Spring Cleaning 101
Traditional Chinese Medicine uses nature and seasons to guide everything from our energy levels to how we can ground ourselves and what foods to eat to be nourished. By checking in with the cyclical nature of our seasons, we can be anchored and supported to move through our lives. With spring comes the inevitable concept of spring cleaning. It’s the season to be refreshed and cleansed, so of course - we’re going to need to figuratively and literally clean up.
The Chinese practice of living in harmony with your environment, also known as Feng Shui, suggests that we spring clean on a regular basis because it increases the Qi in the home and when your environment has healthy Qi, it directly impacts your overall happiness and health. However, we know it’s not always easy to spend days deep cleaning so we’re here to provide you with a few tips on how to clean your house to help you prepare for the spring season.
Spring Cleaning Tips
Take a trash bag and collect the trash that’s accumulated in each room of your house. If you have littles, you’ll be amazed at how many tiny single use items have been tossed and scattered in the corners of each room.
Once the trash has been collected, take a laundry basket or a big box and collect the items from each room that need to be returned to their rightful place.
Cycle your winter clothes for spring/summer clothes and shoes. Protip: If you keep your off-season clothes in a large airtight space bag, you’ll save space in your closet, keep your clothes dust free, and it’ll make this swap easier.
Gather your cleaning supplies and keep them in a basket for easy transport from room to room. You’ll most likely only need two products: an all purpose cleaner and a product for wiping away mirrors and windows. PS: check out our post here for recipes on how to make your own DIY cleaning products. Keep rags on hand instead of paper towels to reduce your waste. When you’re done cleaning, all the rags can be washed together.
Open all your windows to allow for air circulation.
Before you start the cleaning process, grab your vacuum and use the detachable piece to vacuum the dust from the surfaces in the rooms. This will ensure that you’re not moving dust around when you actually begin the wipe down.
From here - take a water break. Stay hydrated and make sure you’re replenishing yourself throughout the day. Add lemon or fresh mint to your water for natural electrolytes.
Soak the bathtub and toilet with your cleaning product of choice. Allowing for these surfaces to soak with the cleaning solution while you’re cleaning the rest of the house will save you time and allow for less elbow grease when you’re ready to tackle the bathroom.
Now that we’re ready to start the cleaning process, think about this order of operations for every room: 1) dust, 2) wipe and 3) spray the windows/mirrors last. The key is to start from top to bottom, left to right and to do all three of these tasks before you move onto the next room. Keeping yourself on task will guide you so that you’re not jumping around from corner to corner of the house.
Move through this cycle for the bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom. Once the surfaces have been cleaned, vacuum your floors. If you have hardwood or linoleum flooring, you can do a quick mopping after the floors have been vacuumed or swept.
Drop all your dirty rags into your washer.
Refill your essential oil diffuser with lemon, orange or eucalyptus oil to fill your home with a light, uplifting scent.
Enjoy your newly deep cleaned home!
Further Spring Support + Resources
If you’re finding the transition from winter to spring to be difficult, we’re here to support you. One of the most effective ways to regulate your Qi is through acupuncture. You can book your session here. Another way we can help is through our online telehealth services. Book a session with one of our Master Herbalists to receive your own personalized recommendations and guidance. Finally, if you’re interested in learning more about healing your body through the natural elements, take our quiz to find out what your element type is.