Simple Midwinter Home Reset (No Spring Cleaning Required!) -

Shop This Post

These simple midwinter home reset ideas are small changes that will make your home feel fresh, calm, and cozy while you wait for spring.

Midwinter home refresh in the kitchen with a stand of chocolate chip muffins. — *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains other affiliate links too for your convenience. You can read my privacy policy for more details.

Oh February.

You’re a tough little month.

You don’t have many days, but you sure do feel long.

Winter still has a firm grip on us in the Northeast and spring feels close enough to think about, but not close enough to enjoy.

This is usually the point where I start to get the itch.

Not to overhaul the house or jump straight into spring, but to do something.

Anything.

To lighten things up a bit.

To make our home feel less weighed down by winter and more like it’s preparing for the next season.

That’s where a simple winter home reset comes in.

Nothing drastic.

No deep spring cleaning…yes!!!

Just small, intentional changes that help our home feel a little more refreshed as we move through the last months of winter.

Why Midwinter is the Perfect Time for a Home Reset

White couch with green and beige throw pillows on the couch with a basket hanging on the wall for easy home decor.

While it’s not necessarily time for spring cleaning, this time of year is a good time to take a look around and notice how your home is feeling.

Things tend to build up by this point in winter.

Extra layers stay out.

{Boots, gloves, and scarves I’m looking at you.}

Surfaces collect more than usual.

Spaces that felt cozy in December can start to feel a little heavy.

A midwinter refresh is great because it’s manageable.

You’re not trying to tackle entire rooms or closets.

You’re simply adjusting.

Clearing a few surfaces, swapping out a textile or two, and removing anything that no longer feels necessary right now.

Think of a midwinter home edit as, let’s call it maintenance, not a makeover.

It’s about making winter feel a little lighter and your home a little easier to live in without rushing ahead to spring or adding more to your plate.

Why You’ll Love Refreshing Your Home Mid-Winter

Winter routines have fully settled in, making it easier to see what feels heavy or unnecessary.
You’re spending more time at home, so small changes have an immediate impact.
It’s early enough to refresh without rushing into spring decorating.
Simple, manageable updates are easier to keep up with.
Editing now will make the transition into spring feel calmer.

5 Quick, Simple, & Easy Midwinter Home Edit Ideas

A home refresh DOES NOT need to be complicated.

These simple ideas are meant to help your home feel refreshed, functional, and more manageable as we move through the rest of winter.

Clean and Declutter…Small Spaces Only

Refreshing your home midwinter does not mean you have to do a full blown spring cleaning.

I want to reiterate that this isn’t about pulling everything out or tackling big projects.

Instead, it’s the perfect time to clean and declutter the small spaces you’ve probably been secretly eyeing for a while.

Like…

A single kitchen drawer or cabinet.
The entryway catch-all.
Your nightstand or bedside drawer.
A bathroom vanity or medicine cabinet.
A basket or bin that’s become a dumping ground.

Set a timer for 10–15 minutes and work within that space only.

Toss what you don’t need, wipe things down, and put everything back with intention.

I’m Heidi, the heart and hands behind Eleanor Rose Home.

Heidi and her dachshund rescue Eleanor Roosevelt.

I’ll show you that your home can become a place of warmth, comfort, and style with practical tips, creative ideas, and my own journey to help you create a space that feels like you…welcoming, personal, and full of charm.

More About me See more home decor

Start With the Surfaces You See Every Day

Practical kitchen pieces that you can decorate with in your home include kitchen towels, glass canisters, and baskets with linens.

The fastest way to make your home feel better is to start with the surfaces you interact with daily.

These are the places that collect clutter and over time, can make a spot in your home feel more chaotic than it really is.

You don’t need to tackle an entire room.

Focusing on just one or two surfaces can immediately create a sense of order and calm.

The best places to start:

Kitchen Counters
Coffee Tables
Entryway Tables or Console Tables
Nightstands
Bathroom Counters

Clear everything off the surface first.

This step matters more than it sounds.

It helps you see the space with fresh eyes and decide what truly needs to live there.

As you put things back, be intentional.

Ask yourself:

Do I use this every day or almost every day?
Does this add function or warmth to the space?
Would this surface feel better with less items?

