8 Simple, Free 10-Minute Refreshes That Will Make You Fall In Love With Your Home Again

Whether you already have romantic plans or Galentine’s plans or children you’ll be making Valentines with, there are always more ways to give and receive love. One way to spread love is to care for your home.

Home is your safest space and giving it love will make you feel more comfortable and, ultimately, feel more loved yourself. Freshly cleaned spaces, tended to with care, emanate a feeling that envelops the inhabitants—leaving behind warm fuzzies that multiply.

If you want to enjoy some of those warm fuzzies but don’t know where to start, here are some ideas for ways to love on your home so it can love on you:

Nothing makes a home feel fresher than spic-and-span, fresh smelling floors with not a crumb or dust speck to be found.

Moving a reading chair or switching up some art creates new invitations for relaxation and reflection. Seeing and feeling things anew, even from tiny tweaks, makes you feel alive and happy.

Caring for plants is relaxing and having them in a room makes it full of life. Take a moment to wipe your plants’ leaves, check the water levels, and pluck off anything wilted or dead. Your plants being refreshed will refresh your space—and you.

There can never be too much verdure in a home. Grab a vase or jar, some pruning shears or scissors, and cut a few stems from outside to bring into your home. Set them on your desk, nightstand, or kitchen table.

A desk drawer, your junk drawer, the jewelry drawer in your closet. Pick one and take everything out. Sort everything, get rid of anything you no longer want, and place it all back neatly. You’ll get a little thrill every time you open it.

Many throw pillows can be washed on a delicate cycle with a mild detergent and then dried and fluffed on a no- or low-heat setting. For pillows that can’t be washed, try sprinkling them with a bit of baking soda and then vacuuming them.

That collection of papers you need to go through, the laundry basket of clothing you want to post to sell, the laundry mountain that’s growing by the day. Choose one thing to finish to completion. You’ll feel so good when it’s done.

Even my kids wax appreciative when their desks are completely cleared off and Magic Eraser-ed to white, clean-slate perfection. Give this gift to yourself. Deal with papers that have accumulated, put items that have collected away, and don’t stop until only what lives on your desktop remains. Then wipe it down, admire, and enjoy.