As a child, almost all of us have written school essays on Diwali. A predominant point in that essay would be cleaning the house in the runup to the festival of lights. The significance of this dawned on me only as an adult.

The accepted practice of cleaning before Diwali suggests the importance of purity, both bodily and spiritually. It nurtures familial connecting and a sense of attachment too. Cleaning and decluttering signify renewal, fresh beginnings, new commencements and positive change, all of which are synonymous with Diwali.

My decluttering and cleaning activities begin almost two months before. While both take up a lot of my mental and physical energies away, I also find these tasks to be extremely therapeutic. I would love to share a few ways you can declutter and clean your homes to prepare for Diwali.

Yeah, Diwali is just a little more than two months away! Where did 2024 go, don’t you think?

Cleaning

1. Break this into smaller areas. Do not attempt to clean your entire room at one go. Take one or half a room on a day and clean that thoroughly; then move to the next the next day.
2. Take help from your household staff. I recommend you tip them for their extra work this month, but an added pair of hands will go a long way.
3. Use a professional cleaning service, as required. There are many service providers available now. They may seem expensive at the first glance but turn out to be worth it. Also, book well in advance; all of them become unavailable as Diwali comes closer.

I used Spaceworx Services earlier but since they closed down, I have moved to Urban Company. UC was still learning about this cleaning space till a couple of years ago but now they seem to have a hang of it.

Decluttering

1. Decluttering means removing ‘clutter’. Clutter is anything that you do not use.
2. Again, begin with one room/ cupboard/ wardrobe at a time. Take out all the stuff and get rid of anything that you do not use. (My thumb rule is – If I have not used it in the last one year, I will not be using it ever again.)
3. As you get rid of stuff, organize the remaining stuff neatly back in the room/ cupboard/ wardrobe. There are a lot of organizers available to store the smaller articles. (Or use empty boxes/ trays that you may have.)
4. Aim to lighten your house by at least 10%.
   • In good condition – donate or give to house-helps or sell.
   • Not in good condition – find an alternate use (Pocha ka kapda!) or dispose (responsibly).

Decluttering is one of my favorite topics to talk about, being an aspiring minimalist. This backbreaking chore is a stress – reliever for me! With Diwali still a couple of months away, please feel free to reach out to me if you need any recommendations w.r.t. decluttering. I will be more than happy to share.

Happy Cleaning and Decluttering! Don’t forget the hard – to – reach spots!!