Do you like the feeling of having a fresh, clean, organized space in which to live and work? I certainly do. A clean space invites you in and feels like it is ready for you to live. It feels expansive and open to your thoughts and actions.

Appearances aren’t everything, however – there’s a difference between being surface clean and being deep clean. Surface cleaning is indeed about appearance – everything is in its place (or hidden from view), and it feels good. It’s a great way to maintain that good feeling we get when having a clean space. It doesn’t take nearly the time that deep cleaning takes, and perhaps surface cleaning is sufficient much of the time. A room can appear clean without dusting or vacuuming if everything is put away and any obvious debris is picked up. Looks good, so mission accomplished! Or is it?

I love this time of year, when the windows can start to be opened up after months of cold and winter storm weather. It is traditionally the time of year deep cleaning is done, typically termed Spring Cleaning.

Deep cleaning can be quite humbling. I like to think of myself as someone who keeps a clean house. I know I can get behind with things like dusting sometimes, but other than that, it’s clean here! At least I like to think it is…

Cleaning on a deep level reveals things that have only given the impression of being clean based on appearance from afar. It can reveal an entirely different world compared to the one in which we imagine ourselves. 

This kind of cleaning takes longer, of course, but it also creates cleanliness on a whole other level. The air in a space that has been deep cleaned even feels better to breathe. And the cleanliness affects more than just what we see – it affects how we feel.

Life is like this as well; we tend to skim over a lot of the deep stuff and stay in maintenance mode, going through the motions of life without really stopping and thinking about what we’re doing and how and with whom we’re doing it. Time passes and our own development gets pushed to the side as we strive to “make a living.”

We tend to surface clean our thoughts, actions, and behaviors, and that can keep us from being able to truly evolve and become the people we truly desire to be.

Deep cleaning goes beyond our physical realm; our bodies, minds, and souls need it too.

Spring Cleaning is highly effective, but it doesn’t last forever. If you only do it in your physical space once a year (or once every several years…), you know that those hidden realms of dust, grime, and clutter tend to get out of hand. (How long have coffee beans been covering that shelf in the pantry I’m not tall enough to see??)

Oftentimes, internal deep cleaning gets left until there is some form of inner crisis and you feel something must be done. But if you only deep clean your thoughts, actions, and behaviors on rare occasions, then chances are you’re carrying around energetic clutter that doesn’t serve you, and it can even keep you from creating abundance in your life.

Deep cleaning means confronting our hidden and not-so-hidden mucky stuff. It can be more challenging to do this sometimes, but if we do it more often, it doesn’t build up as much.

To truly be effective, deep cleaning should be done from the inside out and the outside in. Not just your physical space, and not just your mind – it really needs to be both, as they affect one another. The state of your inner space affects what and how you connect with the world, and your outer space can affect your energy, mood, creativity, and productivity.

There are two main components to any kind of deep cleaning: evaluation and action. First, you need to know what needs to be done. If you feel overwhelmed just thinking about it, that simply means you’re looking at too much at once. Start with one room, or one part of a room, or one element in a room. Start with one aspect of your thinking or by evaluating one aspect of your work or relationships.

Then it’s about taking action. Evaluation without action means things stay as they are, and that takes up a lot of space in the mind – it creates energetic clutter, so getting into action is important! Even if you start small, start somewhere and keep going. Little by little or all at once, this kind of work has the ability to transform your life.

So where will you start? Don’t allow being too busy to be an excuse – even five to ten minutes of action can make a huge difference, and that momentum can inspire you to continue. Deep cleaning might take some effort, but the results are worth it. Here’s to beginning your Spring transformation!