Spring Cleaning

Written By: Jessica Rosales, '21 - CREC Marketing Project Supervisor

With the warmer weather and the start of new life that comes with Spring, many people start to get that feeling it's time to reset. Traditionally this is the perfect time to do some spring cleaning! I am well aware that there are many people out there that cringe at the word ‘cleaning’ but hear me out. 

Why Should I Spring Clean?

Cleaning is good for our health and overall wellness. It is known to increase productivity and reduce stress. With everything in its place and your space decluttered, it allows you to focus on more important things. Cleaning is also healthy, which is especially important since it can reduce the amount of allergens and germs in our homes. But why Spring? Honestly this can be done whenever, but with the sun coming out more and warmer temperatures, more of us will be opening up our windows and will begin to realize all the dust and chores we have let accumulate. In my opinion, as someone who has struggled with my own mental health, I have had my ups and downs, and this is my way of trying to interrupt the cycles I go through- a chance to reset everything. So instead of letting things pile up and give me more anxiety, this is my ‘nudge’ to literally scrub the murkiness away. So don’t just do it for the mountain of clothes piling up in the back of your closet right now, do it for yourself too. This can be your opportunity to feel fresh and clean inside and out. 

How To Start?

I recommend finding a free day or two when you can really get to cleaning your apartment or dorm. It’s helpful to compile a list of the things that must get done, if not that I recommend at least having a rough plan. If you’re the type of person that finds starting things difficult, try telling a friend so that they will keep you accountable. Also remember it’s not a race. Put on your favorite songs and take as many breaks as you want. It doesn’t have to be a chore!

Before you start I typically try to get three boxes; One for donations, repairs and misplaced things. However, simply making piles on my floor works fine for me. My main focus is to reduce, repurpose and donate. After dusting and sweeping or vacuuming, I usually focus on the following areas:

1. Closet
   • Be honest with yourself! If you have not worn it in a year or don’t plan to, donate it. Let someone else love it too. But, if something is beyond repair throw it out. (Tip: as you put your clothes back, hang it backward so that next year it will be easier to tell which clothes you didn’t wear)
   • Don’t throw out old or mismatched socks that can be used as cleaning rags
2. Bathroom
   • Over the counter medication can be disposed of at pharmacy drop-offs. Or if your pharmacy doesn’t have one, mix them with an unpalatable substance, like dirt or litter. Remember do not crush any pills. Put this mixture in a ziplock bag and throw it away in your home garbage.
   • It’s recommended to throw liquid cosmetics after three months and powder cosmetics after a year
3. Kitchen
   • I encourage making your own cleaners because they’re easy to make out of ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen and it reduces your waste impact. However, these cleaners are not known to kill viruses like SARS-CoV-2.
   • Old utensils are a highly wanted item at most donation centers.
   • For all my plant people out there, old jars are great as propagation sets.