COZY TIP: If you’re unsure about an item, remove it temporarily. Live without it for a week and see if you miss it. More often than not, you won’t!

Edit Decor Instead of Adding More

Mid-winter home edit in the living room with just a few throw pillows on the couch and framed art on the wall.

We touched on this in the last section, but mid-winter isn’t the time to add more decor, it’s the time to take a step back and edit what’s already on display.

By this point in the winter season, our homes have accumulated extra layers, extra pieces, and extra stuff that once felt cozy, but now feels a little heavy.

Editing doesn’t mean stripping everything away.

It simply means being honest about what’s still working for this season.

When editing decor, focus on removing pieces that:

Feel heavy or visually cluttered.
Were added specifically for early winter or the holidays.
Are sitting out “just because” rather than serving a purpose.
Block light or make surfaces feel crowded.
Don’t add warmth, function, or meaning to the space.

cozy ideas delivered to your inbox

When you join our newsletter!

Freshen the Air (Without Opening the Windows)

Spring simmering pot recipe with blueberries, lemons, and sprigs of rosemary.

I don’t know about in your house, but in ours, the air is starting to feel a little stale.

The windows have been closed for months and the heat is running nonstop, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

But here’s the good news…

Freshening the air doesn’t have to mean freezing your house or waiting for spring.

Small changes can make a big difference.

These are a few things I like to do:

Have a simmer pot on the stove filled lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, and fresh rosemary.
Burn lighter, cleaner smelling candles for late winter.
Wash throw blankets and pillow covers.
Wipe down light switches, door handles, and frequently touched surfaces to keep the germs away. (I do this weekly, sometimes daily.)
Clean lampshades and light bulbs. You won’t believe how much this can make a room feel fresher!
Add an arrangement of fresh flowers to the kitchen, even a simple bouquet from the grocery store works.
Bake something simple like muffins or a loaf of bread.

What is the best way to clean a lampshade?

Start by using a lint roller or the upholstery attachment on your vacuum to remove dust. For light spots, gently wipe with a soft cloth dampened with mild soap and water, then let the shade air dry completely. Do not soak lampshades or using harsh cleaners as this can damage the fabric and shape.

COZY TIP: Cracking a window for five minutes on a milder day can help circulate the air without dropping the temperature too much inside your home.

Reset One Small Habit That Affects Your Home

Heidi of Eleanor Rose Home making the bed in her bedroom to begin the habit of doing it daily to refresh her home.

Think of a home edit as more than how your home looks, but how it functions day to day.

Sometimes the biggest difference comes from resetting one small habit that’s impacting your space.

The goal is to choose something simple and realistic that makes your home feel easier to live in.

Pick one habit and focus on that for the rest of the month.

When it becomes routine, your home naturally feels more pulled together without any extra effort or added decor.

Small habits worth resetting:

Clearing kitchen counters or the sink every night.
Making your bed every morning.
Putting things back where they belong instead of setting them down “for now”.
Opening curtains or blinds when you wake up.
Doing a quick five minute tidy in the main living area.
Emptying bags, bins, or backpacks as soon as you walk in the door.

Hey friend! What can I help you find?

Search our entire site!

Simple Home Refresh February Checklist

Maybe this still feels a little overwhelming for you, and that’s okay.

This isn’t meant to be another long list of things you should be doing.

It’s a pick-one-or-two situation, not an all-or-nothing task.

If you only do one thing from this list, that still counts.

Clear and reset one surface you see every day.
Edit decor by removing one or two items that feel heavy or cluttered.
Clean and declutter one small space or drawer.
Freshen the air with a candle, simmer pot, or quick fabric refresh.
Reset one small habit that helps your home feel more put together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a February home reset the same as spring cleaning?
No. A refresh in February is much lighter. It’s about editing, refreshing, and tackling small spaces, not deep cleaning or reorganizing your entire home.

How long should a home refresh take?
As long or as short as you need. You can complete a reset in 15 minutes by clearing one surface or spread it out over a few days. There’s no timeline to follow.

Do I need to buy anything for a home reset?
Not at all. Focus on using what you already have like editing decor, cleaning small areas, and refreshing habits rather than adding new items.

What’s the best place to start if I feel overwhelmed?
Start with one visible surface or one small drawer. Quick wins help build momentum without turning this into a big project.