Cleaning the house is cleaning the soul
Cleaning, rather than using simple and rough tasks: if we take an example from Japanese culture, cleaning the house and the environments in which we live has a very deep meaning, the cleanings represent a spiritual exercise, aimed at wiping out the clouds from our own soul, purifying it.
A lot of care and attention always, but above all in those months or passages in which one feels the need to make a change in the current year, spring, autumn, or in the summer before the departure for the holidays.
Autumn cleaning, in particular, brings the last warm but indispensable rays of sunshine from the windows, preparing the house for the recollection of the cold months, transforming it into a warm and cozy nest for the winter, in which to feel good, to pass hours of relaxation, watching a movie with friends, experimenting with new recipes, playing with children or simply reading a book.
Autumn cleaning: here's how to proceed
So here, from the kitchen to the garden or balcony, what are the right moves to welcome the autumn at home and give the rooms a healthy and natural clean.
> Give new light to the kitchen, clean the oven and retrieve those utensils, such as the polenta pot or the roast chestnut pan, which you had crammed into the last shelves of the wardrobe. Exchange or sell those summer utensils that you have arrived at home and that you will know you will never use.
> Reorganize the pantry, using separators and eliminating expired or summer foods ;
> Also thoroughly clean the refrigerator and freezer;
> Dust the whole house well, eliminating superfluous objects or furnishings; Nourish all the wooden furniture with wax. If you have dried flowers at home that have lost their color, replace decorating them with pumpkins, pomegranates or other seasonal gifts;
> Wash the bathrooms or the bathroom well, disinfect the tiles. Eliminate or put aside summer creams and stock up on products for the winter: natural exfoliants, lip balms, soft hand creams and so on. Also eliminate expired medicines;
> Sweep, vacuum and wash all the floors of the house, thoroughly sanitizing;
> Wash or replace curtains . Wash the sofa covers . Take out the soft carpets, preparing a set of home slippers for friends. Sweep and nourish your winter shoes;
> Clean the fireplace thoroughly and if necessary call the chimney sweep for your usual inspection;
> In the bedrooms : turn the mattress on the winter side, washing or replacing the mattress cover. Change the bed linen and change clothes;
> Replace or wash the doormat;
> Recover natural essential oils for the environment, conditioners and diffusers;
> Clean the outdoor furniture well, withdrawing and bagging various cushions and bring all the plants that would otherwise die in the cold at home; prepare mulching for the others.
Read also Clean the windows naturally, that's how >>
DIY natural products
To proceed with the natural cleaning of autumn, it is not necessary to raid detergents at the supermarket: just a few natural and low-cost ingredients -carbonate, salt, essential oils, lemon, vinegar, - so much common sense and elbow grease to restore light and breath to the environments. Here are some tips:
> the steel shelves are washed with hot water and bicarbonate;
> incrustations of the iron or pots when they are left rubbing with fine salt;
> the stove will shine if it is soaked in lemon or vinegar and bicarbonate;
> clean the furniture with a damp microfibre cloth and tea tree oil;
> take a trip around the dishwasher with a little vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice; wash the washing machine trays with a solution of vinegar, lemon and bicarbonate, rubbing with a sponge inside; for the basket, start a wash cycle, stop it and add a glass of white vinegar, pause for an hour, then restart the program; clean the filter with baking soda, brush and hot water;
> for furniture, natural wax in a soft cloth and a few drops of citrus or lavender essential oil;
> vinegar or baking soda will also be useful for removing stains from carpets or for cleaning the bathroom;
> if you find mold in the corners of the house, sprinkle a mixture of tea-tree oil, lemon or vinegar and baking soda, brushing well will come off all over.
Reference book : "A Buddhist monk's cleaning manual: We sweep away the dust and the clouds of the soul" by Keisuke Matsumoto.
