Experience renewal with all natural spring cleaning for the home, body, and mind

In nature, we see ourselves reflected. We come to understand that no matter how removed we may be from the rhythm of the seasons and the natural world we remain very much part of it. In winter much around us is dormant, and we may find ourselves turning inward. Many animals hoard throughout the fall to prepare themselves for the cold. Did you perhaps gather a bit too much into your space over the winter? Are you feeling a bit stagnant, or even anxious as you start to exit the safe haven of winter’s solitude? Conscious spring cleaning will help you cleanse your space, both literally and figuratively, so you feel energized and ready to take on this new season. Spring itself is a season of renewal and rebirth. All natural spring cleaning is easier than you might expect and simply requires a few conscious purchases and lifestyle choices.

In Chinese medicine, spring is associated with the liver network. The liver and gall bladder work to move blood and bile, and the liver detoxifies chemicals in the body. What are the parts of your life that need cleansing so that everything else can function smoothly?

“What I know for sure is that when you declutter – whether it’s on your home, your head, or your heart – it is astounding what will flow into that space that will enrich you, your life, and your family.” ~ Peter Walsh

Spring cleaning for the home:

Get rid of things!

To borrow from Marie Kondo of the Netflix series Tidying Up, “The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: ‘Does this spark joy?’ If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.”

Try the Kondo method as step one of your all-natural spring cleaning! Take time to assess what you have, but also what no longer serves you. Notice how your rooms and closets feel with more space. Not only will you perhaps realize you need less than what you have, but you also create space for the new. It’s also much easier to get down to the nitty-gritty of deep cleaning your home once you’ve given it a bit of a purge.

Let Clean be Clean.

Using all natural cleaning products has far-reaching benefits. Why clean your home with products whose toxicity isn’t worth the shine when there are plenty of products that work as well, and good for both you and the environment. Biokleen, an innovator who has majorly helped set the standard for the natural cleaning products industry is one of our favorite brands. Not only did they introduce the nature-imitating usage of enzymes in their cleaners, but they’re driven by a promise of sustainability.

“Our efforts began one day one with highly concentrated, non-toxic products that require less water, less packaging and less energy to ship. By manufacturing with cold water we reduce our gas reliance and output, and we’ve installed skylights to more naturally heat and illuminate our plant. All energy we do use is then offset through purchased wind power credits and river water restoration,” they explain on their site.

Another one of our favorites is the Unique brand of cleaning solutions. Their products incorporate both an enzyme and bacterial component. Yet again, biomimicry does the job. They explain,“Each of our products utilizes safe and healthy bacteria and enzymes to biodegrade (really quickly!) problems you have. We wish we could take the credit for this, but we’ve got to give props to an old lady named Mother Nature who came up with this sweet idea! Nature has used bacteria and enzymes to eliminate waste since the beginning of time. We just make really cool blends of bacteria and create happy environments for them to work in that allow them to act faster and more efficiently than the often slow and sometimes too specific way nature does it naturally.” These products work and are excellent examples of how humans can look to nature for many of our perceived “human” needs.

DIY

The natural food and products industry is known to be values-driven. Sustainability and simple, known ingredients are at the forefront of those values. Whether in the realm of food or cleaning, they will often lead to people to try to make the products on their own utilizing basic ingredients. Frontier Co-Op, a mainstay distributor of herbs, both culinary and medicinal, has a line of essential oils. On their website is an excellent tutorial for making cleaning products.

As always, come see us at Rebecca’s Natural Food if you have any questions about all natural and/or DIY cleaning.