Five spring cleaning tips for Chinese New Year

As Chinese New Year nears, the onset of festivity preparations also include the yearly spring cleaning routine around the house.

One of the many superstitions surrounding Chinese New Year, cleaning just before the new year is a symbol of welcoming good fortune in the new year while getting rid of bad luck from the past.

Here are five spring cleaning and decluttering tips you can follow to make your cleaning experience a breeze.

Decluttering can get confusing when you can’t seem to decide what items need to go and that extra sentimental value will usually push you to keep the item instead.

The 90/90 Rule is an organisation method that asks two questions: Have you used the item in the last 90 days and will you use it in the next 90 days.

Practising a 90/90 rule ensures that you stay objective in your decision making and is a simple way to decide what material possessions serve a purpose in your everyday life.

It is not always “out of sight, out of mind” if you are looking to conduct a thorough spring cleaning session. Besides wiping down any visible surfaces like your work desk, there are several unseen spots that require a regular cleaning just like any other.

Places like fan blades, the insides of a fridge, water filters and microwave are areas where we hardly think of cleaning, yet they can accumulate the most grime and dirt from our daily use.

Refrigerators are recommended to be cleaned once every three months, while other home appliances might vary from once a month to a seasonal clean after the festive season.

While the internet may recommend easy DIY solutions, be sure to consult your appliance manual just to be safe!

The season of spring cleaning is an opportune time to get rid of duplicate or old items that no longer serve their purpose at home. One way is to imagine as if you are packing for a vacation, since you would only pack your essentials and nothing else.

You can also consider replacing common household items – such as paper towels – with sustainable alternatives so that you do not have to repurchase or stock up on items that take up a lot of space.

Just like how procrastination happens when a task seems too daunting, the same can be said for cleaning as it is a task that requires some form of strategy.

Popular cleaning tips to get you started include creating a schedule and generating a list of things to do to keep track of your progress while ensuring consistency in your efforts to clean.

Instead of being all over the place and ultimately making a mess again, start cleaning from the top to let the dust settle downwards before tackling anything on a lower level.

While it is easy to toss everything into a pile when you are cleaning, chances are you might overwhelm yourself with the amount of trash accumulated instead.

The experts recommend sorting your items into several categories – trash, donate or sell, storage and put away. This method is a decisive way to sort your item to help keep track what you need to discard without the confusing ‘maybe’ thoughts.

Once the “discard” box is full, it will go straight to the bin so that you do not contemplate for another moment.

With these simple spring cleaning tips, you will be on the right track to welcome the year with an auspicious start.