn calories too! While a brief dusting session may not make a significant impact, spending 30 minutes or more on moderate activities like vacuuming or scrubbing can be beneficial for your physical health. The more you move, the more calories you burn, leading to reduced fatigue and increased energy levels.
It boosts your self-esteem
Spring cleaning isn’t just about tidying up your physical space but also about decluttering the emotional baggage accumulated over time. Possessions like excessive amounts of clothing, a large shoe collection, or too much furniture contribute to clutter in both your home and mind.
I think Spring cleaning is all about embracing the new season as an opportunity for personal transformation. Clearing out the physical mess can create a sense of lightness and renewal within yourself.
It boosts concentration and productivity
As I previously mentioned, working at a cluttered desk can hinder your ability to focus and complete tasks without distractions. Physical clutter in your workspace (or your home) can negatively impact your productivity and focus. When I was studying for my Master’s this was definitely the case for me.
Research from Princeton University suggests that an organised environment can improve task performance compared to a disorganised one. The study highlights that a clutter-free space minimises distractions, leading to increased productivity and reduced stress levels. If you feel that clutter is affecting your productivity, declutter and simplify your space.
It benefits your sleep
According to a sleep study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, individuals who sleep in messy environments are more prone to sleep issues and have a higher risk of developing hoarding tendencies. Clearing out the clutter can help create a more soothing space for a restful sleep too.
It can help you let go of the past
We often attach sentimental value to material possessions, holding onto items that no longer serve a purpose or hold significance, like an ex-partner’s old shirt or a broken keychain from a past trip. These items can carry emotional baggage as well as clutter your living space, so consider identifying and parting ways with objects that no longer contribute positively to your life. It’s one of the healthiest ways to let go of unwanted memories and people in your life!
The point of a Spring Clean is to help you feel as re-born as flowers, trees and nature do this time of the year. Accumulating material items can serve as a constant reminder of unfinished tasks or unmet goals. While some reminders can be motivating, excess clutter can hinder progress and move forward. My biggest advice when doing your Spring Clean is to only keep items that inspire and support your current objectives and goals and let go of those that weigh you down or evoke negative emotions.
A SUSTAINABLE SPRING CLEAN
Although Spring Cleaning can be soothing for both your physical and metaphysical self, it’s still important to keep this traditional practice as sustainable as we can. With wardrobe decluttering, comes a lot of waste and with deep cleaning, comes a lot of toxic chemicals. This year, I’ve put together a little guide to how you can enhance your living space while keeping things sustainable for our beloved planet. Plus, here you’ll find lots of product recommendations I couldn’t do my Spring Clean without.
HOME CLEANING
While cleaning our homes, we encounter many conventional cleaning products that contain synthetic or harmful chemicals, which can negatively impact both our health and the environment. These products, often laden with synthetic ingredients and fragrances, can worsen air quality and trigger allergies. My advice is to only use “Green Seal” certified products, which undergo rigorous testing to ensure they clean effectively without being harmful. They are non-toxic, biodegradable, and gentle on sensitive skin and eyes.
Alternatively, you can also create your own cleaning solutions using simple ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, essential oils, and baking soda. Click on the link below for some useful recipes using vinegar – which is so versatile, with amazing properties!
Related – The Remarkable Benefits of Vinegar
Wild & Stone
While natural cleaning products may have a slightly higher upfront cost, many eco-friendly choices are long-term investments that can help you save money in the future as these are usually refillable and you end up saving money on packaging. For example, these compostable dishcloths from Wild & Stone are a great alternative to disposable ones. These cloths are durable, washable, and designed for repeated use. Once they reach the end of their lifespan, you can cut them into strips and compost them with your food scraps. From plastic-free clothes pegs to toilet brushes, organic towels, rechargeable dish brushes and beeswax food wraps to replace your cling film, this brand has countless sustainable household pieces for you to choose from.
Natural Collection
Natural Collection, an online marketplace that features lots of ethical and sustainable brands, is also one of my favourites to choose from when it comes to cleaning and household products. From recycled toilet paper to non-toxic cleaning products, their choice is huge. My favourite product from their home range is their recycled aluminium foil, sustainable and long-lasting!
Koala Eco
Koala Eco is another brand that is worth a mention. All of their household and personal care products are made from natural ingredients, are refillable (to save on packaging waste) and recyclable. Wouldn’t you want your home to be filled with products that are natural and non-toxic, effective and powerful, made from only recycled plastic, environmentally friendly, biodegradable, vegan, with no synthetic fragrance, no dyes, no phosphates, no SLS, no masking agents, not tested on animals, certified allergy safe?! The list goes on, and so does their product range. My favourite from Koala Eco is their kitchen collection, which you can also get as a bundle on their website.
