The importance of Diwali Cleaning

This post was last updated on October 20, 2022 by Preethi Sukumaran

It was 2002 in Green Park, Delhi. I was a lowly Management Trainee in Sales living in a 2 room Barsati in an upscale neighbourhood in Delhi. My landlord had built a bunch of 1 and 2 room sets in an outhouse off his main house to rent to women students and women employees who lived in Delhi and wanted a safe, yet convenient place to live out of and commute. That it was about 50 km one way from my place of work is beside the point here.

On most days, the main home would be shrouded in darkness, and all I could hear was the incessant blare of a television set. But about 2 weeks before Diwali, my landlord surfaced only to ask: ” Do you want us to have someone clean your house ? “After all, beta”, he added, “yeh to Diwali ke din hain”.

As I saw the painstaking painting, house cleaning and house repair work that was done in that Delhi home that week before Deepavali, I wondered about the connection. What is the link between diwali cleaning , home repairs and Lord Rama and Seetha Ma’s return to Ayodhya?

The answers lie in our history. So let’s dial back.

Diwali Cleaning and Deep cleaning: Significance from Sri Ramayana

Deep cleaning of the home, plastering and painting over cracks in the home, cleaning the home of cobwebs, deep cleaning the floors, bathrooms, walls, are all common practices done in Indian homes in the weeks leading up to Diwali. In fact, “Diwali cleaning” , “diwali cleaning tips” and “Diwali cleaning checklist” are common search terms in India around Diwali every year.

In the South , home painting and repairs are traditionally not carried around this time as this is the season for rains in Kerala and Tamilnadu in October, and November. Such home repairs are normally carried out in these states after Pongal, when the sunshine is strong. Practically it is a great idea to carry out wet work like repainting in this period as strong sunshine helps the paint dry quickly. However, diwali house cleaning is a common practice in these parts. There is also a noticeable trend across india where people look for cleaning services , or a cleaning expert around this time.

The significance of this can be observed in our study of the Srimad Valmiki Ramayana. In the last few Sargas of the Yuddha Kanda once Lord Sri Rama has won the war, and is preparing to come back to Ayodhya, Hanuman reaches Ayodhya before the Lord. He speaks to Lord Bharata of the Lord’s great victory and his imminent return to Ayodhya.

Lord Hanuman is also sent in advance by Lord Sri Rama as Lord Bharata vowed to wait not one day beyond the Lord’s 14 year vanvas. He vowed that if the Lord did not return as promised on the dot of the end of the vanvas, He (Bharata) would enter into Agni and immolate himself. So to ensure no such mishap occurs, Lord Hanuman is dispatched ahead of the divine couple to convey the good news to Lord Bharata and Lord Shatrughna.

Bharata commands Shatrughna to line the streets of Ayodhya with citizens, dancers, reciters of the Puranas, Musicians and members form all arts, trade guilds, the Army and the families of the ministers, and finally the royal family.

Hearing Bharata’s orders, Shatrughna immediately organizes a vast number of workmen and laborers to do the following activities:

We can see from these verses from Srimad Valmiki Ramayana, how the entire kingdom of Ayodhya prepares for their Lord’s return. The roads, homes, animals, cavalry and all citizens go to work joyously making every road smooth, and decorating the city with flags, auspicious torans, flowers, colors and lamps to welcome back their King and Queen.

The festival of Diwali is to celebrate 2 events from our puranas: the return of Lord Rama and Mother Seetha after 14 years of Vanvas and Lord Krishna’s victory over Narakasura, In both cases , we celerate by having clean and well-decorated homes, by making and sharing prasad with our friends and family, a puja with a great deal of intent, by bursting crackers to celebrate the victory of Dharma over Adharma and by wearing festive new clothes.

Bring in Mangalya & Goddess Lakshmi into the Home this Deepavali

According to Indian Shastras, One of the qualities of the Divine Mother, Goddess Mahalakshmi is “Mangalya” (auspicious). Her name itself means “one who is the opposite of alakshmi” – Alakshmi is lack of prosperity or Daridra. Auspiciousness and prosperity comes with a sparkling home, clean surroundings, removing clutter from your home, having carefully selected objects (a few), no hoarding and proper placement of all objects in the home.

Clutter, dirt, cobwebs and excessive hoarding do not just make your home look dirty and untidy. They are also considered bad for mental peace in Ayurveda. In fact, an excess of object hoarding is indicative of kapha aggravation mentally and indicates an increase in tamasic state (or can also trigger tamas).

The first step to getting your home ready is to clean and declutter it well. Decluttering creates space, reduces tamasic tendencies and brings in freshness and positivity.

Suggested Diwali cleaning & decluttering checklist:

1. Seal any small cracks in the home which can harbor insects, roaches
2. Clean cobwebs in the home
3. Send out broken, unrepairable items to waste e-cycling
4. Give away things you have not used for a long time (and see no future use for), for example: clothing that does not fit you anymore, unused home decoration and furnishings
5. Do not hoard things (people have a habit of hanging onto restaurant cutlery sauce packets, plastic bags, etc. as they believe they may use it in the future)
6. Clean the window frames, and corners of furniture in the home
7. Thoroughly clean your refrigerator and remove any old condiments, spills . Don’t forget to clean your home appliances like your washing machine and oven
8. Clean out your racks and boxes
9. Clean your cleaning equipment – for example clean the kitchen towels, sun dry your mop, etc

How to do diwali cleaning

Ayurveda tells us that we have 5 panchamahaboothas that combine to form this entire prakriti (universe), flora, fauna, rock, earth, water and ourselves. So everything in this universe is a mixture of 5 panchamahaboothas.

