Reset your home, mind and body for the new season with our top tips and vegan essentials
If you're someone who feels energised by all the new life blooming, warmer temperatures and more sunlight, now is the perfect time for a spring reset! We've put together a guide to help you reset your home, mind and body for the new season, complete with Vegan Trademarked product recommendations.
Set An Intention For Spring
It's always great to embark on your spring reset routine by setting intentions. Maybe your goals are to buy less for your home to avoid waste and shop more mindfully for home maintenance products so you can clean with a clear conscience. But are the products you're using to clean and freshen your home daily actually vegan? If you're not sure, an easy way to ensure they are vegan against The Vegan Society's strict standards is to use products certified by the Vegan Trademark. You can look out for our iconic sunflower logo on products or take a look at our Trademarked Products Search for products you want to check. Plus, stay tuned for cleaning product suggestions and more to facilitate your vegan spring reset. Intentional living never looked so easy!
Assess Your Current Habits and Goals
Are there spaces in your home that need a little extra TLC? Do you set aside specific days for general cleaning and more thorough cleaning? If not, setting a day in the week aside just for cleaning and freshening your space and any problem areas can be a great way to keep on top of it. How often do you deep clean your washing machine or clear out your wardrobe? Too often or not enough? Again, set a time frame such as 'once a month' for tasks that don't need to be done as regularly. After a few months, review this routine and adjust in a way that's manageable for you.
Spring Cleaning
Declutter Your Home
Decluttering is essential to keeping a clean, tidy and fresh home. One of the ways you can do this is by using up your leftover fruit and veg scraps, as well as any fridge/freezer or cupboard items about to reach their use-by date, to clear space and keep to that intention of shopping more mindfully for replacements. Apart from feeling more organised and reducing waste, another positive to this is that often the best and most fun meals are ones you've had to get creative with to use up leftovers.
The same goes for decluttering other items and spaces, too; clear out your wardrobe, cleaning supplies, body care and even your supplements as part of your reset to clear up storage space and simplify your daily routine. Take a look at this satisfying reel of our team member, Beth, spring cleaning her supplement cupboard by swapping out her numerous vitamins for just two easy multivitamins; VEG 1 and VEG 1 Baby & Toddler.
Deep Cleaning Your Space
While a deep clean can seem daunting and laborious, it's a key part of self-care. The routine of cleaning and having a task to focus on with a reward at the end can be really positive for your mental health. A fun tip for motivating yourself: set your phone up on the timelapse feature and record yourself completing a big spring task, like we did as part of our Spring Reset reel! Looking forward to the satisfaction of watching it back will give you the energy boost you need to tackle it.
Vegan Household Cleaning Products
Here are some Vegan Trademark certified cleaning products you can stock up on as part of your deep clean and spring reset:
- Fill’s huge range of refillable cleaning products, which come in reusable and plastic-free packaging, including their Wash Up, Bicarbonate of Soda, Cleaning Vinegar, Everything Clean, Destainer and Laundry Liquid
- Wilton Plastic Free Sponges
- LoofCo Kitchen Cloth, Washing Up Brush, Water Bottle Brush and Mini Washing Up Pad
- Bio D Cleansing Handwashes in Rosemary & Thyme, Fragrance Free, Plum & Mulberry, Lime and Aloe, Geranium & Grapefruit - available in 500ml pump bottles as well as 5L refills
- Bio D Concentrated Floor Cleaner
- Lavender & Lemon's cleaning range, including their All Purpose Cleaner, Cleaning Powder, Gentle Laundry Detergent and Washing Up Liquid, is a spa treatment for your home. Their All Purpose Cleaner is a great multipurpose product for cleaning down surfaces and acts as a great fabric freshener, too. Multipurpose products are another great way to save on storage space!
- Astonish have a huge range of affordable vegan cleaning products, including their Specialist Mould & Mildew Blaster, Oven & Grill Cleaner, Hob Cleaner and Grease Lifter. Remember to look for the Vegan Trademark!
For more home cleaning solutions that are kinder to animals and the planet, check out our cleaning blog under ‘Vegan Household Cleaning Alternatives’.
Spring Clean Your House Plants and Garden
Don't skip a spring clean for your plants and garden!
Spring cleaning your house plants can include removing discoloured and dead leaves, as well as giving leaves a gentle wipe with Sowvital's Aqua Leaf Cleanser to remove dust and impurities and support their natural shine, followed by a spritz of plant macronutrients from their House Plant Spritz for the growing season. This also acts as a pest deterrence and humidity booster. Make sure to re-pot any plants that have outgrown their pots with Fertile Fibre's Vegan Potting Compost, and give them a good watering, too.
Don't see gardening as a chore. A deep clean and reset for your garden or any outdoor living space will not only give it a new energy for spring, but time outdoors and the fresh air will do wonders for your mental health.
Bio D's Home & Garden Cleaner can be used on patios, paths, decking, driveways, greenhouses, water butts, waste bins, sinks and drains to clean and disinfect. Loofco's Gardeners Brush is great for cleaning pots, garden tools, muddy boots and trainers.