LAUNDRY CLEANING
When it comes to doing your laundry at home, there are lots of ways you can be a little bit more sustainable. My biggest advice is that, instead of using the dryer and consuming energy, hang your laundry to dry either indoors or outdoors. Surprisingly, the dryer ranks as the third most energy-intensive appliance in many households. Air or hang-drying your clothes can significantly decrease the average household’s carbon footprint, as much as 2,400 lbs per year. Plus, it can reduce your energy costs, so it’s a win-win. Don’t forget to use plastic-free clothes pegs though, like these wooden pegs which you can buy from Wild & Stone.
Dirty Labs
Dirty Labs is another brand worth mentioning when we talk about natural, toxin-free laundry products. All of their laundry (and kitchen) collections are packaged in aluminium and are fully recyclable, although the best way to make the most of this reusable packaging is by ordering their refills and just using the same bottles. Their liquid laundry detergents are made with. Phytolase®, the brand’s advanced enzyme cleaning technology, which targets stains with a precision I’ve never seen before in a laundry detergent.
Grab Green
When it comes to laundry, air drying is not the only way you can help save our planet. It’s also about the products you use when washing your clothes. From using detergent pods and/or powder packaged in recycled cardboard to natural dryer sheets, refillable washing liquid and bleach alternative pods, I think Grab Green has the most extensive list of products when it comes to sustainable laundry.
My favourite choice is their laundry powder pods, free from harmful toxins or additives. The company selects only the best ingredients and fine-tunes their plant and mineral-based formulas to create top-quality laundry detergent. With four earthy scents to choose from, including a fragrance-free option, these pre-measured pods save me both time and money – in fact, you save 25% if you subscribe and keep the pods coming! They are formulated without phosphate, chlorine, or dyes and come packaged in fully recycled and recyclable paper printed with water-based inks.
Earth Breeze
Earth Breeze, on the other hand, is focusing their full product collection on liquidless laundry detergent sheets. This way of tackling sustainable laundry saves a lot on packaging, as every box needs very little material to be shipped and the one that is used is usually recycled and recyclable paper. Although many of us might have not used detergent sheets before, I can assure you these are just as effective, as well as being 100% plant-based, toxin-free, and hypoallergenic. If you try your first pack and love it, you can save up to 40% when you subscribe to a monthly deal with Earth Breeze!
WARDROBE DECLUTTER
When decluttering and downsizing your wardrobe this Spring, consider donating old or unused items to charities, hospitals, and shelters instead of discarding them. I like to think that what I don’t use and don’t want can always find a new home and be cherished by someone else if I donate it instead of throwing it away.
Donating not only declutters your home but also benefits others and the environment by reducing waste and conserving resources. Remember, the resources used to create the item will be wasted if it ends up in a landfill. You can also check out my recent article on Pre-Loved and Vintage shops and marketplaces for more inspiration:
Related – An A-Z Of The Best Vintage & Pre-Loved Shops & Marketplaces
Thrift+
Recently, I’ve come across a UK-based B corp that takes care of finding a new home for your unwanted items for you: Thrift+. With them, all you have to do is order one (or more) of their free recycling bags, fill it up with your pre-loved pieces and send it back to them. The team will take care of the sorting, cleaning and re-selling. All they ask is that the clothes you donate are in good condition and are from their partner brand list, which is quite extensive with more than 50 brands. Once your items are listed and sold, you can either use those points to buy more pre-loved fashion or donate to a charity of your choice!
Sojo
When clearing out your wardrobe, you might come across items that you wish to keep but need repair, so consider fixing them before buying new ones or throwing them away. Repairing and altering your old clothes can save you money and help the environment by preventing them from being discarded. If you don’t have the means to repair these clothes yourself, you can always go to your local mending shop or send off your pieces to online platforms such as Sojo. This company provides a remote altering and repairing service. All you need to do is book the service you need and prepare your items under the company’s instructions. They’ll collect it, repair it and ship it back to you like new.
Make Nu
Make Nu is another company working on repairing and alterations on the same basis as Sojo. From bespoke alterations to general ones, denim repairs, hole repairs and embroidery, you just have to pick the service you need. They’ll take care of the rest.
There are numerous environmental advantages to practicing sustainable spring cleaning. The tips I highlighted above focus on minimising waste by donating, reusing, repurposing, or repairing old, unwanted, or unused items. Decreasing waste helps lessen the volume of items sent to landfills, where decomposition can take centuries and release methane gas.
Additionally, minimising waste helps conserve resources as producing new goods consumes significant energy, raw materials, water, oil, and minerals. Embracing sustainable spring cleaning not only provides cleaning and mental health benefits but also reduces your environmental footprint!
If you have any other tips on how to keep this year’s Spring Clean more sustainable, I’d love to hear from you with your tips, hacks and brand suggestions.
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