by Priya Parul Singh (99998 96168)
As a child, almost all of us have written school essays on Diwali. A predominant point in that essay would be cleaning the house in the run-up to the festival of lights. The significance of this dawned on me only as an adult.
My decluttering & cleaning activities begin almost a month before. While both take up a lot of my mental & physical energies away, I also find these tasks to be extremely therapeutic. I would love to share a few ways you can declutter & clean your homes to prepare for Diwali.
Cleaning Break this into smaller areas. Do not attempt to clean your entire home in one go. Take one or half a room on a day and clean that thoroughly; then move to the next day.
Take help from your household staff. I recommend you tip them for their extra work this month, but an added pair of hands will go a long way.
Use a professional cleaning service, as required. There are many service providers available now. They may seem expensive at the first glance but turn out to be worth it. Also, book well in advance; all of them become unavailable as Diwali comes closer.
Decluttering Decluttering means removing ‘clutter’. Clutter is anything that you do not use.
Again, begin with one room/ cupboard/ wardrobe at a time. Take out all the stuff & get rid of anything that you do not use. (My thumb rule is – If I’ve not used it in the last year, I’ll not be using it ever again.)
As you get rid of stuff, organise the remaining stuff neatly back in the room/ cupboard/ wardrobe. There are a lot of organisers available to store the smaller articles. (Or use empty boxes/ trays that you may have.)
Aim to lighten your house by at least 10%. In good condition – donate or give to house helps or sell. Not in good condition – find an alternate use (pochha ka kapda!) or dispose of (responsibly).
Decluttering is one of my favourite topics to talk about, being an aspiring minimalist. This backbreaking chore is a stress – reliever for me!
Happy Cleaning & Decluttering! Don’t forget the hard–to–reach spots!!
