There’s a certain shift that goes on when it comes to springtime. The sun comes out, flowers bloom, windows open up and all of a sudden, that clutter that found its way into my home and onto the various counter space has got to go.

I don’t know what it is about the season, but the second that it starts to lighten up outside, I start to lighten up inside. The feeling of being carefree is dampened though, every time I catch a glimpse of the mess that found its way, well, everywhere.

Now I’m not sure about most other people out there in the world, but when I get stressed, frustrated or extremely bored I tend to clean like there’s no tomorrow.

Seeing a mess like the one I come across every spring gets me a little bit on edge, so of course some deep cleaning happens. Sophomore Erika Beaton reassured me that I wasn’t the only one.

“My mom was a big fan of spring cleaning. She would always round us all up and send us to our rooms to get rid of things we didn’t need,” said Beaton.

Along with Beaton, I can remember my own mother sending me to my room and telling me to clean out my closet, and I also remember dreading it with a passion. But unlike Beaton, I happened to grow into the habit and have seen its positive effects.

Spring cleaning is done once a year and happens to be based off of an old tradition to cleanse the home of all the dust, candle wax and soot – from the fireplace – that built up during the winter. The start of spring is warm but not too warm, bugs tend to keep to themselves, and people could clean their homes without worrying about pests.

Cleaning does not have to be the enemy. If you’ve been looking for that one evasive document, letter or bank statement, chances are that a little spring cleaning will help you out.

Spring cleaning is not only beneficial to the cleaner, themselves, but the community as well. Cleaning out closets and bookshelves and sorting through clutter tends to reveal unwanted items. These unwanted items have the opportunity to be donated and given to someone who has a new use for them.

Closets are the worst. I always find something I don’t use, which of course forces me to give it away. Friends often tell me, “If you don’t want to find it, don’t look” but that’s easier said than done.

I have sadly become a slave of the obligatory deep cleaning that comes with the start of the season. It is not always the most fun task, but year after year I can’t help but get it done.

It’s not easy having to explain the obsession to someone.

It feels as though I have annoying neighbors – a.k.a. clutter – that wake me up at night and disturb my peace of mind. I feel like I am suffocating, like I’m wearing pants and a turtleneck instead of shorts and a tank top, and the only way to change my clothes is if I clean out my closet.

I don’t know what it is about the season, but for me, spring time has me pulling out the boxes, trash bags and Windex before anything else.