Are you well-acquainted with clutter? Does your living room look like you’ve binge-watched all 180 episodes of “Seinfeld” followed by 20 seasons of “Law & Order” with a Super Bowl chaser? Not only is spring a good time to refresh your surroundings with a comprehensive cleaning project, opening the door to a home that’s sanitized and organized can be just what the doctor ordered — but only if you approach the process with safety in mind.

What Is Spring Cleaning and Why Is It Important?

After the energy lull that many experience during the winter, there’s a sense of renewal brought on by warmer temperatures, according to an article in Vogue. Exposure to more sunlight gives people a burst of energy that often results in a project mindset. Channeling that energy into creating a clean, organized space has some of the following health benefits.

Sense of Control

For some people, spring cleaning is a form of stress management because it contributes to a drop in the anxiety and lack of control they feel when they’re surrounded by a buildup of clutter. If you have a growing number of relationship problems or other issues on your plate but lack the energy to solve them at the moment, it may help to put some elbow grease into cleaning and organizing your personal space. Mastery over your environment is one way to turn overwhelming feelings into a sense of control.

An Intentional, Ritualistic Act

Aside from the positive impact of coming home to an organized place, there are health benefits of spring cleaning — particularly when you do it yourself. Similar to bedtime rituals or practices from meditation to yoga, an organized cleaning schedule can add to your peace of mind. People tend to feel more calm when their surroundings are clutter-free and by staying on top of it you keep from getting buried by a buildup of trash and disorganization.

Both Calming and Energizing

When you deliver quiet, repetitive behaviors such as scrubbing or rinsing, it can turn cleaning into a mindfulness practice. These actions, and the resulting sense of order, can calm you, but also energize you to boost operations in your newly organized space. While clutter is overwhelming, an orderly, streamlined environment can inspire you to action.

What Should a Good Spring Cleaning Look Like?

It’s tempting to limit our attention to tidying up what sits at eye level, but the onset of spring is a good yearly marker to level up your usual cleaning project. An article in Better Homes and Gardens has a checklist for spring cleaning and tidying, whether your process involves a seasonal deep clean or you just want greater home organization.

Don’t Forget Overlooked Surfaces

You probably never miss the kitchen counter and bathtub rim, but there are numerous surfaces you may be neglecting while cleaning and organizing. Some experts suggest using a mix of warm water and dishwashing liquid to remove dust and grime from protruding edges along the walls, ceilings, and floors.

Areas you may be neglecting include:

• Baseboards
• Door frames
• Wainscoting
• High shelving
• Blinds
• Corners
• Crown molding
• Headboards and footboards
• Bookshelves
• Light fixtures

Don’t Neglect Areas Under Lamps and Furniture

Many homeowners run their vacuum cleaners under the edges of furniture and dust around furnishings such as lamps and figurines. That may work for a weekly routine, but at least once or twice a year you want to move furniture to deep clean underneath them. Remove area rugs and shift appliances if possible, at least enough to fit vacuum hoses underneath them.

Clean Your Carpets

Keeping up with vacuuming is one thing, but one way to reduce a buildup of grime underfoot is to schedule a carpet shampoo every spring. If you had carpet installed recently, check your warranty terms because it may require professional cleaning at certain intervals. You can also rent a steam cleaner for a DIY carpet cleaning job.

Potential Dangers or Risks Associated With Spring Cleaning

Finding time to tackle the home cleaning project is one thing, but making sure you’re safe from injuries while completing the project is of greater importance. State Farm’s website has some tips to keep you safe and healthy while completing the work:

Clean out the clutter– To avoid tripping and falling during your cleaning project you need to remove objects from your path.

Begin at the highest level and work downward – Items and debris fall down during a cleaning spree so pay attention as you go, beginning at the ceiling level so you aren’t doubling your efforts.

Be careful when climbing – Bringing out ladders and step stools may be necessary, but wear proper footwear and avoid leaning too far to one side or the other.

How to Avoid Straining Your Back When Lifting Heavy Items

Drawing up a plan of attack for tidying and disinfecting is the easy part, but physically carrying it out can be a challenge, particularly without straining yourself or sustaining injuries. An article by Verywell Health discussesproper lifting techniques to prevent back injuries while cleaning and organizing your home

When lifting a heavy object such as a sofa or dining table, there’s a risk of long-term back problems, including a herniated disc in the lumbar region. Employing a proper lifting technique can reduce the chance of injury.

Protect yourself from back injuries using a step-by-step process:

• Widen your stance keeping one foot slightly in front of the other
• Hold the object close to your body
• Squat, bending only at the hips and knees, when lifting and setting down an object
• Keep your back upright, looking straight ahead
• Take small steps and move without twisting
• Change direction by leading with your hips

Recommended Ergonomic Tools to Reduce Strain on the Back

If you have a home office that keeps you in a sitting position for long periods of time, you want to look into an ergonomic chair rather than a standard piece of furniture. Sitting at a computer all day may be causing you to develop a health condition. The first step may be to trade your standard office chair for an ergonomic chair. The best products include firm lumbar support and maintain adjustable features to fit the natural curve of your spine.

More and more medical professionals are recommending that business owners and their employees use a sit-stand desk to avoid long hours in a seated position. They typically feature an adjustable lifting column providing space underneath for cables and other supplies. More than just a health fad, they are available online and in office supply stores in a number of styles.

How Important Is Stretching Before Spring Cleaning?

For nearly any physical activity you don’t do on a regular basis, preparation is a good strategy to prevent health issues from developing. Stretching is an effective way to get your body ready to safely lift objects and reach in several directions.

Flexibility affects our range of motion and the health of our joints, according to Harvard Health. Stretching exercises enable you to become stronger and lower your risk of muscle damage, strains, and joint pain.

When you sit for long periods, your hamstrings tighten and reduce your ability to extend your legs and walk freely. If you suddenly call on those muscles to stretch and support you, you run the risk of sustaining injuries.

Daily stretching is a good idea — whether you’re planning to spring clean or not — so you maximize your mobility. For most people’s everyday needs, you would benefit from stretching your lower extremities, including:

• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Pelvis
• Back Muscles
• Hip Flexors
• Quadricpes

For upper body strength, you need to stretch your shoulders and neck to maintain the ability to reach. Stretching has a cumulative effect, so you won’t be prepared overnight for long extensions of the arms.

Consult your chiropractor to develop a program that includes stretching to loosen stiff muscles and get moving again after a long winter. Chiropractic treatment will also provide you with relief for aching muscles or injuries that may occur.

It’s time of year to roll out the welcome mat and invite the warm temperatures inside. You can avoid the Dick Van Dyke “flip over the furniture” style entrance by making some dramatic changes. A tidy, organized, newly cleaned home complements the good feelings you gain from the arrival of spring. And what good is the spring (and possibly summer) if you’re laid up by your house cleaning injuries?