Spring Cleaning for Chinese New Year: Common Mistakes to Avoid

Spring cleaning before Chinese New Year is more than just a seasonal chore. It’s a cultural tradition rooted in the idea of sweeping away the old to make room for good fortune. In many households, this means getting every corner of the home spotless before the Lunar New Year begins, traditionally finishing cleaning before New Year’s Eve to avoid “sweeping away” newly arrived luck.

However, without a plan, spring cleaning can quickly become overwhelming, time-consuming, and even ineffective. Here’s how to do it the right way for Chinese New Year and avoid common mistakes that many homeowners make.

In many Asian cultures, including Malaysia’s vibrant Chinese community, spring cleaning is a ritual performed in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year. The goal is to remove accumulated dust, dirt, and clutter from the past year and prepare the home for a fresh start.

Beyond tradition, spring cleaning improves indoor air quality, reduces allergens, and creates a healthier environment for family gatherings and celebrations. It’s also a chance to refresh hard-to-reach, often-overlooked areas of your home. The kind of deep clean that regular weekly tidying simply doesn’t address.

Trying to clean the entire house in one day is a recipe for exhaustion and missed spots. Instead, break your cleaning into zones and tackle one room or area at a time. This approach prevents getting overwhelmed and allows you to clean more thoroughly.

If you clean floors first, you’ll likely have to redo them after dusting walls and ceilings. Always start from the top down and begin with light fixtures, shelves, and cabinets before moving to the floors so that dust or debris doesn’t fall on newly cleaned surfaces.

Areas like ceiling fans, vents, under furniture, and behind appliances often accumulate grime and dust, but they’re easily forgotten in DIY cleaning. This is part of why professional spring cleaning services are valuable, as they target these overlooked areas with the right tools.

Don’t procrastinate fixing minor issues like leaky taps or loose cabinet doors before you clean. Repair tasks can create new messes if left until after cleaning. Planning repairs beforehand keeps your spring cleaning efficient and stress-free.

Focus first on areas where guests will gather:

• Dust and wipe wall corners, light fixtures, and shelves.
• Clean under sofas and furniture edges.
• Vacuum or shampoo carpets and rugs if needed — for that fresh, festive feel. Consider a professional carpet cleaning service for deep stain and dust removal.

Bedrooms can hide dust mites and allergens:

• Vacuum mattresses thoroughly, rotate them if needed, or use a professional mattress cleaning service to remove deep-seated dust.
• Dust furniture and clean wardrobe exteriors.
• Organise closets and donate items you haven’t used in a year.

The kitchen is the heart of the home during festive dinners:

• Wipe down cabinets inside and out and clean appliances.
• Pay special attention to counters and sinks.
• Declutter pantry shelves and discard expired food.

Bathrooms require thorough sanitisation:

• Deep cleaning of bathroom areas such as toilets and bathtubs
• Wiping and polishing mirrors and glass surfaces
• Cleaning and sanitising key bathroom fixtures to maintain hygiene

Curtains and sofas attract dust and smells over time. For the best result:

• Consider professional curtain cleaning to preserve fabric and reduce allergens.
• Upholstered sofas benefit from a sofa cleaning service with specialised tools that extract hidden dirt and stains.

While DIY cleaning handles surface tasks, professional spring cleaning services like those offered by PT Clean focus on deep cleaning — reaching areas that everyday cleaning tools can’t. Professional teams use specialised equipment and methods to remove hidden grime and make your home truly spotless.

Here’s when professional cleaning makes sense:

• You’re short on time before the holiday.
• You want deep cleaning results (beyond surface dusting).
• You have large furniture, heavy curtains, upholstered sofas, or carpets that need expert care.
• You want comprehensive sanitation before family visits.

Spring Cleaning can also be combined with services like curtain cleaning, sofa cleaning, or mattress cleaning upon request. Reach out to our team to discuss your needs, and we’ll create a cleaning package that works for you.

If you’re wondering “Am I too early or already too late?” you’re not alone.

Traditionally, spring cleaning is done in the days leading up to Chinese New Year, not during it. Most families aim to finish cleaning before New Year’s Eve, so they can welcome the new year without “sweeping away” incoming luck.

• Start cleaning 7–10 days before Chinese New Year
• Finish heavy cleaning before reunion dinner
  
• Leave only light tidying for festive days

This gives you enough time to clean properly without rushing or cutting corners.

In Chinese culture, timing matters. Many households avoid cleaning on certain days believed to bring bad luck or disrupt positive energy.

To find out which dates to avoid:

• Refer to Chinese New Year spring cleaning and decluttering tips shared by herworld
• These guides highlight traditional beliefs around when to clean, declutter, or pause household chores closer to the festive period

Common belief:

Avoid sweeping, mopping, or throwing out rubbish on Chinese New Year Day, as this symbolises discarding good fortune.

Credit: herworld – When to start spring cleaning for CNY 2026 and the best decluttering tips to know

Make a checklist of areas and schedule tasks over several days instead of trying to do everything at once.

Remove unnecessary items before cleaning, fewer things mean less dust and a clearer space.

Focus on kitchens, bathrooms, carpets, sofas, mattresses, and curtains.

When spots are hard to reach or stubborn grime persists, professional services offer peace of mind and better results.