Cleaning keeps our place feeling nice and fresh. It’s good for the mind and even better for ensuring a high quality of life. How often do we clean everything, though? That’s what spring cleaning is for—finishing the usual cleaning activities, but then taking it a step further for a really deep, thorough clean that covers more than just your space. While most spring cleaning guides might give you a breakdown on things you already know, we want to dive into the things that you forget (ignore) when it comes to doing a thorough cleaning.
Electronics
Our electronics are some of the dirtiest possessions we own. Did you know that your cell phone has
around 25,000 germs per square inch, making it dirtier than a public toilet seat? Our phones are such a ubiquitous part of our lives that many of us forget just how much we constantly expose it to bacteria and germs. Think about it: you probably take your phone to the toilet, right? You also probably lay it down on just about every surface imaginable, whether it’s in your home or in public spaces. It’s a good idea to invest in some cleaning wipes to keep those germs off your phone because whatever is on your phone then gets transferred to your hands and face. Don’t forget about your tablets, keyboards, mouse, and laptops too. Those also get dirty quickly as we use them for just about everything. Going further, beyond just the physical germs of our electronics, it’s a great idea to clean through some of your old files that you have stored in your phone, tablet, and computer. We might not be aware of just how much junk files we carry that are slowing down the performance of our devices. If you know you have some files that you don’t need, delete them off your device or transfer it to a hard drive so they’re archived and not hindering your present. You’ll be surprised how much was just taking up unnecessary space.
Cleaning Supplies
Seems weird, but most of us miss thinking about cleaning our cleaning supplies like the vacuum, sponge, broom, toilet brush, or toothbrush. You’d think that your supplies get cleaned during the process of cleaning, but they don’t! Cleaning your supplies every now and then will ensure that your space will be effectively clean too. Give your vacuums a good wipe down of the dirt they’re carrying when the container gets about 75% full. Your sponge and toothbrush can be cleaned using a mixture of 1:1 hydrogen peroxide and water. Hydrogen peroxide is a natural disinfectant that’s safe for the body so it’ll work wonders on getting rid of the germs on more sensitive items that affect what goes into your mouth. Try cleaning your toilet brush with bleach, and your brooms can be cleaned by hitting them against something solid like a tree or pole so the dust can come out of the bristles. (Just make sure there’s no one around to inhale the dust!)
Old Information
This is something hidden that most of us are completely oblivious to cleaning out. Inside of our minds we hold trillions of informational circuits that dictate our everyday perception, behavior, thoughts, emotions, and actions. Some of these circuits are beneficial for our function and survival, but most of them are old information that actually hold us back from living the life that we want. So what qualifies as old information? Beyond the clutter and mess in our physical space, there is dust that we all carry in our mental state. Do you feel sometimes that you’re flooded with negative thoughts and emotions that are either produced in your own mind or put there by the media or the people around you? Past trauma, heartbreaks, failures, bullying, rejections...everything that you’ve experienced that is not properly processed in your mind (especially from childhood) stays as old clutter that affects your present state.
Try to step back and picture momentarily the overall progression of your life and self-reflect. Can you pinpoint a specific time in your life where you faced huge loss? Maybe a shifting point that caused you to view the world, yourself, and others differently? While you may think these past experiences are only inside of your head, they actually affect outward behavior and actions, too, which in turn, impact yourself and those around you. If you can identify a certain thought pattern or old information that no longer serves you, take a deep breath in through your nose and imagine releasing that information out as you exhale deeply through your mouth. The pain, the heavy memories, the stress...let it go and shed it as an old layer of skin. If you approach this carefully and with pinpointed, conscious thought, you can leave the experience with a cleared mind.
Cleaning out more than just the obvious things in your environment has extremely positive ramifications on your health, happiness, and peace. A true clean involves purifying energy within your own self beyond just your physical space. Follow these tips along with the cleaning that you typically do and you’ll be inviting lots of clean energy into your life and an even brighter, healthier mind and spirit.