So also our homes reflect the presence of the panchamahaboothas. Homes contain akash and vayu – combination of air and wind in the spaces that surround the objects within. We also have components of prithvi (earth (, agni (fire) and jala (water) in our home in different parts of the home.

When we clean our homes, we most often pay attention only to floors and hard surfaces. Ayurveda suggests we also cleanse the space and air within homes through the use of special sounds, herbal fumigation, light and positive energy. Light, smoke and sound all have the capacity to cleanse air and space, reduce negative vibration in the home and infuse it with a positive, spiritual aura.

In an Ayurvedic home cleanser, we look for the following properties:

• 1. Swacchakara – To clean the surface thoroughly of dirt and grease
• 2. Rakshoghna – to protect us from microorganisms and disease causing organisms
• 3. Bhutaghna – To cleanse negative aura
• 4. Jantuhara – To repel small insects and organisms
• 5. Mangalya + Prana positive – To promote auspiciousness

The Divine Mother protects the environment being the Earth mother herself. So ideally we must choose nontoxic, environmentally friendly products that do not harm anyone. The implements we choose, as far as possible should also be natural, biodegradable and compostable. Read this earlier detailed post on how you can use natural herbs to safely and effectively clean the home.

Diwali house Cleaning Checklist 2022

• Start cleaning by using a non-toxic roach repellant in the kitchen and bathroom around sinks and drains for atleast a week to ten days to slowly bring down insect infestation
  • We suggest Krya Anti Roach oil from our range

• Clean all bathroom fixtures, mirrors and reflective surfaces with an acidic nontoxic cleaner
  • We suggest Krya Lemon detergent strained in water

• Thorough clean all porcelain fixtures and bathroom tiles with a combination of manual scrubbing, natural acids and a natural deep cleaning product.
  • We suggest Krya Tile cleaner (make into a thick paste with water or vinegar and use to scrub)

• Clean fans, insect nets and doors and windows with an insect repelling, dust and grease repelling natural cleaning product
  • A combination of the Krya Lemongrass detergent and the Krya Dishwash is very helpful here

• Have a cleaning service provider professionally clean your hood / chimney – if this is not possible, soak the filters and scrub them well with an eco-friendly grease remover
• Surface clean the kitchen platform, gas stoves and tiles. Ideally gas stoves should be decorated with rice flour based rangoli whenever preparing Prasad for the Puja (this can also be done on a daily basis)
  • A combination of the Krya Sookshma floor cleaner and the Krya Lemon Detergent is very helpful here

• Clean your brass and copper puja thalis and cookware / serve ware with tamarind and salt, or an eco-friendly dish wash product
  • For puja vessels cleaning an absolute must is the Krya Brass and Copper Dishwash . This is safe and skin friendly and is very useful to clean brass and copper vessels.
• Apart from these cleaning tips to help get your home ready for Diwali, we also need to do regular cleaning at this time. A great detergent to clean your clothes is the Krya soapberry detergent. Explore our floor cleaners for regular mopping and floor cleaning
• Light good quality cow dung-based dhoops during the entire week leading up to Diwali. A combination of cow dung and resins like guggul and other ayurvedic herbs is excellent to improve air and space cleanliness.

A suggestion this diwali is to remove toxic synthetic cleansers, air fresheners from your home . This improves air quality in the home , detoxifies the entire house, helps your space stay clean.

Why we suggest limiting the use of cleaning services for Diwali cleaning in 2022

There are a few places in our article where we have suggested using professional cleaning services like when cleaning your chimney. But you will notice that in general we have suggested spacing out and planning your schedule so that you are able to use simple cleaning materials to clean your space yourself.

The act of “Shuddhi” or cleaning is itself considered a “kainkaryam” or divine service. Cleaning, decluttering and maintaning a welcoming living space invites good energy. In Sanatana Dharma, cleanliness and harmony are “lakshmi” and welcome Divine energy into the home . When it comes to cleaning of your house, taking personal responsiilty and doing atleast a part of it ourselves, makes it a divine service for Goddess Lakshmi herself.

To Conclude: Diwali Home Cleaning and Decluttering in 2022

Urban life, especially today is riddled with things. Our homes and offices are packed with packaging material, paper, plastic and small things which we use rarely. Most of us can do without atleast 50% of the stuff around our homes.

This clutter and excess stand in the way of our personal development. It leads to storage issues, insect infestation and creates tamas and heaviness across the home. We sometimes need the power of a spiritually charged traditional festival to help us clean up our acts.

Deepavali is one such spiritual portal for all of us. Bolstered by the very shlokas from the Srimad Valmiki Ramayana, and by understanding the nature and qualities of the Divine Mother who presides over this festival, we can draw meaning and willpower to cleanse our spaces.

During this sacred celebration, we pray to Lord Rama and Mother Seetha to bless you and your family. We also ask them, in their Infinite Love, Grace and Wisdom to give us the strength and clarity to bring in Mangalya and positivity into our homes and offices.

Jai Siya Ram!