5 things to do when preparing your strata property for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the ideal time to cleanse your life— starting with your strata property

In many Asian cultures, Chinese New Year preparations begin early and set the tone for the 12 months ahead. Observing the new year provides an opportunity for a fresh start, so it’s wise to begin with good intentions for a year of luck, health, and prosperity. Preparations in the lead-up are said to increase the chance of good fortune being bestowed on your home. With this in mind, here are some tips for preparing your strata property for Lunar New Year.Here are 5 fresh tips and ideas to help you prepare your strata property for Chinese New Year:

1. Clean and sweep your home
2. Spend quality time decluttering
3. Decorate your home
4. Rearrange the furniture
5. Plan and complete renovations

1. Cleaning and sweeping the house

Chinese tradition advises a deep clean of your home before the start of the new year. It gets rid of past misfortune and opens up spaces to welcome in future good luck.

However, cleaning on the first day of the new year is considered taboo – you might sweep away all the good luck that has just arrived.

Here’s a quick list of cleaning suggestions in the lead-up:

• Sweep and vacuum every room
• Clean the front of your house, so it looks welcoming
• Clean out all the kitchen and bathroom cupboards
• Take out all the rubbish before the new year
• Do your laundry before the first day.

Spend quality time decluttering

Disposing of unused items and decluttering your house can be very cathartic and an invitation to good luck. Clean out your old drawers, throw out dead plants, and tidy up to make room for better things to come. And don’t forget outside areas – they should all get the same treatment.

Tasks you complete when preparing your home for Chinese New Year could include:

• Cleaning out all the cupboards and drawers
• Taking unwanted clothing to the op shop
• Scrapping old or unused pantry and kitchen items
• Disposing of expired food, medicine and makeup
• Mowing the lawn and weed the garden.

Decorate your home

Decorations add a festive flair to your home. Traditionally, ornate red banners adorned with golden Chinese calligraphy, known as chūnlián, are hung around the house to usher in prosperity for the new year.

Other options for decorating your strata property for Chinese New Year include flowers and plants to brighten and add a fresh feeling of renewal to your home. Flowers such as narcissus are considered especially auspicious, as are flowering branches such as peach or pussy willow.

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When preparing your strata property for Chinese New Year, you could consider rearranging furniture using Feng Shui techniques. Feng Shui aims to achieve balance in your living space, maximising the potential for success in all areas of your life. This ancient art studies the flow and movement of energy, offering the greatest benefit to the inhabitants.

Start with your home entrance – the front of your house represents wealth and should be perfect. Draw energy to your front door by placing a beautiful plant or light on either side of it.

Another place to consider is your living room. Ensure all furniture is in proportion to space and that nothing is blocking the doors. Place a lamp in the room’s corner (diagonally opposite the room door) to attract wealth energy.

5. Plan and complete repairs and renovations

The new year is an excellent time to complete those renovations and repairs you’ve been planning finally. Tradition says good luck won’t enter a home in disrepair – so make sure your home looks inviting.

You can also do a quick pass through the house to find easy fixes such as:

• Oil a squeaky door or cabinet hinge,
• Touching-up scuffed wall paint
• Repairing leaking taps
• Removing leaves from the guttering.

Completing these little jobs when preparing your strata property for Chinese New Year will help keep your home in good order, allowing good energy to enter.To access our full range of strata resources or to stay up to date on regular updates, sign up to receive our quarterly newsletter. For a consultation to review your by-laws, our Kemps Petersons Legal team is at your service to assist. Or, one of our team members can assist you with a free assessment – it’s free and carries no obligation.