"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside 24 hours." —Mark Twain

Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Ah, springtime! The season of blooming flowers, sunshine, and... dust bunnies? That’s right—it’s time for spring cleaning! Now, before you sigh and grab another cup of coffee to procrastinate (I see you!), let’s talk about how to make this an uplifting and doable process.

A few years ago, I found myself overwhelmed with clutter—both in my home and my mind. Every closet was bursting at the seams, and my heart felt just as stuffed with unnecessary worries. But that year, I approached spring cleaning differently. I didn’t just clear out my home; I also used this time to declutter my heart and soul too. And friend, it was life-changing!

I find that with care and intentionality, spring cleaning can be my favorite part of the season! I can throw open the windows. Give our home a refresh. And find myself feeling so much joy at the simple things! For today, I want to encourage you with simple, manageable steps to refresh your home—and maybe your soul in the process.

THROW OPEN THE WINDOWS

"Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat." —Laura Ingalls Wilder

Sometimes, the season of spring cleaning brings back all these memories of being a kid. At the first sign of sunshine, warmth, and fresh air, my mom would throw open all of the windows. Letting the house air out! Then she would put on her preferred cleaning music for the day, maybe Fleetwood Mac or Amy Grant. And we would all clean. 

It was a family activity! Even now, the thought of all the house getting clean and leaving it feeling fresh, fills me with joy. I find that it can help make all the worries and stressors seem smaller. Who doesn’t want that? So, I want to share all my steps to an easy Spring Cleaning. 

“Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from Heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” - Psalm 85:11-13

Take any of these steps that sound like they would be helpful for you and leave the rest!

• Choose a time that actually works for you! Don’t try to squeeze a whole day of cleaning in when you have 5 minutes. Instead, choose activities that fit the time and energy you have. For a real spring-cleaning day, I highly suggest you take a whole day.

• Set the mood! Open the windows, start the music, get your tools together. You will feel better if you have everything you need. 

• Start small. Don’t worry about tackling the whole house on one spring cleaning day. Instead, start with something that makes sense. One room, or one closet, or one genre of your things (like books or clothes). 

• As you go through all of your things, sort it into piles. Keep, donate, or toss. You could try the Marie Kondo ideal and say “Does this bring me joy?” or just go with your gut. 

• Keep it fun! When you start to get weary, take a break or grab some coffee. You don’t want the whole day to just leave you unhappy and not wanting to continue. 

• Wipe and clean as you go. While you are sorting your belongings, take the time to actually get things clean. Dust, sanitize, vacuum, and so on. That way everything has a nice clean place to return. 

• Celebrate your wins! No matter how much you were able to accomplish, take the time to celebrate and appreciate it. It will make the whole process more enjoyable!
  

QUESTIONS AND REFLECTIONS 

One of my favorite things to do is to ponder, reflect and journal, it gives me time to think through all the various aspects of life. May you find time in your day or your week, to sit and reflect. You can use these questions as a starting place for your reflection, or just an addition to your normal journal rhythm.

1. What does spring cleaning usually look like for you? What’s been good or bad? 

2. What would you hope to achieve through your spring cleaning? Be specific. Think about rooms, spaces, feelings, etc. 

3. What is one area of spring cleaning that you could start with today or this week? What do you need to help you start strong? 

4. Where have you seen God at work in your life lately?

5. What’s one thing from this blog that you want to use or put into action? 

"Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm." —John Muir

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” - Psalm 111:2