How Houseplants Can Make You Neater
I’m not always the most considerate person when it comes to household chores. “ What do you mean you have to clean the ceiling fan, light switches and oven grate? Who does this? “ You might think that growing houseplants is a disastrous idea.
At Lifehacker, we take spring cleaning very seriously. We are far from missing out on an opportunity to refresh, reorganize and streamline our home life. We’re also very excited to hit the reset button with our technology, take a close look at our finances, and get the better of our day-to-day habits that have gotten a little musty. Welcome to Spring Cleaning Week as we clear away the winter cobwebs and set the stage for the sunny days ahead. Let’s clean up, okay?
“Do you think you can keep them alive?” – the husband asked skeptically when I mentioned that I was going to pick up houseplants from the nursery.
“Oh yes, of course,” I said.
(I wasn’t sure.)
But I bought a little and over time I started collecting more. Now there are 11 houseplants scattered throughout the house – a snake, a couple of hanging pots, a rubber tree, a spider and several succulents.
When I started tending the plants, a strange thing happened: I felt more connected to my home. Plants are somewhat needy little things. They require periodic attention. Sometimes they need water. In other cases, they need to be rotated to get an even amount of sunlight. Sometimes their leaves need to be pruned. And from time to time they need to be completely transplanted.
While I am devoted to keeping them alive, I notice areas around the plant that need some attention too – cracks and corners in the house that are easy to miss. I see a bookshelf that needs a little wiping, a mirror that can be sprayed with glass cleaner, scuffs on the wall that can be erased with a magic eraser. For me, it has become a kind of ritual – to take care of the plants and remove everything that surrounds them.
Plants can improve the perception of space and make us more mindful. They did it for me. Maybe I’m just a millennial trying to fill the void in my heart . Well, at least my space just got a little better because of it.