Writing an article on spring cleaning seemed like a good way to avoid…spring cleaning.
But what is spring cleaning? Where did the idea come from and when did it begin? And does it have to be done in the spring?
As it turns out, there is more to this custom than the practicality handed down to many of us from those cold-weather regions of Northern Europe and North America. In a time before vacuum cleaners and central heating, people spent the winter burning coal and wood and using oil lamps and candles on those long, cold, dark and damp winter nights. Come springtime, all that grime needed to be cleaned off everything.
The practice and rituals that give us spring cleaning go back more than 3,000 years as people everywhere emerged from their collective pseudo-hibernation and went out, squinting, into the warming sunlight of spring. A quick history of spring cleaning from around the world proves that this practice transcends and unites us all in the humble task of cleaning out the old and celebrating clean new beginnings, making ready for the productive and hopeful new year ahead.
Traditionally, the Persian New Year starts on the vernal equinox. Before they celebrate the new year, they “shake the house.” A ritual cleaning of the house from top to bottom, everything is wiped clean and polished. Winter wardrobes are put away and repairs are made. Then, afterwards, they party with friends and family in two weeks of celebrations.
The practice of cleaning the whole house can also be found in the ancient Jewish tradition. They must get rid of and avoid leavened bread in preparation for Passover, which is usually in April. Even the smallest crumb is considered an affront to God. After the house is clean, a candlelight ritual is performed the night before the day of Passover, with everyone looking for any missed crumbs.
In Catholic churches, the altar is wiped down on Maundy Thursday, right before Good Friday. And in the Greek Orthodox Church they encourage spring cleaning on the first day of Lent. They call it Clean Monday. Depending on when Easter is, this usually takes place in March or April.
The Chinese celebrate the new year in February, so their cleaning festivities take place earlier than our usual springtime. Before they welcome in the new year, they have to clean out all the bad luck and misfortune of the previous year. Traditional Buddhist and Taoist families honor statues and altars by either cleaning them or adding fresh decorations. The walls, floors and ceiling are thoroughly mopped up until a few days before the new year. That’s when sweeping is not allowed, otherwise, the good luck might get swept away. After that, red and gold decorations are hung to attract fortune and good luck. Fireworks are set off to keep the bad luck away and if you’ve ever seen such a celebration, you know that dragons dance in the street.
Japan has their “big clean” in December, before January’s New Year. They clean their homes, get rid of old or broken things and make the house ready to welcome the gods of the year. Priests and parishioners ritually beat the soot and dust out of the tatami mats as a way to beat away the stains—both spiritual and physical—from the previous year.
Spring cleaning is a customary practice, an event, one that benefits all of us. What could be better than an uncluttered house to unclutter our minds and opening our spaces to let in creativity and new opportunities? But how and where to start?
Do you want to immerse yourself in the experience? Are you a do-it-yourself type of person? There are tons of books on the subject of how less is more, and all that. But if you need professional help (like I do), there are over a dozen excellent cleaning services and professional organizers in Apex, which might help all of us finish spring cleaning in the parameters of spring.
Now it’s time to begin. Do you take it one room at a time, slowly and methodically? Or do you take all your stuff and savagely dump it all in the middle of the room, in hopes of being done by next spring? The choice is yours.
Do you have to clean the whole house? Or just the rooms that need the most attention? That’s also up to you.
During the holiday eating season, has your pantry gotten messy? That might be a good place to begin. Depending on the size of your pantry, one way to start is to empty it out completely and put things back slowly. Sift out anything that you’re not going to eat or that’s about to expire and give it away. If food is love, then there are many food banks, churches, temples, synagogues, fire houses, and schools in Apex that would be happy to share the love.
Moving on to clothes closets. Have you ‘changed sizes’ recently? Are you now working from home and don’t need your business clothes? A better way to recycle and to think globally and act locally is to donate your gently used clothes to any number of thrift shops or consignment stores in Apex. These places also take books, appliances, toys and furniture.
If you made it through another year and if you have everything you need and even some things you’ve wanted, why not be someone’s helping hand and lift up a neighbor, friend or stranger.
That is the true benefit of spring cleaning. Shake the house!
