Spring cleaning? Psychologists say it's unnecessarily stressful
As the days get longer, everyone mops, sweeps and scrubs. Scientists say: You can leave it in sometimes.
The good news: Keep spring cleaning simple.
Photo: Getty Images
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Since the spring sun shone through the kitchen window again and made the dust in the air visible, Switzerland has begun shaking out the carpets and cleaning the floors again. On social media, clean influencers are outdoing each other in the “Spring Cleaning Challenge” and posting printable checklists. Linsey Crombie, the “Clean Queen,” is shaking dust around her designer furniture, and Becky Rabinchuk, aka “Clean Mama,” is celebrating the rebirth of her kitchen, which thanks to her clever cleaning hacks is now not only sparkling and shiny, but also squeaky clean. (is reading: Spring Cleaning – Best Tips on How to Clean Your Kitchen)
It makes sense to clean and clean it from time to time. Scientific studies even show that housework has a positive effect on mental health. But why when it gets warm enough to sit out in the sun again? (Read also: Partnership and family: How men and women divide labor better)
Order in the home creates order in the mind
“Ensuring order and cleanliness in your area can create peace and clarity of mind, but also safety and security,” believes qualified psychologist Ulrike Scheuermann. This therapeutic effect is certainly appropriate for a society facing crises and wars: “You have achieved something clear that increases self-efficacy and thus resilience.”
British hygiene activist Anne Russell put it this way in an interview: “You can't influence what happens in the world, and you can't prevent wars in other countries. But you can fold your socks nicely and put them in a drawer and you'll be happy.”
Spring awakens the desire to clean in many people around the world.
Photo: Getty Images
So far, so good. But why once a year – and then once? Long gone are the days when basic seasonal cleaning made sense: until the gas stove replaced the coal-fired oven during the 19th century, people heated and cooked using an open fire. Wooden floors and furniture should be cleaned especially well after the heating season to remove soot. Even heavy blankets and rugs could eventually be washed, and they wouldn't have dried out in the winter.
Such restrictions no longer play a role today. The standards of when and how to clean a house can depend on the realities of modern life – if only because of the ever-increasing number of high-gloss, high-maintenance surfaces that constantly demand our attention. However, many people stick to spring cleaning. On the one hand, because the increase in warmth and brightness creates a feeling of optimism for many. On the other hand, this vicious cycle seems difficult to break: “It's contagious when you watch your neighbors, and it's constantly mentioned on social media,” says psychologist Scheuermann.
Added to this is the need to regain control of one's life, especially in the weeks following the end of the year. “For example, because you didn't stick to your New Year's resolutions again,” Sherman says. Just give the house a good cleaning and you will feel like a new person. This is especially the case when cleaning, where you reward yourself – “with the free space in which something new is created.”
The whole world is practicing spring cleansing rituals
Clearing out ballast to make room – For cleaning expert Linda Thomas, who lectures on the spiritual power of cleaning, this is understandable: “Cultural customs, such as Easter and Easter, encourage us to allow something new into our lives.” In her family, toys were always sorted before Christmas and Easter before gifts were given.
In fact, people all over the world practice collective spring cleansing rituals. According to Jewish custom, it is customary to clean the house thoroughly before Passover to remove all traces of leavened food, a symbolic act of the Exodus from Egypt. Cleaning the house before Chinese New Year expels evil spirits and opens the way for positive energies.
Thomas still thinks the hype around spring cleaning is overblown. “I lack common sense,” says the author, who has written several books on cleaning. “People have to trust their own perceptions and stick to their own rhythm.” This way, you can avoid falling into a self-improvement spiral – with step-by-step cleaning plans, checklists and improved work processes, as set forth by many clean influencers.
The specialist advises carrying out tasks related to a specific activity and not an event. “For example, I wipe down the kitchen counters between washing dishes, and not just next week because it's Easter or a certain area. If the cupboard is half empty after the invitation, it will be cleared out before everything is put back in.”
Thomas only uses spring cleaning for activities that require cleaning hard-to-reach items such as ceiling lights and moving furniture. “But not all in one day, but spread over three weekends – and with enough breaks, otherwise you will lose interest.”
It is useful to take breaks so that you do not lose the desire to continue.
Photo: Getty Images/Westend61
Psychologist Scheuermann also warns against succumbing to the ideal of a perfect life in a perfectly clean apartment. You should always ask yourself: “Am I doing this for myself, or am I just fulfilling the idea of the person I want to be?”
Cleaning everything from the basement to the roof once a year is not only unnecessarily stressful. It also prevents you from developing a routine in daily life. “Making new decisions over and over again is exhausting,” Sherman says. “With routine, things like brushing your teeth are done automatically – this takes pressure off the self.” So the psychiatrist follows her grandmother's advice when cleaning: “Take it away immediately and then it's done.”
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