Taking care of the space we occupy the most, our homes, is vital to our well-being, and spring is the absolute best season to tackle this cleansing, as it marks a natural time for renewal, manifestation, celebration, and love. Feng shui is perfect for this because it harmonizes your energy with that of your home, aligning your environment with who you are and where you want to go.

It also completely reframes the traditional idea of ‘spring cleaning’; when you have the mindset that this is more about creating wealth, bringing balance, and opening yourself up to romantic opportunities, the feeling that this is a huge hurdle to overcome simply disappears.

Below are some tips to help revitalize your space and, in turn, your mind. So allow yourself to be open to getting rid of everything that does not serve you anymore.

1. Kitchen – Wealth & Health

    

Your kitchen should be a place that celebrates the earth’s abundance and provides life-sustaining energy. It should be a place you want to be in, radiating warmth and vibrancy, because that energy will infuse the food you prepare. The ideal kitchen is clean, light, and airy and has bright, cheerful colors that convey a sense of health, happiness, and vitality. The design should be functional and flowing to enable easy cooking with a lot of storage. Your kitchen’s presentation reflects the state of your health, so do yourself a favour and clean it thoroughly!

  • Keep all of the surfaces in your kitchen clean and free from clutter. Get rid of all items that are blocking the energy flow in your kitchen.
  • Clean out your refrigerator, cupboards, and freezer of food that are past their freshness. Donate any food that you have not used in six months or longer to a charity.
  • Purge your kitchen of junk food and harsh chemical cleaners. Instead, opt for more safe and natural cleaning solutions.
  • Take everything out of your cabinets to really survey what you have and get rid of stuff you don’t use.
  • Clean your stove, inside and outside of your fridge, pots and pans, cabinets, counters, and even light fixtures.
  • Bring in whole foods, live plants, and potted herbs.

Clearing away all this clutter and dirt and creating a fresh pathway for a strong and vibrant Chi energy to flow will nourish your energy and make your kitchen feel more alive, which will in turn will make you feel healthier.

2. Bedroom – Calm & Sensual Energy

    

Your bedroom should promote a harmonious flow of nourishing and sensual energy. The bedroom is a private space but it should be fun and pleasurable to be in. You should be able to relax in it for a quick nap, enjoy a good night’s sleep, or make passionate love with equal ease. The decor should be balanced to promote the best flow of energy for restorative sleep, as well as sexual healing. Relationships are a strong theme here so allow for that fruitful Chi energy to flow to attract a new partner, or to enhance the state of your current relationship.

  • Clear out any items under your bed, as this clutter sends out energy all night long, which doesn’t make for a peaceful sleep. Any items you use regularly should be relocated; the rest should be donated or discarded.
  • Clean out the clutter in your closet to rid it of stagnant Chi energy. Get rid of any clothes you don’t wear or items that you haven’t used in 6 months to make room for a new you. This will create a better flow and more space.
  • Remove any electrical devices like a TV or computer; these destroy any good feng shui energy. Aside from their harmful affects to our health, they bring the energy of work and stress into your place of rest, and are a big distraction for a good relationship with yourself or a loved one.
  • The best colors for your bedroom are considered “skin-colors,” which can vary from a pale white to a rich chocolate brown. Choose whichever color speaks most to you. Warm, sensual colors on your bed can promote both rest and a healthy sex life.
  • The art in your bedroom should be of images that you want to see reflected in your life and which promote positive and beautiful energy. The best images for the bedroom relate to love, happy relationships, body healing, intimacy, etc. So avoid any sad or ‘lonely’ images.
  • Your bed should be easily approachable from both sides and have two bedside tables to reflect equality and balance; avoid having the bed directly in line with the door, though you should be able to see the door from your bed.

If you desire a new love relationship in your life you must make actual physical space for this new person to be in your home. Your home is a reflection of your life so you literally have to create an open flow of energy in your home to be able to attract and manifest more of what you are looking for.

3. Bathroom – Self Care & Purification

    

A bathroom should be clean, minimal, relaxing, and all about purification. Bathrooms represent self-care and are a symbol of vitality so when yours is fresh and clean, you’ll find more time for the people and things that give you joy. A heavy theme with feng shui in the home is letting go of everything that no longer serves you, so carry that same principle into the bathroom.

