New Year Cleaning

January is a beautiful time to reflect and look forward. Whether you make a New Year’s resolution, set new goals, or select a mantra or word for the year, you do not have to finalize everything by January 1st. You should also expect days that do not fit the perfect plan. In addition to goals, I like the idea of using this time to clean and organize our physical space. I find this action helps me clear and organize my thoughts and intentions.

In Japan, it is tradition to do a big cleaning (大掃除) before the New Year. At work and home, people clean, organize and replace the old with the new before the New Year arrives. When my friend told me that you are supposed to do this before the New Year, so everything is fresh and ready to welcome the spirit of the New Year, an image of the dust sprites from Studio Ghibli’s films came to mind. I did not get to my big cleaning until the 2nd, and that is ok. Yesterday I also forgot to do some drawing or painting after setting a goal to practice Japanese, yoga, and sketching every day. That is ok too!

You may be wondering what this all has to do with eco-living. There are a few things here:

Eco living is a process

We can start at any time. We will not be perfect but we can learn and adapt and choose to make choices even when they are not convenient. Set some goals and work at them.

Holding onto everything is not always good

Removing clutter to repurpose or rehome items, can help bring perspective and ensure stuff gets used before it is no good to anyone. I am offering a “I <3 Africa” mystery box to help rehome some of the jewelry and art I made in Zimbabwe.

Here are some of my favorites for cleaning

For floors: Dyson vacuum and a Bissel steam mop, no cleaning chemical necessary

For mirrors and windows: Norwex window cloths, no cleaning chemical necessary

For kitchen and bathrooms: Grove hand and dish bar soap, reusable glass spray bottles and concentrated cleaner, Bon Ami, Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner, reusable cloths, and biodegradable brushes.

For laundry: Meliora strain stick, laundry detergent sheets, wool dryer balls, hangers on the shower curtain bar