I volunteered to be on a committee at my church to help plan a garage sale. Funds that come in will be directed toward an effort I am also involved in—refugee resettlement.
A similar event was held last year and it was big so as we discussed another effort this year some wondered if there would be enough stuff donated since people brought bags and boxes full just 12 months ago. We were quickly reassured that wouldn't be a problem!
My daughter texted me to ask what my weekend plans were. I told her that I was going to spend a few hours doing some cleaning and putting aside items for a garage sale. Her reply frankly surprised me. She said, “OK, happy spring cleaning. Hope you have fun.” I honestly don't remember using terms like ‘spring cleaning’ when my girls were growing up, yet somehow it has become part of her vocabulary.
Many cultures have a practice of spring cleaning, going back to a time when people lit fires to keep warm during colder months. The first warm days of spring meant they could open their windows and doors and get rid of all the soot and ash that had collected over the winter months, hence…spring cleaning.
This time of year, there is apparently an innate urge to reach into all corners of our homes and give it a good clean. Six in ten Canadians say they will be scouring and scrubbing. There are good reasons to do so. It benefits our mental health, it gives us a sense of a fresh start, and it provides an opportunity to rid ourselves of things we are no longer using.
But while some are ready to dive in and begin to declutter, environmentalists are advocating putting the brakes on that since most of what we get rid of in these cleaning binges ends up in the landfill. That's good enough reason for me. Just picture the placards: "Stop spring cleaning. It is hurting the environment." Alas, the cleaning must get done.
More than 90% of survey respondents feel a clean home equates a clear mind and freedom to relax, yet it's a fairly small percentage that enjoys the process. The numbers decline depending on the task. Washing windows is cited as the worst, followed by deep cleaning the bathroom and scrubbing large kitchen appliances inside and out.
It's a rather ironic situation we find ourselves in. We are beneficiaries of a lifestyle that includes access to fridges, ovens, microwaves, washer/dryers, multiple screens, assorted windows, closets filled with more clothes and shoes than we can wear and yes, plumbing in bathrooms we dislike cleaning, and then we express feeling overwhelmed having to care for it all.
While the vast majority feel there is value in organizing and cleaning our homes, a significant percentage say they don't know how to begin. They know they need to deal with all their stuff first and they can't seem to get started. Sit with that thought for just a moment. People are struggling to take proper care of what they have because they simply have too much to care for.
We've been hearing about the 'great junk transfer' that is coming, the passing down of big dollars from one generation to the next. Yes, part of it is the wealth that will be inherited over the next decade, but along with that transfer of money comes piles of belongings that accompany it. Baby Boomers were savers and the children they raised became massive consumers. Millennials seek minimalism. These are broad generalizations of course, but the result is that stuff, stuff and more stuff is intersecting and filling up basements, garages and storage units and creating burdensome situations.
We are entering the time of year that could be called 'the annual junk transfer' as one household attempts to clear out its stuff, to be purchased by another household that is likely promising to do the same. But that is so much better than having boxes and bags of items sitting stagnant, unused and unappreciated.
The access we have to so much has led to the excess we now must confront. Being able to put more into the hands of those who can use it is a good place to start. Organizing, cleaning and decluttering could be embraced with greater enthusiasm if we fully understood what it represents. Let’s make the excess describe our gratitude, rather than our stuff. That’s my outlook.
