Deep Clean

Cleaning is one of those mundane tasks that very few people look forward to.  And I make a distinction between cleaning (physically removing dirt and grime) and cleansing (energetically removing gunk), so today we are really going to talk about cleaning (though of course doing a good cleanse while you clean is always an option).

When it comes to really doing that deep clean, we often associate cleaning with spring (pretty much everyone's heard of spring cleaning).  I think that in spring, when the weather gets nice, we are called to do more stuff outside, and historically opening up the house would help with the cleaning.  Windows could stay open in the day (letting wind help carry dust away), and some tasks were just easier to do outside (banging the built up dirt out of rugs, letting laundry dry on lines).  

But, as we live in a climate controlled world today, we don't have to wait until spring to get our clean on.  In fact, for many of us, it might feel more aligned to do our deep cleaning in the winter, when we are stuck inside.  Not only are we often spending more time in our house (and thus it's getting dirty more), but keeping our space clean can help it feel nicer (whether you like being 'stuck' at home or not).

Deep cleaning is also one of those things that we tend to think of doing all at once.  Like it's a reasonable thing to just clean your entire house from top to bottom in a week (or a few days *shudder).  I've participated in a cleaning challenge that worked through the whole house over the course of a month and I was exhausted after a few weeks.

But I also know that I always feel better when things are clean.  And regular cleaning doesn't always do a good job (or clean everything).  There are lots of bits of our house that just aren't touched by the weekly cleanings, and over time they get pretty scary.

Learning how to do small, deep cleaning is a great skill, as it lets you tackle some of these tasks without being exhausting, overwhelming or encouraging you to give up.  I also feel that, being Pagan and often viewing the world in an animistic way, gives me greater motivation to keep my home space clean.  It can be an act of devotion to my house spirit or any number of domestic deities I might work with.

Being of a witchy inclination can also make cleaning into something more.  Not only can it be an act of devotion (and doing service for someone else makes some tasks easier), but we can mix in things like cleansing sprays or herbs that just make the tasks more pleasant (because herbal workings often smell amazing!)  We can use cleaning chants to help make tedious tasks more enjoyable, or view the cleaning as a form of active meditation.

One thing I've found that helps immensely is to find tools and methods that work for you, and sometimes this starts by identifying what doesn't work.  I still haven't found the best way to deal with dusting, but I know that neither those fancy dusters (or the lovely old feather dusters) work well, and using a rag takes forever (seriously I won't rag dust my desk more than once a month because it takes an hour just to do my desk!)

This includes if you just can't stand certain sensations/smells/whatever.  I know a lot of people who have to wear gloves for many cleaning tasks, while I'm the exact opposite, I hate wearing gloves and would rather touch all the things and just scrub up afterward.  One of my personal things I've found is that baby wipes work so well as cleaning cloths (especially for scrubbing deep dirt).

The biggest trick I've found is to give myself one task for a day, and to really not let myself keep adding more on.  So if my goal is to clean the bathroom floor, I will focus on that and not worry about the doors or the tub (because if I get distracted, then I have like three different things half done or I've spent 5 hours cleaning and just want to collapse).

I also try to sneak in one small extra thing when I do regular cleaning (if I have the energy for it...if it's one of those weeks where I'm barely managing the basic clean then I just focus on doing what I can).  This might be as simple as picking one extra surface in the house and giving it a wipe down, or cleaning the front window (our cats love to press their faces on it, so there are kitty nose and paw prints all over it!).  But it's one thing that I wouldn't do normally that is now clean.

The great thing about doing little deep cleans like this is that, over time, you will end up with more of your house clean.  If you get really good at it, then it is like doing a full clean just over time (and if you cycle it right, you just keep cleaning a different thing and the house stays clean).

We all live somewhere, and keeping our space clean has so many benefits.  It improves our health, it improves our mood, and we can function more efficiently in a clean space.  Using cleaning as a form of devotion adds in a spiritual layer, and can help us create a better relationship with beings who watch over our home.  All in all, it's a worthy practice to work on.