Your home is your oasis. The place where you lay your head to rest, where you wind down and relax, where your family finds comfort, your home is the center of your health and happiness. It should never be dangerous or hazardous to your health, but sometimes it can be.

From spoiled food to dead bugs to dust mites to random allergens, your home can sometimes get stuffy and uncomfortable to live in. Especially coming out of a long, cold, harsh winter. We’ve got a few ways to help you kick off your spring cleaning and get your home in the right space for springtime!

1. Declutter first. We urge that your first step in deep cleaning your space be decluttering and clearing out what you don’t need or wear anymore. Who wants to clean AROUND a mess? Donate clothes you haven’t worn in forever, stop hoarding those empty boxes in the garage, empty out that random drawer of sauce packets from 2013… you got this! Decluttering isn’t just good for the home, it’s good for your mental health. Think of each thing leaving your home as one less stress on your mind

2. Air it out. While you clean, open up those windows, if you’re able. Let in natural, fresh air to cycle through your space, getting rid of the stuffiness that tends to build up and tends to feel icky. Also, it’s just a nice thing to do for yourself, no one wants a stuffy nose and watering eyes while they clean with whatever product choice. Bonus: if the sun is shining, it just makes the whole experience so much better.

3. Clean things you normally wouldn’t think to clean day-to-day. That includes your mobile electronic devices, cutting boards, the container that holds your utensils, surfaces that are higher up (like cabinet tops and wall shelves), your mattress, door knobs. Yes, door knobs. Disinfecting and wiping down things you frequently use but may not clean thoroughly should get extra love during spring cleaning.

4. Spend more time where humidity is. That means your showers, your sinks, tubs, anything where water is frequently splashing needs extra focus. Why? Because of mold. Black mold build-up and mold spores are the devil! Almost nothing is more detrimental to your physical health and home cleanliness than gross black mold. One non-toxic way to kill mold is to use white distilled vinegar without watering down and let it sit for an hour.

5. Clear out those persistent odors with an ozone generator. Ozone generators are incredibly powerful and useful when used responsibly and in the correct way. Set a timer on one of these babies, leave the room (making sure all living things are OUT of the room while it’s on) and return when the ozone reverts back to oxygen in 30 minutes, roughly the same time as a short lunch break!

6. Avoid using chemical cleaning products if you can. No one wants to start off the spring with their home smelling like a sterilized hospital. Steam cleaners are the best for cleaning most surfaces without the use of chemicals because they only use hot water vapor! We also recommend using natural, nontoxic cleaning products, if you’re not a fan of the smell of vinegar.

7. Give your walls some love. No, seriously, people always forget that walls absolutely get dirty too. Where else do bugs and dust cling to? We recommend using a simple hydrogen peroxide solution to really disinfect your walls. How much better will every room smell when the walls have finally been dusted and cleansed. Bonus: this also helps if you use sticky tacks instead of nails to put wall art or photos up. Clean walls = long-lasting hold for that beautiful gallery wall you’ve carefully built!

8. Breathability is the most important thing. Our mission is to keep your family healthy and happy through our collection of HEPA air purifiers. Air purifiers, like ours, are essential to improving the air quality in your space, as well as giving your lungs a breather. (Pun intended!) Also, never forget about replacing furnace and HVAC filters, this is super important and people often overlook it. How can you truly improve the air quality if there’s still dirty filters throughout in your home?

9. Use this time to change up the style a little. Spring cleaning is more than just physically disinfecting everything. It’s also about a new, fresh start! Change out your decor easily and within your budget by switching up your bed sheets, adding greenery to your space, modify your living room with throw pillows, changing out the light bulbs to a different light, etc. Always wanted an accent wall or mural artwork in the hallway? This is the time to do it!

10. Create long-lasting cleaning habits. Last but not least, don’t let this opportunity to change it up go to waste. Establish and form new, better cleaning habits for you and your family. Whether it’s taking a second every other day to dust off surfaces or make a game out of cleaning your mirrors (no one likes dirty mirror selfies!), this is the time to set your indoor home health habits for the rest of the year.