It’s May. We welcome the longer days, a hint of al fresco dining-evenings and a vibrant energy as London-folk wear bigger smiles and smaller garments. With brighter skies and lighter air, less is key. Considering a de-clutter? If Spring signifies being out with the old and in with the new, grant yourself that little more space to breathe… on the inside.

There are some suggestions that the history of spring cleaning dates back to Iranian traditions shared at the time of the Persian New Year, with “khooneh tekouni” meaning to “shake the house”. Similarly, in Chinese traditions around the time of the new year homes are cleaned of bad luck and misfortunes in order to welcome in the new year with prosperity.

So what about when we ourselves need a little ‘shake up’ to rid the negatives and create a more welcoming, cleansed and thriving environment for positive beginnings? Are our emotional selves the last thing that we seek to ‘clean’? Perhaps only when our physical environment is prepped we are ready to nest and turn our attention inwards to the bits that require a little spruce.

Spring cleaning is to clean all of a place, very well, including parts you do not often clean. Looking introspectively, there are areas not dusted off as often and little nooks where the dirt builds, yet we turn a blind-eye to avoid the unpleasant emotional residue; this is exactly where we need the deepest clean. Why is it that some areas are overlooked, ignored and hidden, (un)consciously not spruced for a particular reason? Perhaps it is too time-consuming, too much effort, or may be a little bit painful; making meaningful changes in life can take effort, time and energy.

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