March is upon us and here at Zim’s we are looking forward to getting rid of all of this snowy Winter weather and moving onward to the joys of Spring. Most of us when we think of the word Spring the word cleaning isn’t far behind. For some Spring cleaning may come with a groan (especially if you happen to be a little boy or girl doing chores!) but surprisingly Spring cleaning can be a renewing experience that’s good for the body and soul!
The first benefit to giving our environment a little scrub down is we help avoid those terrible Spring-time allergies. The more dust and mold we can remove from our environment the better our asthma will be, and we may even be able to avoid allergy symptoms all together.
Another advantage to Spring Cleaning is it can help us to reduce stress in our lives. If we are surrounded by dirt, disorganization and clutter it can be a stressful experience. Studies have shown if you spend as little as 20 minutes a day cleaning and organizing it can reduce your anxiety by 20%. We find the experience can be amplified by listening to entertaining music or podcast while cleaning (or get the kids to help out. Actually that will add to stress! Scratch that!).
The last benefit to Spring Cleaning is it is a chance to get out of your Winter rut and get moving again. Sure cozying up by the fire is fun at Christmas but it’s March now and we need to go outside and get rid of the Winter blues! We’ve found that nothing keeps you in a rut more than a messy house. Don’t feel you need to tackle it all at once (that will be exhausting!). Spend a morning cleaning off a table or your front entry and enjoy your new clean space. The more you get your muscles moving and make your environment a place of wholeness the happier and healthier you will be.
Let us know your experiences with Spring Cleaning. What do you find helpful and how do you keep from being overwhelmed? Do you have any successful strategies for getting the entire family involved? We would love to hear in the comments section.
Happy Spring Cleaning!
