Believe it or not, there is now such a thing as Philippine Spring Cleaning Day and it is happening on May 11, 2011, coinciding with our unico hijo’s 6th birthday. Spring Cleaning to begin with, may not sound so local as it is. Spring, being non-existent in our local geological context. But Spring Cleaning is really more than just a season.
Allow me to share the origins of “Spring Cleaning” via Wikipedia:
Another possibility of the origin of spring cleaning can be traced to the ancient Jewish practice of thoroughly cleansing the home in anticipation of the spring-time holiday of Passover (Hebrew: פסח pesach). In remembrance of the Jews’ hasty flight from Egypt following their captivity there, during the eight-day holiday there is a strict prohibition against eating anything which may have been leavened. Jews are not only supposed to refrain from leavened foodstuffs (known in Hebrew as חמץ chametz), they are expressly commanded to rid their homes of even small remnants of chametz for the length of the holiday (Exodus 12:15). Therefore, for the past 3,500 years, observant Jews have conducted a thorough “spring cleaning” of the house, followed by a traditional hunt for chametz crumbs by candlelight (called bedikat chametz [Hebrew: בדיקת חמץ]) on the evening before the holiday begins.
According to research, 1.5 million lives are lost due to cleaning and sanitation-related diseases. One life in every 20 seconds can be saved if there is a strong and compelling campaign that pushes for cleaning and sanitation in the country. USAID 2008 data, also states that the Philippines loses 77.8 billion pesos every year due to poor sanitation, which later on causes an absenteeism rate of 8 days every year for a common Filipino worker.
Armed with the battle cry of “I clean. I save,” the Philippine Spring Cleaning day, in partnership with Department of Health (DOH), UP-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) and Reckitt Benckiser, is the first public and private initiative for cleaning and sanitation to prevent infectious diseases that can be spread inside the home.
Our family is all for Spring Cleaning and we try our best to not limit the top to bottom to bottom cleaning tied to a season. It does not just keep our house tidy, it involves a lot of working that might as well be exercise for me. This is why we join Lysol and its partners in celebrating the very first Philippine Spring Cleaning Day on May 11, 2011.
Here’s an online promo I’d like to share with you, my dear readers. Share your best tip in cleaning your home and get a chance to win a gift pack from Lysol.
1. Put your best tip in Philippine Spring Cleaning Day in commitment/tips page.
2. You also have to email your tip to philippinespringcleaningday@gmail.com with your name and contact number.
Best 20 tips will receive gift packs from Lysol. Happy Spring Cleaning! 🙂
