Spring Cleaning

I’ve always wondered at the expression “spring cleaning.” Why spring? Why not winter cleaning, when you’re stuck inside anyway, or summer cleaning, when your kids are out of school and can be paid to do manual labor at minimal cost? Regardless of the origin of the expression, I found it to be true these past couple weeks as Zack and I undertook the task of deep cleaning our apartment.

Step 1 was accumulating a vast array of things that could be sold at a yard sale. This task involved roaming throughout the apartment, opening drawers, sorting through clothes, digging in closets, and searching under the bed for any and all objects that we don’t use or need. We ended up with a row of paper bags lining our bedroom wall that took up most of Zack’s side of the room. Zack was patient enough to put up with this for a couple weeks while we waited for the approaching yard sale. As luck would have it, I found a whole new treasure trove of things to sell after the yard sale, resulting in another line of paper bags and another yard sale this coming Saturday.*

Step 2 was initiated after I came across some information, both online and from friends, suggesting that many of the ingredients in the cleaning and cosmetic products I use are harmful to my body. I’ve heard bits and pieces of this stuff over the years, but going through a bone marrow transplant and all the related treatments and medications tends to make you take a second look at what you’re putting in and around your body. I figure I’ve done enough inevitable damage (through chemo, steroids, etc.); why choose to do more than I have to? I won’t go into all that I learned here, and I certainly don’t claim to have any expertise in this area, but I did find a few basic ingredients in almost all of my cosmetic and cleaning supplies that have been identified as carcinogens, hormone disrupters, or toxic chemicals.

At first I felt totally overwhelmed. While taking a shower one day last week, I imagined the theme music from Hitchcock’s Psycho as I stared around me in horror at all the products that contained these potentially hazardous chemicals. Everything from the shampoo to the sunscreen, from the body wash to the makeup. And the worst part is that the stress caused to my body by the newfound knowledge of these chemicals wreaks even more havoc on my system than the chemicals themselves!

The good news is that it’s actually much easier than one might think to replace harmful products with safe ones, and most of these replacement products are not only affordable but are also much better for the environment. Guess it makes sense that what’s safer for our bodies is also safer for our planet, right? Again, I don’t claim to be an expert in this area, and I’m still shopping at Safeway, but I figure that these basic choices Zack and I are making to eliminate as many harmful chemicals as possible from our lives can only do us good.


*The great thing is that we’re having the yard sale with friends from church, and all of our proceeds will go to our church’s annual Special Contribution, the majority of which funds the hiring of staff to work with our youth ministries. I first studied the Bible and became interested in God as a teenager, so I am deeply indebted to those people who sacrifice their time (and sanity) to work with youth, act as inspiring, positive examples, and teach them about God.