10 Ways to Freshen Up Your Home (When You Can’t Do a Deep Clean)

Something about the summer heat makes it really hard for me to find the motivation to clean our house. Or maybe it’s the fact that we end up repeatedly tracking sand and dirt in the house anyways so it almost doesn’t feel worth it? Or realistically, it’s probably just that I don’t want to spend these precious sunny days indoors running our vacuum cleaner. Regardless of why, the fact of the matter is that I simply don’t like cleaning in the summer.

Rather than diving into a full deep clean, I more often than not like to do small little cleaning spurts that freshen up our space without taking too much time or effort. And although a big deep clean of our home feels really satisfying, I have realized that even these small efforts can go a really long way in refreshing our home. If you find yourself with a similar mindset around summer cleaning routines, maybe you would enjoy trying one of these ideas the next time you want to freshen up your space without going all in.

Wash Your Windows

I find that simply cleaning the glass on our windows (whether inside, outside, or both) can go a really long way in making our space feel more put together. We usually have a lot of little hand prints on ours, so a quick wash allows more light to shine through and makes every surface feel more tidy. Bonus points if you can get those little dirty hands that make the prints to help you with the washing - Mabel loves helping me wipe down the windows.

Sweep Off Your Front Stoop or Porch

Take a few minutes to freshen up the entry space to your home, regardless of whether you have a full covered porch or just a step or two up to your door. Sweep, wipe, rearrange, and shake out your rugs. Freshening up the entrance to your home can go a long way in helping your entire home feel refreshed and clean and even though it shouldn’t be your main priority, it sets a great first impression for guests. I love coming home to a fresh entryway and feeling the instant peace wash over me.

Reorganize One Small Space

You may not be able to tackle your whole home, but organizing one small space like a closet, drawer, or cupboard can really contribute to your peace of mind. We rarely think about these little spaces because they are often behind closed doors, but their disorganization can actually cause quite a bit of stress in our lives. Starting small on one little space requires only a small investment of time but makes a big impact. Plus once you do a few of these small spaces, your home will start to feel more organized overall.

Start An Ongoing Donation Pile

Set up a cardboard box that is easily accessible so you can slowly set aside items that you no longer need. I find that as I regularly tidy our home, I come across items that I want to donate. Instead of putting them away again and waiting for a big decluttering moment to come along, it’s easier to just set them aside right away while they are at the top of my mind. It’s best to set up your boxes somewhere outside of your main living space, like in your basement or your garage so that they are out of sight but still easily accessible. Once mine fills up, I know it is time to take a trip to our local donation centre. And then repeat.

Open Your Windows

This one is literally effortless! It’s amazing how much better your space feels when you get some air flow and fresh air blowing through your home.

Find a Home For Random Items

There is always a space or two in your home that accumulates random items (hello shallow little kitchen counter, I’m talking to you). We always drop mail, keys, chargers, and other little bits and pieces in these unintentional collection zones. Take a moment to tidy up those spaces by returning items to their regular spot or finding a new home for items that don’t have a regular spot. And if all else fails, little baskets are great for corralling random items to make them feel a little more organized (we use this cute tray for corralling car keys and I love how you can hang this one on a hook or door knob).

Deep Clean One Single Room

Even if I don’t have time to do a full deep clean of my house, I likely have at least have 20-30 minutes to spare for a deep clean of one single room. I personally don’t like cleaning if I can’t keep going, but then I just don’t ever find the time to do the big clean that I want to. I have been trying to accept the fact that one well-cleaned space is better than none. I like to put on a podcast or a good playlist and dive in to one room - usually a bathroom. Even one single clean space feels so satisfying when it’s all said and done.

Change Out Some Artwork

If you have been around for a while, you know that I am a huge advocate for the power that artwork carries in a space. If you are looking for a way to make your home feel fresh, change up some of the visuals around you. You could do this seasonally (I recently shared a collection of affordable summery art prints), once a year, or whenever you feel it’s time for a change. Even if you don’t want to invest in new artwork, simply just swap around what you have from room to room. You may surprise yourself with how much you like the new location of some pieces and may even feel inspired to make other changes in that space too. We get so used to how our space looks that even one little visual shift can completely transform our experience of how it feels to be in there.

Clean Out Your Pantry or Fridge

These two kitchen areas tend to become clutter zones. You likely still know exactly where everything is, but because of that, it’s too easy to settle into the clutter of these spaces. Clean out old food, consolidate packages, give your shelves a wipe down, and put everything back in an organized way. Doing this allows you to see exactly what you have and because of that, it may even inspire you to freshen up your cooking routines too.

Fresh Cut Flowers (or Any Plants)

Treat yourself to a simple grocery store bouquet, snip some from your garden, grab a potted herb, or propagate a new house plant. By bringing natural elements into your space, you instantly make it feel more inviting and fresh, not to mention the refreshing smell and emotional joy some fresh plants provide. It’s always worth it.

Those are my tried and true top ten tips that work wonders in these warm summer months when the last thing I feel like doing is cleaning. I find that once the Fall rolls around, I feel more motivated to do a big seasonal clean, but until then, these tricks help to hold me over. Do you have any tips you would add to this list? I always love hearing the ideas that other people have in their cleaning routines.

Until the next deep clean, happy freshening!