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When did you feel like you had a grown-up home? Maybe it’s when you get rid of your parents’ hand-me-down couch, or your first time living alone after years of having roommates. That was the case for Maya, who just moved from a roommate share in San Francisco to her own apartment in New York. Maya wanted to lean into her solo space by making her new bedroom feel extra lush and special.“My bedroom is where I like to read, relax, and reset,” Maya says.

Most of us clean on autopilot: We have our time-tested routines, and each session is pretty much a copy-paste job. It may work okay, but we’re likely missing tweaks and upgrades that can make the job a lot easier — and get our homes a lot cleaner. Consider the floors. If your routine involves a vacuum step and then a mopping step, it’s time for an update.

The fresh feeling of a big spring clean is unbeatable, but we don’t always have the time — or energy — to commit to a full day of scrubbing and scouring. That’s why Katie Maguire, Apartment Therapy Director of Shopping Content Strategy, does mini spring cleans: bite-sized tasks that add up to a deeper clean.“Breaking cleaning into smaller tasks feels manageable instead of overwhelming,” Katie says.

Cleaning isn’t just sweeping crumbs and scrubbing surfaces. Showing our home extra love is also a way to restore mental and emotional balance at home — especially after a long winter. For Apartment Therapy style editor Emma Dangel, spring cleaning the Brooklyn apartment she shares with her senior cat, Phoebe, helps her feel more grounded and productive as she heads into a new season.“My place feels so stale after spending all winter cooped up with Phoebe,” Emma says.

As the owner of two (tiny, perfect) dogs, Apartment Therapy editor-in-chief Charli Penn knows that pet dander has an uncanny ability to multiply. To keep their home feeling fresh — and keep their allergies in check — Charli and her husband rely on a weekly cleaning routine. And after a snowy, rainy winter, that routine was extra important.“Our home felt stuffy, dusty, and the opposite of fresh — full deep winter vibes,” Charli says.

A new baby changes everything, including how you use your home. With their first little one on the way, Monika and her husband Ryan decided it was time to turn their bedroom into a more comfortable spot for late nights, early mornings, and family snuggles.“We wanted to make it cozy yet functional, so that we would be ready to share the room with a baby once he arrives,” Monika says.