It's that time of the year again – the massive spring cleaning before Chinese New Year rolls around. We've got 5 tips on how to go about doing it without losing your mind…
Whether you’re cleaning up after the carnage of Christmas or getting ready for the onslaught of Chinese New Year festivities, it’s gotta be done: The Big CNY Prep. It’s not fun and it’s not glamorous, but there are ways to make it Not Hell. Here are our tips for getting organised, cleaned up, decorated and stocked up with minimal fuss.
How to get ready for Chinese New Year quickly and easily
1. Leave no sentiments behind
If it’s old and/or unused, it’s gotta go. This is no time for sentiment, especially when it comes to Chinese New Year: the general belief is that bad luck can live in your old possessions, so it’s best to politely but firmly usher them out the door. It’s especially important to get rid of anything dated, such as magazines, newspapers and calendars.
2. Big clean-up, little effort
The traditional belief is that good luck enters the home through the front, and bad energy exits through the back, so keep the entrance area spick and span, and take the garbage out the back door. And put the broom away on New Year’s Eve for a few days, or you’ll sweep away all that juicy new good luck! For all your dusting, especially those hard-to-reach spots, try using a Magiclean Handy Duster – its high-absorption fibres pick up the finest of pesky little dust particles and mites, making the job thorough but easy, with no flyaway dust. And the extendable version extends up to 95cm, so no excuses for not tackling the tops of cupboards and air-con units. Hop to it.
3. Skip the major overhaul but achieve the same effect
Brighten up your home with a few fresh touches such as updating your cushion covers and curtains – a new colour scheme can work wonders. And who doesn’t love sliding under freshly cleaned sheets and getting dry with a nice fluffy towel? (We don’t think you should only do this as an annual task, but you just never know who needs reminding.) This is also a good time to take a look at small details like photo frames – take down the ones that just create more clutter and replace them with clean lines and simple colours. Sometimes this is all you need to brighten up the house rather than getting out the paintbrushes or calling in the interior decorator.
4. Stock up on everything you need without breaking a sweat
Rather than battling the masses in Chinatown, get all your CNY decorations online (and you get the bonus fun of receiving a parcel or two). Lazada and Taobao each have a good range of decorations, and can deliver to your home quick smart. This might be stating the obvious, but you can also get pretty much all your food and beverage needs online too, saving you not just time but muscle power! Stock up on beer, festive drinks, mandarin oranges and CNY snacks from stores such as RedMart, or check out our guide to grabbing fresh produce online (psst: if you need to update your CNY wardrobe, we’ve got you covered there too).
5. Recruit extra help without the extra cost
You can either let your kids get in the way while you clean up and hang the decorations, or you can make them useful! Kids young enough might even fall for the “this is a fun game we can play together!” trick, and if you’re using the Magiclean Handy Duster they’ll probably find it a novelty (and because there’s no flyaway dust with this duster – it traps it in – you don’t need to worry about triggering allergies). You can grab one from Redmart to help with the Christmas and Chinese New Year madness!
And if you need some motivation, remember: bad energy out, good luck in. Happy CNY everyone!
This post is sponsored by Magiclean.
