You may well have heard of the term "spring cleaning": the act of giving your house a deep clean in the spring months. Even though, for many of us, that ritual of a once-a-year blitz of dirt and grime is dying out, some of us still practise it. However, there could be a good reason the tradition isn"t as popular as it was.

 

The spring months are associated with new life and warmth – a   stark ¹  contrast to the cold, gloomy winter that preceded. For protection against the freezing weather outside, people would seal their doors and windows as best they could to keep the heat in. In a time when many houses had fireplaces, open fires would churn out smoke and   soot ², coating rooms with layers of muck and gunk.

 

It therefore made sense for people to start cleaning in the spring, when the weather was warmer and windows opened, to freshen up their houses, swabbing the floors and cleaning the walls. However, open fires are no longer commonplace in modern British homes, with people preferring central heating to   filthy ³  smoke. And it"s not just the way of heating our homes that has changed. In the past, cleaning was designated to specific times and days, as simple chores like washing clothes took a long time. The rise of   gadgets ⁴  such as the washing machine means that tasks are quicker and more efficient.   

 

However, psychologists such as Dr Jonathan Fader, argue that the mental health benefits of clearing the house of mess means that a spring clean is hugely positive. The perception of your house being   cluttered ⁵  can cause the stress   hormone ⁶  cortisol to rise.

 

So, while the tradition is still there, and it"s nice to have a big   purge ⁷  of dirt once in a while, it is no longer as necessary – or limited to just the spring. That said, the psychological benefits of having a tidy home means that a once-a-year purge of unnecessary items, rather than dirt, can make you feel much better.