Spring is here, the days are getting longer, light is getting more intense, and as a consequence every grain of dust is becoming ever more visible. Spring clean time is here. Joy!
But why look on spring cleaning as a major chore with no benefits in the long term? Why not embrace it as an opportunity to give your environment a new look? Spring cleaning your environment is a mental attitude as much as physical work. Tell that to your friends. Refer them to The Guardian’s (15 March 2016) story about de-cluttering when spring cleaning as an aid to health? This story highlights the benefits of getting rid of clutter and reorganizing our home environment which of course has a huge effect on our outlook and wellbeing.
And talking about our environment, the benefits of a good clean-up were highlighted by London’s Hyde Park Corner where the bronze statue of Peace descending on a war chariot was given a thorough cleaning and re-waxing, highlighting the superb detail it has always boasted (The Guardian 11 April 2016). So when you consider your own spring cleaning, why not consider the exterior of your home as well as the interior? And have a look around your town as you go out and about; see what has or hasn’t been done in your local environment and then consider how that affects you.
Our attitudes towards cleaning can reflect our personalities and offer great scope for improving our homes and environment beyond the usual expectations. Cleaning is even the subject of competitions! The Telegraph and Argus recently reported on window cleaner Graham Bower of Bradford who had scooped the first prize in a national competition for window cleaning. And there is even an entry in the Guiness Book of Records for it! Terry ‘Turbo’ Burrows won an entry for the world record in 2009 when he cleaned the required number of windows in 9.14 seconds.
So let’s get out the cleaning gear and go for it, safe in the knowledge we are not just cleaning our homes but helping our health.
Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/15/secret-to-spring-cleaning-better-mental-health