Lunar New Year Cleaning GuideA complete guide to auspicious dates, taboos, and tips for your 2026 spring cleaning

2026 is the Year of the Horse, and Lunar New Year's Eve falls on February 16th (the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month), so it's recommended to complete your spring cleaning before this date. Here are some auspicious dates for spring cleaning in 2026; we suggest preparing early:

• February 10th (the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month)
• February 13th (the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month)
• February 15th (the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month)

The saying "out with the old, in with the new" perfectly captures this sentiment: old couplets from the past year have lost their vitality, so new ones must be put up to welcome good fortune and cheer.

Additionally, it's recommended to discard worn-out clothes, cracked bowls, withered plants, and similar items. This ensures you truly achieve the goal of "out with the old, in with the new," bringing good luck into your home for the New Year.

Wet clothes hanging to dry from Lunar New Year's Eve through the first day of the new year, or even for several days until the fourth or fifth, are considered bad luck. The damp, dark, and inauspicious energy can accumulate in your home, affecting your overall fortune. Therefore, it's recommended to wash and dry all your clothes before the New Year and wear new clothes to welcome it.

New Year's Eve is a time for family reunions, with long-unseen relatives gathering around the table for a festive dinner. If you're still cleaning at this point, you risk sweeping away all your family's good fortune. It's best to finish all cleaning before New Year's Eve and avoid taking out the trash between the first and fourth days of the New Year.

When you're doing your big New Year's clean, you'll probably move furniture or redecorate, but remember not to move your bed. Your bed is considered your "wealth position," the spot in your home best for attracting prosperity. Moving it carelessly could harm your finances and energy, affecting your luck for the entire year.

Just as the ancients valued a bountiful harvest each year, modern people prioritize having plenty to eat and wear. That's why, during the Lunar New Year deep cleaning, it's especially important to fill your rice bin and refrigerator to the brim — it symbolizes a year ahead free from worry about food and clothing, promising good fortune and abundance. Additionally, if you have a snack cabinet at home, make sure to stock it fully as well, symbolizing a year of completeness and prosperity for the entire family.

Start your New Year's cleaning in the bedroom, then move on to other rooms. Whether you're decluttering clothes, tidying surfaces, or organizing items, beginning with smaller tasks makes the process more manageable and builds momentum, helping you avoid giving up halfway.

When cleaning bedrooms and other rooms, pay special attention to dust-prone areas like nightstands and wardrobe shelves to ensure a pristine sleeping environment. A spritz of room spray can also add a fresh, revitalizing scent, symbolizing a brand new start.

The bathroom, usually connected to the bedroom, is a daily essential, so it requires extra attention when cleaning. When deep cleaning your bathroom, focus on the toilet seat and sink, and take the opportunity to check if your toiletries are fully stocked. Replenish anything you need to prepare for the New Year.

Taiwan's humid and muggy weather makes bathrooms prone to mold. During your deep clean, check for any signs of wall efflorescence or mildew. If you can't tackle it yourself, consider contacting a professional cleaning service.

The kitchen is where families gather for good meals, where hot dishes and delicious desserts originate. Since the food we eat comes from here, it's essential to keep the kitchen clean and hygienic.

Areas like the stovetop and sink are prone to grease and grime buildup and should be cleaned thoroughly. Given Taiwan's abundance of insects like cockroaches, it's also advisable to inspect dish cabinets and storage cupboards to prevent pests from breeding.

The living room is often considered the face of a home and the most frequented gathering spot for the entire family. Whether spacious and bright or cozy and intimate, the living room reflects a family's emotions, daily life, and habits, making careful organization essential.

Living rooms tend to accumulate snacks, newspapers, magazines, or small, unwanted items. We recommend putting everything back in its place in one go. For items that have been stored for a long time but haven't been used, we suggest a thorough decluttering to keep the living room tidy and allow everyone to relax comfortably on the sofa after work.

After organizing many important areas of your home, don't forget the entryway and balcony. The entryway is the first area you encounter upon entering, and it's also a feng shui hotspot for wealth, so it's especially important to keep it tidy. Make sure to store shoes you don't regularly wear inside the shoe cabinet.

If you have cabinets in your entryway, clear off any clutter and clean away dust to keep the space neat and tidy, which will help attract good fortune.

Finally, clean your windows until they sparkle, so your home looks vibrant and alive from the outside — a key to good fortune in the new year.

The floor is the last step in your deep clean. Any dirt accumulated during the earlier cleaning stages can be swept away, leaving a fresh surface to energize your home. When cleaning, start from the entryway and move inward, then from the interior toward the balcony. This symbolizes sweeping out bad luck and grime to welcome prosperity.