That's why you'll be happy to hear that a common superstition worldwide is to avoid cleaning on New Year's Day. It turns out cleaning on New Year's Day, the day before, or even between Christmas and New Year's can bring you bad luck.
Don't wash those clothes
According to folklore, if you wash clothes on New Year's Day, you'll be “washing for the dead” or washing a loved one away -- meaning someone in your household will die in the coming year. Get your laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by New Year's Eve.
But don't don the marigolds today as superstition says it's bad luck to do housework on January 1. While a lot of people will be too hungover to even consider cleaning anyway then they'd better hope that they're not sick. Old wives' tales say you shouldn't do any type of cleaning at all on the first day of the year.
It is traditional for families to clean their houses and the areas surrounding before the start of the new year. The word 'dust' in Chinese is a homophone for 'old', thus cleaning the house is symbolic of driving away the bad luck of the previous year to allow for a new start.
It lets the old year out and the new one in. If you have dust on your floor on New Year's Day, leave it there. The idea is that you sweep out luck if you sweep on New Year's Day. The first guest in your home on New Year's Day fills an important role in the coming year.
Don't do laundry on New Year's Day, or a member of the family will be washed away (i.e., die) during the coming year. Doing laundry on New Year's Day will wash a year of good fortune down the drain.
Put that soap down! You could be washing your luck away…at least according to a Korean superstition that says you shouldn't bathe or shower on New Year's day.
Weekends are also helpful because older children can help with the cleaning process. That said, young children can also get in the way of cleaning. For most households, we recommend cleaning on Sundays. That way, you can start each week with a fresh and clean house.
The first four hours of the day are considered appropriate for sweeping the house, while the last four hours of a day i.e. at night are considered inappropriate for this work.
Cleaning superstitions vary around the world but mostly, it is done to attract good luck and start the year right. Looking deeper into these superstitions, it is essential to keep your home and surroundings clean no matter what time of year. A clean home creates calm and positive vibes.
White Foods
Tofu, eggs, rice, cauliflower, white cheeses—say goodbye to them for the night. Instead, fill your New Year's table with other colorful foods. Greens of all kinds are said to bring wealth into your life, while anything yellow (think cornbread) is supposed to foretell prosperity and happiness.
Don't clean on the first day of Lunar New Year
If you have a big Lunar New Year's Eve family dinner, be sure to clean up before the clock strikes midnight.
Can you dry clothes on new years day? No you cannot dry clothes on new years day, if you are superstitious. According to superstition you will be drying clothes for the rest of the year. Probably best to wait till the 2nd of January for drying your clothes.
During the summer, run your washer early in the morning – energy use peaks on hot afternoons. Winter weather drives demand for electricity earlier in the morning, so wash your clothes late at night.
5. Tuesdays and Fridays. According to superstition originating in Bosnia, washing your clothes on a Tuesday and a Friday brings bad luck and could open a portal to hell! So many drastic consequences to washing your clothes—you can never be too careful apparently!
Experts agree that spring or fall is the best time to pressure or power wash your house. The goal is to avoid cleaning when the temperature is too cold or hot. The best practice is to ensure that you pressure wash your home once per year between March and November when the temperatures are not extreme.
Spills and trash get taken care of on an as-needed basis every day or two. Vacuuming and mopping should happen at least once a week. Clean carpets every three to six months. Living rooms and bedrooms should be attacked at least once a week.
In general, you should give your bathroom a good clean at least once a week. This includes wiping down the toilet and sink. The floor and bathtub should be cleaned every two weeks or so. It is also important to invest in a deep clean every month or so.
BRING IN BREAD AND SALT:
Bread and salt, in Russian Jewish tradition, represent hospitality. They should be the first things to be brought into the home; bread, so the owners never experience hunger, and salt, so their life will be full of flavour.
In feng shui, hanging bells where they will be rung often is the most desirable placement. Entrance doors are the ideal place to hang a bell. Outside your front door is the entry point of chi energy coming into your home. By hanging a bell on the outside doorknob, you ensure positive chi energy will enter your home.
Several traditions, superstitions, myths, and old wives' tales say you shouldn't do any type of cleaning at all on January 1. One says that doing laundry on the first day of the year will 'wash away a loved one' – meaning that a friend or family member will pass away in the following 364 days.
But did you know that in preparation for the new lunar year, there are a number of superstitions that the Chinese follow? It is believed that if you wash your hair on New Year's day, you'd also be washing away all your luck. It's somewhat similar to if you cut your hair, you'd be cutting your life shorter!