How to Spring Clean Your House

Winter is over and as that soft spring sunlight starts to creep in, it has a nasty habit of illuminating the dust that’s settled during the colder months. It’s time to take stock and start fresh.

So, where to begin? We asked Melbourne-based professional organiser Sally Flower, whose business – Home Sanctuary – is built on the idea that small changes to our environment mean big benefits for our wellbeing. She agrees spring is a good time to “hit the reset button” at home.

Flower is one of a handful of consultants around the world trained in the art of KonMari, the method coined by Japanese tidying virtuoso Marie Kondo, whose international bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up asks one simple question of clutter-bugs everywhere: does all that stuff “spark joy”?

“The first thing you need to do is get rid of things that are not aligned with how you want to feel and what makes you happy,” she says.

“I really want the space and homes that people live in to be … a wellness space you come home to that’s energising, lifts you up and rejuvenates you to go on to do something the next day.”

Flower says decluttering can reduce stress, increase creativity and productivity, save time and money, and make for better relationships. These are her tips for finding “spacial wellness”.

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