By Briana Hayes
Staff Writer

As the weather gets warmer, it signals the start of spring, and with it, spring cleaning. It is time to open up the windows, let the fresh, breezy air in and freshen up your house, apartment, or dorm for the new season.

Spring cleaning has become an American tradition. For years, families have opened their windows, scrubbed away the grime and swept away the collected dust of winter.

Spring is a time when flowers bloom and nature renews itself. Starting anew gives nature a chance to start again. This is similar to the idea of spring cleaning. We have a chance to clean out our house and prepthem for the rest of the year.

Along with clearing out the dust bunnies and making room for the sun-kissed spring air, spring cleaning provides other benefits.

While you are prepping your house, springtime also signals the rush to build that summer body. As you clean your house, you can burn calories and get fit.

For every hour that you clean your house, you can burn 100 – 500 calories. This depends on many factors such as your activity level, weight, and age. Comparably, walking burns 200 calories for every hour.

Some people say that the shape that your house is in will determine the shape of your life; in other words, a messy house equates to a messy life.

The theory is that when your house is cluttered and disorganized, you will be frantic living in that space and make other unhealthy decisions as well.

With only a month left before school ends, finals are slowly creeping up on us. Evidently, this leads to a rise in stress levels.

Cleaning your room is something simple that can reduce that stress. Obviously, a clean room will make you feel more relaxed and at ease. If you make a clean and clutter-free living-space priority, you will be able to enjoy your down time at home in a more peaceful environment.

As spring finally arrives, another not-so-appreciated side effect is spring allergies. Deep within the fibers of your rugs, the crevices of your wood, and the layers of your pillows lurk many creepy, scary allergens.

Dust mites, mold spores, animal dander, and mildew can cause annoying allergic reactions that lead to teary eyes and runny noses.

These allergens can also give you headaches and can weaken your immune system. Renewing your house can help detox your body.

By cleaning your apartment or dorm room, you will eliminate these allergens from your living space and reduce the chance of suffering through spring with allergies.

This spring, be sure to make spring cleaning a priority. Just free up the grime, clutter and dust in your house and perhaps your body will be spring-cleaned as well.