The practice of Spring Cleaning often feels archaic or overly domestic, but it belongs in the contemporary conversation that is relevant to young and new adults. I want to emphasize some of the mental and physical health benefits and share some tips to get you excited about Spring Cleaning.
This article from Healthline outlines some of the key benefits of this practice. From the studies that Healthline curated, these are the main mental and physical health benefits they found associated with Spring Cleaning:
- Strengthen your immune system
- Decrease stress and depression
- Prevent illness
- More healthy eating and physical activity
- Reduce risk of injury
The act of Spring Cleaning is intended to mirror the rejuvenation of life associated with Spring – it’s a time for fresh starts, so that’s how you should approach your cleaning.
Here are some tips to help you achieve the intended effect of Spring Cleaning:
Take your time.
Obviously, everybody operates differently, but in general, the thoroughness of Spring Cleaning can be a little overwhelming to tackle all at once and people end up frustrated and burnt out. Depending on the size of your living and/or work space, a month is not an unreasonable amount of time to give yourself to do a thorough cleaning. Set small, achievable daily and/or weekly goals so this practice remains a healthy and positive experience for you.
Make a checklist.
Spring Cleaning is meant to be a deep, thorough cleaning and reorganization of a space, so it’s very easy to overlook something that we just don’t think about in our regular cleaning routine. Building a thorough checklist can help make sure that doesn’t happen. It can also help with setting your small, achievable goals as you work your way through your cleaning.
Here are some great example checklists that you can use or take inspiration from:
The Ultimate Room-by-Room Checklist by Taste of Home
30-Day Checklist by The Spruce
Checklist for College Students by Simply Tess
Find a great soundtrack.
There’s a ton of listening material that is great to plug in while you’re cleaning to help keep you on track and productive. I love a good playlist to jam out to while I’m cleaning. Some people are all about a great podcast series, and others live that audiobook life. Find whatever brings you joy and plug it in to support your Spring Cleaning practice!
Do a little bit of research.
This isn’t a research project, but it can be helpful to look into the different ways to clean and organize a space, especially if you’re looking to be environmentally friendly in your cleaning products. There are a ton of products out there, so it’s a great idea to look at your checklist and find which products meet your needs and fit your values. This is also a great idea if you’re looking for a new organizational system that better fits your lifestyle and needs.
Spring Cleaning can be done anywhere, anytime.
Spring Cleaning is typically seen as a once-a-year practice, but there’s nothing saying you can’t do it more often – you decide how often your space needs this kind of overhaul. This practice is also not strictly for houses. It can be done in workspaces, apartments, dorms, bedrooms, or wherever you spend a significant amount of your time.
Spring Cleaning can be a rejuvenating and cathartic physical and emotional experience, which is always important and necessary, but feels particularly so after this last year. Happy cleaning!
Check out this article on some healthy snacks for study time!