Last weekend, I spotted a status posted on Facebook by my cousin. He was in his hometown cleaning his parents’ house and getting it ready to put on the market. I went through the same thing in 2004 after my mom died. I finally put my parents’ home of over 50 years up for sale in the spring of 2005.
Since then I’ve been an advocate for spring cleaning. As I commented on my cousin’s status, I’m still going through stuff. What am I really supposed to do with sheet music from the 1920’s? Just this week, we had 1-800-Got-Junk at our house removing a sofa and an old wash tub. We’re remodeling our basement, and that old junk had to go.
From Wikipedia, we learn that spring cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime. However it has also come to be synonymous with any kind of heavy duty cleaning or organizing enterprise. A person who gets his affairs in order before an audit or inspection could be said to be spring cleaning.
If you’re interested in a detailed list of things to do, Martha Stewart provides a Spring-Cleaning Checklist http://www.marthastewart.com/267295/spring-cleaning-checklist
Yet, I’m not sure it’s the actual cleaning that obsesses me. It’s the getting rid of stuff—papers, outdated coupons, old VCR tapes, clothes that don’t fit. With clutter around, I feel out of control. As if getting a handle on the junk in my house will put me in control! We all know that there is very little we can control, but it makes us feel better if we think we can, doesn’t it?
So, I’m all for spring cleaning. What about you?
Oh, here is my cousin’s final plea to his Facebook friends. “PS for your kids’ sake don’t hold onto everything. Purge periodically!”
REMINDER: Daylight Saving Time (United States) 2013 begins at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 10