5 reasons to spring clean like a Swede

Minimalist blogger Jenny Mustard points out the life-enhancing benefits that come from scouring and freshening your home.

If anyone knows a thing or two about spring cleaning, it's the Swedes. They put up with months of darkness and minimal sunshine, so by the time the days lengthen and the air warms, they are ready to fling open those windows, shake out the rugs, and spruce up their dwellings in celebration of spring.

Minimalist blogger and YouTuber Jenny Mustard, who is originally from Sweden but now resides in Berlin, recently posted a video on how spring-cleaning like a Swede can improve your life. Illustrated by images of her gorgeous stark white apartment, you'll want to grab a garbage bag and a few gallons of paint after watching this.

Mustard (who probably doesn't have little hooligans running around the house like I do) urges you to spring-clean for the following reasons:

1. It's a clean slate. Think of it like New Year's Eve 2.0. We're a few months into the new year, but you can still start over with a tidy, organized space. Give yourself a boost and turn your living space into a literal version of that clean slate. It will prepare you for the season's changes and developments.

2. Your home is an extension of who you are. And if you're not happy about what your home is saying about you, then change it to reflect who you want to be. This is an interesting concept. Mustard asks, "What does that ideal person's home look like?" Chances are, we all want to have some degree of organizational skill, decorating talent, and cleanliness, and it's easier to be that person if our homes already play the part.

3. It helps maintain focus. "A clean space is relaxing and helpful at making us more creatively focused." Need anything more be said?

4. It will save you time. Yes, cleaning and organizing takes time, but think how much more time you'll save in the long run once your space is organized. It's easier to cook in a neat kitchen, easier to get dressed with an organized closet, quicker to pay bills using carefully-filed paperwork.

5. It offers happiness. Mustard urges you to think of the feeling of deep contentment that comes from walking around a perfectly organized home on a Friday evening, with sunshine streaming in the windows and a fridge full of food. You'll have a huge smile on your face, guaranteed, and you'll be thinking, "I made this happen. This is my place."

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