Have you mowed your lawn for the first time recently since Autumn? Help it spring to life with Andermatt's GroPure Lawn Care which is specifically designed for lawns to support lush green growth.
Spring is the perfect time to start sowing seeds - whether that's fruit and veg you can harvest, or fresh flowers to enjoy in the summer and make arrangements with. If you're new to gardening, don't forget that getting outside of your comfort zone and forming new habits is great for personal growth.
Some gardening products to get you started with growing directly in the ground or in pots:
- Natural Grower organic and peat-free Natural Compost
- Fertile Fibre organic and peat-free Vegan Seed Compost
- Florasoul Plant Booster All Purpose Seaweed Flakes to help promote growth, vitality, flowering, yield and fruit quality in a variety of plants
Restocking Your Essentials
Once you've completed your spring clearout and declutter, take stock of things that need refilling for the new season.
Household Essentials
- Bumboo Toilet Paper
- The Cheeky Panda Bamboo Kitchen Towels, Facial Tissues, Toilet Tissue, Wipes and Nappies
If you have the means and space to buy in bulk, Bumboo and Cheeky Panda offer this option. Fill and Bio D's refills are also a great way to avoid using excess packaging and can be better value for money.
Cupboard Staples
Once you've used up your cupboard staples nearing their use-by dates, restock with hearty vegan staples like Mr Organic's Olive Oil, Chopped Tomatoes, Tomato and Basil Soup, BBQ Baked Beans, Beluga Lentils and more. Suma, KTC, Clearpsring also have a range of cupboard essentials certified by us.
Easy Freezer Grabs
Keep some easy freezer meals and pre-prepped food stocked in your freezer to simplify your spring meals and cooking. Whether that's frozen peas or some pre-chopped onions and peppers, pre-made options for your little ones like the Vegan Fish Cakes we made, or Vegan Trademark certified frozen products you can stock up on for busier days. Check out Clive's Pies range of pies, nut roasts, quiches and tarts, Crack'd quiches, One Planet Pizza frozen pizzas or Moving Mountains' chicken, meat, pork and fish alternatives.
A Reset For Your Gut
Your gut likes a fresh start just as much as you and looking after your gut is another great way to reset your self-care. Try incorporating these gut-friendly foods as part of your spring habits (and beyond) to nourish your body and boost your well-being:
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods provide us with both prebiotics (nutrients that provide food for our gut bacteria) and probiotics (aka live microbes), which survive to reach our lower intestine. They can support our gut microbiome by encouraging growth of a variety of healthy bacteria that produce substances to strengthen the walls of our intestines. There are plenty of Vegan Trademark certified options available:
- Tempeh: The Toffoo Co Original Tempeh and Soy & Ginger Tempeh Marinated Pieces
- Kimchi: Jongga Mat Kimchi (Fish Free) and when you're eating out - Wagamamas Kimchee from their 'Extras' section or any vegan mains featuring their kimchee
- Sauerkraut: Organic Kitchen Organic Sauerkraut and Clearspring Bio Kitchen Organic Demeter Sauerkraut
- Miso: Clearspring Chickpea, White, Reduced Salt, Barley and Brown Rice miso pastes
Live Cultures
Live cultures survive the journey from mouth to gut where they can then multiply and also support the microbiome. Examples include:
- Yoghurt: The Coconut Collaborative Natural Coconut Yog and Vanilla Coconut Yog, Oykos Chocolate Stracciatella Yogurt Alternative and ASDA Soya Yogurt Alternative
- Yoghurt Drinks: Actimel Dairy Free Blueberry and Mango & Passion Fruit Yoghurt Drinks
- Kefir: PiQi Sparkling Kefir drinks
High-Fibre Foods and Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables
Your gut will love you for incorporating plenty of high-fibre foods like leafy greens, whole grains, beans, lentils, pulses, nuts and seeds into your meals. Aim for your five a day and a good variety of plant foods by eating seasonal spring produce and trying new fruits and vegetables. It's the perfect time to go on a spring forage for seasonal greens like wild garlic. The walk outdoors and taking in the new season and fresh air will positively impact your mental health. Just make sure to do your research and practice safe and responsible foraging.
Refresh Your Space
Spring is for new beginnings and it's a great time to switch up your decor or give any neglected or dull spaces a fresh lick of paint, for example. Check out Victory Colours' vegan wall paints in Manor White No. 1 and Wild Swimming No. 100.
Scenting your space is another great step to include in your spring reset routine. A few drops of Tisserand's citrussy pure essential oils like Bergamot and Grapefruit in a diffuser/oil burner, or burning scented candles, can make a huge difference to freshening your home. Lighting Langtree Botanics' spring Vernal candle is the perfect way to welcome the new season and relax to the delicate and invigorating scents of orange, neroli and cedarwood after spring cleaning. Check out their Aroma Truffles and Nature Sprites, too.
We hope our spring reset guide motivates you to make some positive changes and brings a sense of renewed energy for the new season. Make sure to tag us in your spring reset routine featuring Trademarked products on Instagram, TikTok and X (Twitter). Happy Spring!
By Vegan Society Digital Content Officer, Nishat Rahman
The views expressed by our bloggers are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
