In China, every family has the habit of doing a thorough cleaning during the Spring Festival. They clean the rooms, wash the furniture and electrical appliances, and take apart and wash the bedding. This represents that there should be a new look in the new year and that all the bad luck from the previous year will be swept away.

The custom of sweeping away the dust originated in the era of Yao and Shun and evolved from a religious ritual in ancient times to drive away diseases and epidemics. By the Tang and Song dynasties, the practice of "sweeping the year" was prevalent. According to the record in "Menglianglu" by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty, "At the end of the twelfth month... all families, regardless of their size, would sweep the doorways, remove the dust and dirt, and clean the courtyards... to pray for peace in the new year."

So, what are the feng shui taboos during the Spring Festival cleaning?

  1. Don't easily move or change the position of the household shrines.
    During the thorough cleaning, many people, either intentionally or unintentionally, always move or shift the furniture or decorations at home. Of course, it's okay to move them and then put them back in their original positions usually. However, among these numerous movements, you should be more cautious when cleaning the positions of the household shrines. If you think that since the shrine was enshrined, everything has been going smoothly in all aspects and it has brought prosperity and good health, it means that the position of this shrine in your home is good, correct, and reasonable, and it will bring good fortune. Therefore, don't easily change its position during the cleaning.
  2. Don't easily change or adjust the direction of the bed.
    People spend half of their time in bed, so the feng shui of the bed's position often affects people's luck. During the thorough cleaning, many people, for the convenience of cleaning or on a sudden whim, like to change the position or direction of the bed, which is a big taboo. Generally speaking, if you have always had good luck and everything has gone smoothly while sleeping in the current position of the bed, don't easily change it around.
  3. Remember to clean the feng shui items for warding off evil spirits.
    Many families have feng shui items for warding off evil spirits at home. However, some of these items are only effective within a certain period of time and will no longer play a role in enhancing good fortune as time passes. As the saying goes, "What's past is imprisoned." Therefore, the feng shui items for warding off evil spirits from the previous year should be cleaned up and properly disposed of in time during the thorough cleaning.