15 Cleaning Habits From Other Nations That Most U.S. Folks Don’t Try

While Americans tend to keep their windows shut tight, Germans swear by the practice of lüften. Lüften means “ventilating” or “airing out.” Basically, they open the windows in their homes for a few minutes every day to let in some fresh air. It’s such a big part of their culture that renters even have to promise to do it in their leases. The science behind it is that they’ll do a cross-ventilation technique, opening windows across from each other to get a nice breeze flowing through. Another method is to blast the house with frigid winter air, which can really freshen things up.

An expert says this fresh air habit could be great for Americans’ health too, since we tend to seal up our houses so much.

While Americans often use dryers, Aussies overwhelmingly prefer to line-dry their clothes. One Aussie was shocked to see an American influencer do laundry without hanging things up to air-dry. In Australia, even influencers almost always hang their clothes instead of using a machine dryer. Drying clothes in the sunshine is seen as the norm, and using a dryer is more of the exception. Plus, electricity can be pricey down under, so air-drying is a great way to save some cash.

Stateside, line-drying laundry can save you money on electricity and give your clothes a fresh, outdoor scent.

In China, feng shui principles don’t just apply to the overall layout of the home – they also guide cleaning decisions. For example, Chinese residents make sure the entryway is tidy to allow positive energy (chi) to flow through the space. They also give a deep clean to smaller nooks and crannies, like computer keyboards and bathroom countertops, to clear any energy blocks.

Applying feng shui to your cleaning routine means being intentional about even the smallest areas of your home. Give those forgotten spots some extra attention to keep your space feeling harmonious.

While the U.S. has holidays that involve cleaning, like getting your house ready for Thanksgiving, they’re not officially part of the celebrations. But in Thailand, Songkran Day is all about cleansing – both literally and spiritually. As part of the New Year festivities, people clean their homes, schools, and temples to start the year with fresh, positive energy.

We could learn from this tradition by using the new year as an excuse for a full home refresh. Focus on water-based cleaning tasks, like scrubbing tile grout or washing fabrics that don’t get cleaned often.

For Persian New Year, or Nowruz, people practice “shaking the house.” This involves deep-cleaning anything that hasn’t been touched in a while, like fancy china or under the couch. The goal is to revitalize the whole home before the new year starts.

To do this yourself, take a look around and identify those oft-forgotten spots that need some extra attention. Spend some time giving them a good scrub to get your home feeling fresh and renewed.

In Guatemala, the “Burning of the Devil” festival is all about getting rid of the devil – and all the junk in your home. People burn their trash to make sure the devil, who was thought to hide in hard-to-reach spots, is really gone.

While you can’t literally burn your trash, you can get into the spirit of the holiday by doing a thorough declutter. Hunt down forgotten piles and hidden messes to kick the “devil” out of your space.

Rather than drag heavy area rugs inside to wash, folks in snowy parts of Northern Europe use an ingenious natural cleaning method. They cover wool rugs in snow, let it sit, then beat the snow off. The cold and friction get the rugs sparkling clean.

If you live in a snowy area, give this old-school technique a try. It’s a great way to freshen up your rugs without all the hassle of washing and drying them indoors.