Spring cleaning is a global secular tradition: get tips from the pros

Spring cleaning is a global secular tradition: get tips from the pros -

In the spring, there is an almost universal need to clean and maintain our houses. People such as bears, seem to emerge from their winter den as the days begin to grow longer. There may even be a biological explanation: in winter, our lack of exposure to sunlight causes the pineal gland to produce melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that makes us sleepy, kicked in every night around 21:00. However, for shorter, sad days of winter, our melatonin production may increase, followed by a decrease as the days longer and sunnier. As a result, people tend to feel more energetic and spring cleaning is a natural outlet for that energy.
There are also a variety of cultural traditions around spring cleaning, particularly the Middle East. In Iranian tradition, spring marks the ancient Nowruz holiday, which is preceded by spring cleaning, or Khouneh Tekouni, which literally means "shaking the house". Extended spring cleaning is a national tradition observed by almost all households in Iran. In Jewish tradition, the feast of the Passover in the spring and is marked by removing all leaven (yeast raised) bread home. It is important to ensure that not even a crumb of leavened bread remains, and so the Passover is always preceded by two weeks of extensive spring cleaning. According to great heritage of America as a cultural melting pot, it is believed that these two traditions may have contributed to the roots of our national interest in the spring cleaning.
Whether a biological imperative or a cultural tradition, spring is a good time to deep clean your home and catch up on maintenance tasks that may have been overlooked during the winter months. Martha Stewart provides a useful checklist to cover spring cleaning tasks (PDF) and Bob Vila has a list for home maintenance. However, you do your spring cleaning and maintenance, be careful! Spring cleaning can be dangerous (PDF) - the linked list highlights common dangers. If one of your employees or helpers undergoes spring cleaning related injuries, remember that under your responsibility clause, the costs are covered by your homeowners policy. To ensure that your policy is up to date, contact your independent insurance agency today.

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