The gray skies and cold air have finally taken their toll…

Once upon a time, I would scoff at college students, sitting in their dorm rooms aglow with the light from their light therapy kits. The last-ditch effort, I thought, to keep the supposed “seasonal depression” at bay. I scoff no more as I struggle some mornings to find the motivation to seize the day. It’s too cold I have told myself, too dreary. As the thought of warmer days dance in my head, I find myself nesting in a way that I haven’t since my last pregnancy. Images of my Grandmother come to my mind. 

Grandma held to her tradition of Spring Cleaning. As a young woman, I thought this was because she was a bit obsessive. As a background, plastic covers adorned her living room sofas. This clearly identified the room that was off-limits to anyone but guests. I remember when it came time to replace the brown, floral, and tweed sofas, their function, and impeccable condition had far exceeded its comfort and esthetics. The sofa could have been donated to a museum, as it was in pristine condition as if frozen in a plastic hermetically sealed time capsule for 30 years. 

Grandma would begin the ritual as she packed away her Christmas decorations. She would embrace the lack of clutter for a period of time. Then sometime in early March, she would focus in, curtains would come down to be washed, hung out to dry and pressed, windows, floors, knick-knacks soaked and scrubbed of seasons worth of dust, cabinets scoured inside and out. I would watch her with amazement as this woman I adored worked with the precision of an orchestra conductor. Not a corner was left unturned.

I see now as an adult that it was not just a cleaning and renewal of her home but a renewal of spirit. Think of the last time you sat in the car wash, as the rainbow soap ran over your windshield, followed by the water, then the air. Suddenly the world was brighter, cleaner, somehow made fresh. As if the simple act of a $10.00 car wash had made everything right again. It was the same for Grandma.

The tradition of spring cleaning spans cultures. 

2. During the celebration of the Lunar New Year in China, the first day of the new year marks the end of the winter, so the cleaning ritual that happens before is also spring cleaning. There's a saying in Cantonese that means "wash away the dirt on Ninyabaat." Thoroughly cleaning your home rids it of the bad luck of the past year and gets it ready to fill with the good luck sure to follow in the new one. 

Before Nowruz celebrations can begin, there's the spring cleaning ritual known as Khaneh-Tekani, literally "shaking house." The entire family pitches in, scouring the whole house inside and out. Not only is Khaneh-Tekani about physically cleaning your house, but it's also about getting rid of the past and of evil spirits.

During the festival of Songkran, Thais not only use this time to give their houses a good deep cleaning, but they also clean any images or statues of Buddha in their homes or at shrines. During parades, people may also throw water at images of Buddha to ritually cleanse them. All of the cleanliness is supposed to bring blessings and good luck in the new year.

Is it any different for our work environment?

As Americans, we will spend 90,000 hours of our lives at work! Businesses can benefit from the deep cleaning of not only their physical space but also the company as a whole. 1. Mike Kappel, Founder of Patriot software provided a strategic plan to spring clean a small business in an article for Forbes. He outlines the following: 

• Tidy your website
• Deep clean your books 
• Dust off your business plan
• Freshen up your marketing strategies
• Organize your inbox
• And Declutter the office. 

Why stop at just decluttering your desk? There are obvious reasons for cleaning and disinfecting after Covid and Flu season. More than that, a clean environment leads to increased productivity, concentration, and overall sense of well being as well as a desire to be in said environment.

Some ways that your commercial cleaning company can help.

Schedule a deep cleaning of your office. Is the breakroom refrigerator looking more like an 8th science fair than a cold receptacle for the team's food? Are the walls in the reception area now looking more yellow than beige? Are there dust creatures forming a mutiny around Steve from accountings desk? Our team of professional cleaning technicians is prepared to help renew and restore your office space. 

Take a good look at your windows. Whether harsh or mild, winter weather can leave the exterior of your building looking, well, weathered. You may not even realize just how much natural light you’re losing due to that film on your windows. When you have all your windows cleaned, it’s often like going from standard definition TV to HD. Entire rooms can brighten up, positively impacting the mood of everyone in your facility. 

Go deep to remove the harsh damage of winter by having your carpets cleaned. The winter months tend to be the hardest months for facility carpets. Moisture, mud, and debris assault carpets especially in the winter and get ground in deeper as the result of stomping or wiping feet. With the addition of ice melt and salt to de-ice your walkway and parking lot, you risk causing long-term damage if not deep cleaned. The small investment in carpet cleaning will save money in the long run by extending the life of your carpets. 

Cleaning your facility is the easy part! Trinity Cleaning is here to help.