The New Year may technically start on January 1, but for many of us, it begins with the first whiff of fresh grass and melodic song-song of birds. Ah, spring. And there’s no simpler way to start fresh than by the cathartic act of cleaning, purging, and organizing.

To do so, though, you first have to change your thinking. “People should see cleaning not as a chore but as something that’s really good for them,” says Deanna Hains, president of Zen Home, a green home cleaning service in New York. “We underestimate how important our home environment is.”

A cluttered home often equates to stagnation at work and in life, she says. “Chaos in the home equals chaos in other areas of life. I know that when I get up in the morning and walk into my living room, it makes me happy. People will have a completely different experience during the day based on what they’ve woken up to.”

Zen Home’s “consultants” not only clean but they change a space’s entire aura, organizing bookshelf content, arranging coffee table clutter, using a chamomile-lavender linen spray on sheets, and burning essential oils such as jasmine, lavender, and lemongrass so the home smells gorgeous when clients return. “It’s like taking your home to the spa for the day. Not only will your home be clean but it will look different, smell different, and have a different energy.”