  • Remove any unneeded objects, like half-empty bottles, or hide them away in a shower caddy or other device to remove any clutter around the tub or shower.
  • Add purifying plants like succulents, because they hardly need any water and work hard to clean the air. Live plants purify the air and bring vitality and freshness, while images of nature suggest rejuvenation.
  • Remove any photographs of yourself, friends, or family members from your bathroom. Use appropriate images as a metaphor for purification and renewal — like trees, flowers, meadows, the sea, and rivers. Having images relating to your career, personal projects, or passions in the bathroom is bad feng shui because it invokes the idea of ‘flushing them down the drain.’
  • Beautiful and healthy colours like greens and blues are particularly beneficial bathroom colours since blue represents water, which cleanses and purifies, while green represents life, new growth, and beginnings. White is also a wonderful symbol of purity and cleanliness,
  • Clean it with orange-infused vinegar and use a tea tree oil candle because it purifies and detoxifies the air. The orange-infused vinegar is non-toxic and can remove anything that can create stagnant energy — like grimy counters and moldy showers.
  • Keep your bathroom well ventilated to allow air and energy to flow; it should also be well lit.

If you really want to revamp the space, splurge on new towels, bath mats, and shower curtains.

4. Plants – Fresh Energy & New Beginnings

    

Because plants are alive they bring a beautiful “buzz” into your home. Be aware of the quality of the indoor air and do your best to improve it. By bringing three new pots with vibrant green plants into your home, you can refresh the energy of your space and create the energy for new beginnings. Plants also remind you to bring attention back to your space and surroundings because you have to physically care for a living thing.

If you do not have a green thumb, you can opt for a Rubber Plant or two, which need very little attention and scrub the air free of chemicals and toxins. Bamboo is also low maintenance and beautiful. Place it by your door in a vase to welcome good energy, and if you are looking to attract a partner, use two pieces of bamboo.

Below are plants that are great for purifying the air:

  • Areca Palm
  • Lady Palm bamboo palm
  • Dracaena Janet Craig
  • English Ivy
  • Dwarf Date Palm
  • Ficus Alii
  • Boston Fern
  • Peace Lily

Your front entrance is strongly connected to your health as well as your kitchen. If you plan to place plants in the kitchen, go for lush and aromatic herbs, such as basil, rosemary, or mint. By bringing more plants into your space and placing them in interesting ways, you can create a fun and lively experience.

5. Sage – Ending An Old Cycle

    

Burning sage announces that an old cycle is ending and a new one is about to begin, based on feng shui principles. By burning sage you neutralize any negative energy remaining, which is a perfect way to cap off your spring cleaning; it also smells really good.

Burn one end of a sage bundle (pictures above) and hold the other end. You can use your hand or a feather to waft the smoke in a figure 8 pattern, being sure to move it into all corners of your home to cleanse the negative spaces of stagnant energy. Hold a ceramic dish underneath to catch any falling ash. If you feel you have covered every inch of your home and the sage is still burning, just let it sit in the ceramic dish until it burns out.

Finally, once you’ve completed the smudging, open up your windows and doors.

    

This helps the bad, stuck energy flow out of your living space and allows fresh air to enter. An open window and door create a pathway for the good stuff to come in and the bad stuff to exit for good!

Surround yourself and your space with beauty and items with meaning; really break it down to things you truly love. Everything has energy, even inanimate objects, so be careful about what you consider bringing into your home. A fun tip is to bring a favourite item of yours into a prominent spot in the room so that when you walk in it will be the first thing you see; this will bring you joy, and in turn bring joy into the space.

How you arrange your room and maintain your space allows you to decide how you want to guide that energy to flow freely through your home. Let this spring cleaning session clarify and purify you so that it can renew your home and your body. A feng shui cleaning can do wonders for your personal energy. Allow yourself to step into a new way of being, and fill it with a happy and healthy energy of excitement.

Sources:

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/what-feng-shui/feng-shui-bedroom-0

http://www.feng-shui-and-beyond.com/feng-shui-kitchen.html

http://www.feng-shui-and-beyond.com/feng-shui-bathroom.html

http://fengshui.about.com/od/usesoffengshui/qt/springclean.htm

http://www.tarot.com/feng-shui/spring-cleaning

http://www.bustle.com/articles/71272-9-feng-shui-tips-for-spring-cleaning-your-apartment-because-we-could-all-use-a-little

http://fengshui.about.com/od/fengshuicures/ss/Top-10-Feng-Shui-Air-Purifying-Plants.htm