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Keeping Your Home Clean in Ramadan

Welcome Ramadan by thoroughly cleaning your home. Organise a 1-day house clean-out to celebrate simplicity, detach from possessions and st...

Welcome Ramadan by thoroughly cleaning your home. Organise a 1-day house clean-out to celebrate simplicity, detach from possessions and stay focused on fasting. Here's how!

One way to prepare for Ramadan is de-clutter your whole home end-to-end. Muslims love to welcome Ramadan by decorating their homes and taking Ramadan jurisprudence classes but it's a hassle to see the same extra stuff lying around the house and not know what to do with it.

Use these easy tips along with two cleaning charts to organise your home to stay focused on the more important things this fasting season.

+ Ramadan Duties list (Canva template)
+ Cleaning Priorities For Home (Canva template)

Tips: Study Room/Living Room/Itikaaf Space
  • Donate your unwanted books to the little readers in your family. Similarly, go through your CD collection, jewellery and general nick-knacks to remove all that extra stuff.
  • Starting from the bedrooms and ending in the kitchen (or pantry), organise your Cleaning Priorities so that shelves, wardrobes and draws are mess-free and you can find things easily.
  • Make labels to organise storage boxes and file paperwork into folders.
  • Download and use this list of Ramadan Duties for the family and stick to them.
  • Finally, make yourself an Itikaaf room so during the last ten days of Ramadan, you can reflect on the signs of Allah.
Caring Kitchens
  • Dishwashers are more hygienic and save more water and energy to reduce your bills. If you prefer hand washing, don't run the tap: fill a bowl with hot soapy water and rinse dishes according to glass - cutlery - ceramics - then pots, cleanest to dirtiest.
  • Empty out all your cabinets and wipe down shelf space before re-shelving food products according to frequency of use. Recycle broken containers as plant vermiculite but reuse jars to store teabags, sugar and cereals.
  • Label all your containers so you know exactly where everything is.
  • Empty, clean and restock your fridge/freezer and check expiry dates of food. Keep fresh produce (fruit/veg), dairy, and fresh meat on different shelves.
  • Remember to separate peelings for your compost heap.
  • Fill guest rooms and spaces used the most with the natural perfume of fresh flowers. Grow in pots so you’re not cutting live plants and opt for deeply fragrant beauties like lavender, roses and lilies.
  • Sort out packaging like brown paper bags into a drawer to reuse for travelling and late Iftaars.

Glass jar 'garden' mounted onto wooden support
  • Create a mini herb garden on your window sill for ready to use garnishing and flavouring; sprinkle seeds into containers filled with compost and water regularly.
  • Reuse food containers for uneaten leftover foods and to freeze marinated meat or crushed fruit.
  • Cut out plastic packaging significantly - buy local and buy organic. It tastes better, it's ecological and it reduces your garbage heap.
  • Shop your a weekly groceries in line to your weekly menu for each week of Ramadan and budget so extra food is not going to waste.
  • Fill water jugs with ice or pop into the fridge one hour before the Iftaar meal instead of running the tap for cold water.
Fresher Bathrooms
  • Check and replace washers for leaking taps.
  • Empty out all those holders, only keeping the essentials. Leave one old toothbrush to clean around taps and tiles.
  • Pour the last of shampoos into one bottle - you don't need 5 different kinds.
  • Use the shower instead of having a bath and reduce your current time by two minutes. A shower should not last more than 4 minutes.
  • Reuse toilet rolls creatively - check out these toilet roll ideas on pinterest.
  • Or go old school - instead of toilet paper make Istinja, i.e. use water to stay pure (Tahara)
  • Place a paperweight or brick in the toilet tank to quicken the fill up rate and save water when flushing.
  • Check how 'toxic' the ingredients of your current cleansers are and opt for vegan soaps.
  • Add 3 drops of essential oils into your mopping solution.
  • Keep the drainage system unblocked by pouring down one cup each of baking soda and vinegar, then one litre of boiling water. Prevent blockages by cleaning after yourself and placing down a plughole drainer.
  • Wash, dry and fold all your towels. Keep two guest towels in the linen closet.
  • Provide a pair of bathroom slippers just outside and keep them there.
Wardrobe Ethics
  • Sift through clothes that you haven’t worn for the last 6 months and donate to a local bank or, thrift store. If they’re in very good condition and clean, sell online or host a bric-a-brac garden sale.
  • Cut old bed sheets into squares and stitch into large blankets for outdoor Iftaar parties.
  • Make your own laundry softener with one cup dried lavender buds, one quart of white vinegar and 2-4 drops lavender essential oil; combine the mixture and let it sit for a week before using.
  • Don't buy new clothes. Hold a clothes-hijab swap with friends to trade your unwanted clothes for someone else's.
  • Upcycle your old flat shoes with a coat of fabric paint and check out Green Shoes for ethical footwear.
Click if you prefer a pdf download from Dropbox of the Ramadan Checklist and House Cleaning Priorities list

Peace + eco-jihad.
Zaufishan, The Eco Muslim

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Post a Comment

  1. A healthy mind, body, spirit and surroundings are definitely required when its such an auspicious month, good article on how to keep your home clean

    ReplyDelete
  2. great post really helpful!

    ReplyDelete

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