Here's how to spring clean your home online & offline

Now is the time of year when we all become obsessed with spring cleaning. Whether it is our home or our office, we feel compelled to brandish a feather duster, pull on the rubber gloves, and do our best Mrs Hinch impression. However, this can involve a lot of work, so it is best to make sure that you are doing it effectively.

So, how can you work smarter not harder when it comes to the annual spring clean? Here, we take a look at some of the best ways to tackle it that leave your home, your office, and your mind feeling as fresh as a daisy!

What is spring cleaning?

Spring cleaning is something that actually comes from a variety of different cultures. Jewish, Iranian, and Chinese histories all lay some sort of claim to the tradition as part of rituals to be free of anything that should be there, from physical things to negative spirits.

These are all centered around festivals such as Passover, Persian New Year, and the Chinese Little New Year. This evolved into a practice of removing dust and soot caused by winter fires as the warmer weather meant that doors and windows could be thrown open to air the house.

In many ways, we still spring clean for the same reasons. Whether it is to improve the indoor air quality that has been brought down by chemicals from cleaning products, dust, and even candles, to rid ourselves of unnecessary clutter or to clear our minds and banish negative energy.

How to spring clean

Some people embrace the chance to get into all those dark and dusty corners whilst others will do anything to avoid it. Looking at the best ways to go about your spring cleaning can make it a less arduous task and more bearable for everyone.

Start off by writing yourself a list of things that need to be done and put them in order of priority to avoid feeling overwhelmed. This list can be great if there is someone else in the house that you can recruit to help you as they know exactly where to turn their attention. Once you get started, pick your least favourite task first, and the rest will seem like less of an uphill struggle.

Try to tackle your cleaning room by room, starting with the ceilings and light fittings and getting the cobwebs out of the corners. Then work your way down, finishing with the floors so that you don’t end up having to clean anything more than once.

When selecting your cleaning products, don’t just go for the things with the brightest packaging. Try to use natural cleaning supplies to help promote a safe and gentle environment, as they are less likely to create adverse reactions or give off pollutants into the air.

Another significant part of spring cleaning is tidying or decluttering. This is best tackled in categories, so gather up all of your shoes, toys, or books and sort through all of them in one go so that you can see how much you have left to store. Make sure that you sort everything into piles that you want to keep, things that can go to charity shops, items that can be recycled, and what needs to go in the bin.

Remember, not everything should be left until the daffodils start appearing. Keeping on top of the dusting, vacuuming, and window cleaning can make a good impression and stop the bigger tasks from becoming quite so huge.

Digital spring cleaning

Once you have tackled your carpets, the fridge, and the cupboard under the stairs, there is another kind of spring cleaning that you can turn your attention to. We now have a lot of clutter building up online as well as off it, and it can be good to sort through this.

You can start with deleting old emails and files that you no longer use, as well as tidying up your desktop so that you can find the files that you do actually need more easily.

Another method of online spring cleaning can involve sorting through all of your bills and subscriptions. Look out for anything that you don’t use anymore and take the time to cancel it, as well as unsubscribe to emails that you have no interest in. Look at where your bills are starting to mount up and see if you can use comparison sites to switch credit cards or utility providers.

The rising cost of energy means that you might not see a huge improvement in your gas bills wherever you go, so now is a good time to look at alternatives. Electric radiators can solve a lot of problems as they are easy to install and can be controlled individually so you are only ever spending energy heating the ones you actually need and not the entire house.

Health benefits

It might not be your favourite task, but spring cleaning is actually good for you. It helps to reduce allergens which can support a strong immune system, reduces stress and anxiety by removing clutter and by enjoying a repetitive task, and it can save you time and money.

Decluttering and tidying are known to be very good for the mind and actually allow your brain to focus more on whatever you are doing. A clean home can boost the endorphins in the brain which increase energy levels and leave you feeling happier.

Once you have completed the task of spring cleaning, you can often feel motivated to clean up other areas of your life such as your diet, sleep habits, or your exercise regime.

Spring cleaning is as much a mental exercise as a physical one. It allows you to get on top of all areas of your life, from the state of your floors to overflowing drawers and mounting bills. Taking the time to review everything and tackle it all can help to make your life feel more organised as well as lift your mood and your health.