Well, hi there and welcome back. My name is Stephanie Safarian, and you're listening to episode

521 of Sustainable Minimalists. This is a listener-supported show about intentional and

eco-friendly minimalist living. And on today's show, we are getting spring cleaning. Yes,

we are. Spring cleaning is a tradition that symbolizes a fresh start

and renewal. Depending on where you live in the world, perhaps the weather is getting warmer.

I know here in New England, I was able to open the windows for the first time this weekend,

and holy moly, was it life-changing. But when it comes to spring cleaning,

perhaps nobody taught you how to do it. Perhaps you mimic what you saw your parents and grandparents

do. That's what I do. Frankly, nobody ever taught me how to do it. And some years, I'll be honest,

I consider the spring cleaning task so gigantic, so daunting, such a huge job, I don't even do it.

So the problem with either A, doing what your parents did, or B, not doing it at all, is both tactics do not represent the best, most cutting edge, most efficient,

safest ways to care for our homes and care for our belongings. And let's be real,

caring for our home and caring for our stuff, those are sustainable minimalist behaviors,

aren't they? We are not in the habit here of going out

and buying new stuff because we didn't take care of what we already owned. And so my goal today

is to get you and me, frankly, excited to spring clean our homes this spring. Not only for the clean house, I mean, clean houses are great,

well-maintained stuff, that's great too. But not only for those reasons, but also for your own

wellness, evolutionarily, we human beings tend to experience renewed vigor when the weather turns

warmer, don't we? The shorter and darker days of

winter means that our bodies are producing more melatonin, and melatonin is that hormone that

hormone that tends to make us sleepy, so we're sleepier in winter. But as we move towards spring,

the days do begin to lengthen, we produce less melatonin. And as a result, we're receiving a boost of energy from less melatonin, but also from the sun.

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