Preparing your home for Navratri i.e. 9 nights of celebration might sound like a nightmare, but it’s actually not as difficult as you may think. If you’re wondering how to keep your home looking clean and tidy during Navratri, here are some great tips to get you started.
You can use the days in between to simply keep on top of the tidying.
What to Do in Navratri Before the Celebrations
Tidy Your Home Thoroughly
As you know, Mother Durga is the embodiment of power and she will only visit the homes that exude positive energy. How can you expect your home to release positive energy if it’s not well kept? By giving your home a thorough clean i.e. by vacuuming, mopping floors, cleaning windows, decluttering and so on. By doing this, your home will look welcoming to Mother Durga and in general, will look inviting for the guests too!
Clean Your Puja Room
One of the most important things about Navratri is praying to Mother Durga. If you’re setting up a Puja room or Mandir during this time, it’s important that you keep that space clean. One of the most important things to clean is the Durga idol. If it’s made of metal, the best way to get rid of any dust and dirt is to use a specialised cleaning product (read the label for instructions before using). Simply sprinkle ½-spoon of baking soda onto a clean dampened cloth and wipe. Since the baking soda is mildly abrasive, it should remove the dirt without damaging your idol. However, it’s important to test any cleaners on a small, unnoticeable area first to be sure.
Wash Your Dishes
Many of us like to make sabudana khichdi during Navratri because it’s quick, simple and delicious, and fits in with the fasting tradition of the festival. Unfortunately, the plates that are used to savour this dish, once dry, can turn out to be a nightmare to clean. As it dries, sabudana begins to stick to the plates and bowls. It can get difficult to clean them if they are not soaked in water for hours. This Navratri, try to keep on top of the washing-up! If you clean dishes straight after mealtimes, any leftovers will be easy to scrape off, and the plates will be easy to clean with just a solution of 4-cups warm water and 1-tsp. of a good quality dishwashing liquid or bar, like Vim.
Wash Your Clothes
Are you planning to make sabudana vada during the Navratri festival? They’re delicious, but they’re also deeply fried, and, as careful as we try to be, accidents do happen! If you find your clothes splashed with oil while you’re making the mouthwatering sabudana vada, don’t panic! Use a cloth to soak up as much of the oil as possible, and then apply a good quality stain remover. Just read the label to ensure that you use it safely and effectively, and test on a small, unnoticeable area to be certain about it. Then, wash the clothing in hot water in the washing machine with your favourite detergent to see great results (we find Surf excel useful for stain removal).
What to Do After the Festival
Prepare for Dussehra
The 10th day of Navratri brings yet another celebration i.e. Dussehra. Many people will thoroughly sanitise their homes at this time. Don’t worry, this is easier than it sounds. You can opt to buy a cleaning spray or wipes from the store.
As always when cleaning, wear gloves. Also, open the windows and keep the cleaning products away from children. Make sure to test the products on a small area first.
Believe it or not, preparing your home for a 9-night festival isn’t really all that different from preparing for a 1-day celebration. It starts and ends the same way, with a thorough cleaning.