When spring cleaning actually feels good

It is the season for spring cleaning, and discovering tiny hidden treasures in the nooks and crannies of your home is the best thing about it, says Shreya Sethuraman.

It’s that time of the year again when you finally get off your chair/ sofa/ bed and decide to indulge in some healthy spring cleaning. Of course, you could take tips from cleanliness freak Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) from Full House, but we’d like to tell you about the things you’ll certainly (re)discover and what you should do with them.



An old notebook

This is the one where you wrote poems – on love, hate, friendship, nature, whatever came to your mind. Or where you wrote your first short story. It was about the ‘little red-haired girl’ (yes, you were Charlie Brown as a kid).

Laugh at the style of rhyme you used – true love is hard to find, when you do fall in love, you’re out of your mind – or the unnecessary adjectives used to describe ‘your first brush with love.’

A 50 or if you’re luckier, a 100 rupee note This will be tucked in some book, or in the back-pocket of a pair of denims or in the side pocket of your cotton kurta. What to do: Rejoice! The value of this note is probably priceless, given the unexpected joy it has given you. Use it to buy something fun for yourself, like a plate of sinful chhole bhature, spicy chaat or that bar of decadent dark chocolate!

Discarded mobile phones Some people sell their old mobile phones to buy new ones. Some others however, keep storing old phones (with absolute disregard for the environment). The message from your old flame holds no value, she/ he is married now. And if you both ended up marrying, you really don’t need a phone to remind you of your love, right? What to do:Deposit the phone at an environmental centre.

That letter from your friend Admit it, you did write and receive actual letters, not the mandatory school comprehensions. You lived in the hostel, your friend in another city and another hostel. That was another world. You learnt about another city, its people, their culture, their food through pages filled with love. What to do: Call up that friend. Cry about what all you wrote. You have a treasure trove with you, cherish it.

Those absolutely worn out denims You bought them with your first salary and wore them last to last winter. The washed-out look is beyond recognition and the ends have begun to wither. You forgot you even had them lying in your cupboard. What to do:Donate them. If you haven’t worn them in so long, you won’t again. Keep your sentiments aside, someone else needs them more than you.

Some old photographs You can’t miss these. They were taken from your now defunct point and shoot camera. You remember how excited you were when you took out the film roll and gave it for developing. These photographs depict happy times – that family picnic, the school farewell (when managing a saree /suit / kurta-pyjama was the biggest achievement) and your first ‘night out’. What to do:Scan the photos and email them to those featured. You’ll make their day, and many memories!

Follow @iconohclast on Twitter

From HT Brunch, April 6

Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch