Seven Steps to REALLY Spring Clean Your Home for a Healthier and Happier You
by www.SixWise.com
Spring cleaning is an annual rite of passage in many American
homes. In fact, 77 percent of Americans say they regularly
engage in spring cleaning, according to The Soap and Detergent
Association's 2008 Spring Cleaning Survey.
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A clean, uncluttered home will feel like your own personal
sanctuary.
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Both women (86 percent) and men (68 percent) take part in
giving the house a good scrub down, with finally cleaning
behind the furniture and washing the windows at the top of
the "to-do" list in most homes.
Most Americans also agree that spring cleaning is a valuable
thing to do:
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46 percent strongly agree, and 36 percent somewhat agree,
that spring cleaning helps them save time throughout the
year.
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93 percent say that spring cleaning makes keeping a clean home throughout
the year an easier job.
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96 percent say spring cleaning includes discarding or
donating items they don't need.
This, of course, doesn't mean that we enjoy it. Many Americans
would make some significant sacrifices to have someone else
do their cleaning. For instance:
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29 percent would pay $100
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25 percent would give up eating out for a month
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19 percent would give up concert tickets
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9 percent would give up a weekend away
Fortunately, spring cleaning your home, and getting it to
that organized, fresh point where you can look around a feel
a deep sense of calm and satisfaction, is well within your
reach.
The Top Tips to Get Your Home Clean This Spring
1. First, Remove Clutter
One of the basic tenants of feng shui, which is an ancient
art of creating a harmonious environment in your home using
space, placement of objects, color and more to keep vital
energy aligned, is that clutter represents stagnant energy.
In order for energy, or chi, to flow -- and therefore for
your home to feel peaceful, support your mental and emotional
well-being and provide a sanctuary for you to reside in --
the
clutter must be cleared. Plus, there's no point in cleaning
items that you're planning to get rid of, so remove the clutter,
then move on to step #2.
2. Get Your Supplies Together
Running back and forth to your laundry room to get a dust
rag, or to your kitchen for more vinegar, is a waste of time.
Gather all of your cleaning supplies FIRST, and keep them
with you in a large bucket.
Supplies that we highly recommend for effective and non-toxic
cleaning include:
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PerfectClean
terry cloths, dusters and mits. These are the
same cleaning tools used by leading hospitals, hotels,
and other organizations that depend on environments that
are clean down to the biological level. Rather than just
pushing dust and dirt around, or worse, stirring it up
into the air, all PerfectClean products are made with
positively charged ultramicrofibers that pick up everything
in their path -- including the biological and toxic contaminants
that no other cleaning tool or solution can touch.
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The
"Three Musketeers" of natural cleaning:
baking soda, lemons and vinegar.
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Non-toxic cleaning solutions. Skip the harsh,
chemical cleaners and opt for safe solutions like the
EnviroRite
line of non-toxic cleaning products, which contain
no hazardous ingredients, petrochemicals, perfumes, dyes
or animal byproducts, or Vermont
Organics' Liquid Sunshine Non-Toxic Cleaner, which
is a powerful cleaner, with a citrus scent, that delivers
dramatic results with a multi-functioning non-toxic formula
that's safe and mild, even on your skin.
3. Set the Mood
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Keep your home clean on a daily basis by sweeping up
messes and putting away mail, shoes, backpacks and other
clutter.
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Cleaning may not be your idea of fun, but it doesn't have
to be miserable either. Throw on an old t-shirt and put on
a lively CD to boost your spirits.
4. Clean One Room at a Time
Spring cleaning can seem overwhelming if you look at it from
a "whole house" perspective. The key to keeping
it manageable is to break it down into room-sized projects.
So start with the kitchen, and don't move on until it's complete.
You can even do one room a day, or one a weekend, as time
permits.
5. Get Your Game-Plan Down
The general game-plan for each room is the same: clean from
top to bottom (dirt will fall to the floor as you clean) and
only circle the room once. Clean all that you can from each
position you're in (at the sink, for instance) before moving
on. Move in a clockwise movement around the room if it will
help you remember where you've cleaned already. The key is
to move in the most efficient manner so that you don't have
to backtrack or do things twice.
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See
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(Download time:
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6. Remember to Clean This Essential Thing
Your home's air. Most people would agree that a fresh, clean-smelling
home is one of the main points of spring cleaning. One aside,
remember that a truly "clean" home should not smell
like an artificial pine tree or giant lemon, either. These
scents come from harsh cleaning supplies and air fresheners
that often contain toxic
ingredients.
To clean your home's air, and remove potentially dangerous
microbes, molds, and pollutants, try out the PIONAIR
Air Treatment System. Unlike most air purifiers, the PIONAIR™
Air Treatment System doesn't wait for pollutants to contact
a filter or plate. Instead, the PIONAIR generates air-purifying
technology that migrates through the area and neutralizes
organic odors, microbes, and molds at their source.
As a result, the PIONAIR produces fresh clean air throughout
your home uniformly, by addressing the pollutant source --
without the use of fans, filters, or plates!
7. Keep Your Home Clean on a Daily and Weekly Basis
Once your home is clean and clutter-free, it will take a
little bit of work on your part to keep it that way. This
doesn't mean you'll need to become a full-time housecleaner,
just that you should devote a few minutes each day to:
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Filing your mail and papers
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Doing dishes
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Sweeping the kitchen floor
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Cleaning the kitchen counters
And put on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule:
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Vacuuming and dusting
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Cleaning the bathrooms
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Removing clutter
Recommended Reading
Nine
Tips to Get Rid of Bad Smells in Common Household Locations
The
Five Key Areas of Illness-Causing Germs & Toxins in Your
Home
Sources
Newswise.com
March 4, 2008