The annual ritual of spring cleaning has its roots in many cultures from around the world. As well as the practical benefits of reducing clutter and removing dirt and grime, spring cleaning is thought to have positive effects on mental health.

• Spring cleaning is a traditional annual ritual in many cultures.
• The benefits of spring cleaning can be mental as well as practical.

After what feels like a long, dark winter and fairly gloomy spring, our energy levels should start to rise as temperatures increase and the daylight hours stretch.

It’s no surprise then, that many of us get the urge to get on with the traditional annual ritual of spring cleaning – a process that is thought to stem from the customs of many cultures from around the world.

In some cultures, the ritual of cleaning the home is thought to have stemmed from anticipation of the new year, the removal any accumulated bad luck from the previous year, or even simply because the spring weather meant that windows and doors could be opened letting warmer winds through to shift the dust and dry any washed down walls and surfaces.

These days, as we get inspired to organise a big clean, besides the obvious benefit of a newly sparkling home, it appears that there are some mental health benefits to be had from spring-cleaning too.

If you spring clean every year, because it has become something that you’ve made an active choice to do, this can be empowering in itself. And if your spring cleaning becomes a ritual, rituals are known to soothe anxiety, help us feel in charge, in control, and even mindful. This might be because it focuses our full attention on an activity that we can break up into a beginning, a middle, and an end. Then, the sense of satisfaction of following specific, step by step actions to their completion can help create a positive mental outlook and peace of mind.

The calming and repetitive nature of moving the vacuum cleaner backwards and forwards, or wiping surfaces, or sweeping the floors, spring cleaning chores can be deeply mindful and keep us very much in the moment as we carry them out. Practicing mindfulness is thought to have benefits such as reducing stress and anxiety, supporting physical health, and generally improving our well-being by clearing our heads as we focus on the moment.

Inevitably, many of us do not like walking into an untidy, cluttered, dirty room. Not only is it less pleasant environment, the challenge of sorting it all out can feel overwhelming and draining.

This means that walking into a clean and tidy room can have the opposite, positive effect of helping people to feel calm and more energised. As the results of cleaning are immediate, so are the positive ways it can make us feel because we have taken charge of a situation and dealt with it effectively.

So much of life is beyond our control which can sometimes make us feel powerless or even vulnerable. Spring cleaning our homes is one way for us to exert control over something that is within our power and gain the emotional benefits that come with that.

It looks like that by taking the plunge and actually completing the great spring clean, we might get a lot more out of it than a clean and tidy home.

And of course, if you still can’t face it, there’s always the option of getting the professionals in.