Origin of "spring cleaning"

Some people have traced the origin of spring cleaning to the Iranian New Year, which is on the first day of spring. However, it seems like I can find earlier origins of this. What is the true origin of the phrase "spring cleaning" and why do we use it so much (why not another season – for example, places like Scotland, Ireland, and Japan clean in winter)? Does it have something to the with human biology or is it just a word preference?