The Benefits of Spring Cleaning
You may well have heard of the term "spring cleaning": the act of giving your house a deep clean in the spring months. Even though, for many of us, that ritual of a once-a-year intense cleaning of dirt and grime (污垢) is dying out, some of us still practise it. However, there could be a good reason the tradition isn't as popular as it was.
The spring months are associated with new life and warmth—a complete contrast to the cold, gloomy winter that preceded. For protection against the freezing weather outside, people would seal their doors and windows as best they could to keep the heat in. In a time when many houses had fireplaces, open fires would produce smoke and soot, coating rooms with layers of muck and gunk. (脏脏的东西).
It therefore made sense for people to start cleaning in the spring, when the weather was warmer and windows opened, to freshen up their houses, mopping the floors and cleaning the walls. However, open fires are no longer commonplace nowadays, with people preferring central heating to dirty smoke. And it's not just the way of heating our homes that has changed. In the past, cleaning was designated to specific times and days, as simple chores like washing clothes took a long time. The rise of modern conveniences such as the washing machine means that tasks are quicker and more efficient.
However, psychologists such as Dr. Jonathan Fader, argue that the mental health benefits of clearing the house of mess mean that a spring clean is hugely positive. The perception of your house being messy can cause the stress hormone cortisol to rise.
So, while the tradition is still there, and it's nice to have a big clean of dirt once in a while, it is no longer as necessary--or limited to just the spring. That said, the psychological benefits of having a tidy home means that a once-a-year clean of unnecessary items, rather than dirt, can make you feel much better.
