The Living Room – Day 5 – 7 Days to a Cleaner Home
This is part 5 of the series 7 Days to a Cleaner Home This series details how I get my whole house in company order in the space of 7 days.
In my opinion, the living room and/or family rooms are fairly easy to clean.
Although in some households with children, especially small ones, these rooms can get quite a workout. Putting these rooms back in a nice clean order usually means removing the clutter and a dust cloth applied here and there.
So let’s begin…
Your 7 Days to a Clean Home Living Room Cleaning Method
In addition to your dry room cleaning kit get a large basket and a garbage bag. (A Laundry basket works just as well). Put these items at the entrance to your living room.
- Go around your living room and pick up and toss trash into the garbage bag.
- Then, put items that don’t belong in the living room such as clothing or toys in the basket.
- Next, gather all of the newspapers and magazines laying around. Recycle what you don’t need or want anymore and then stack the stuff you still want neatly somewhere such as a bookshelf or tabletop. Make it a goal to take 10 minutes a week (or minutes a day) to go through these things if they tend to get out of hand in your home.
- It’s time to start dusting. Take a long handled duster<= Amazon link (oh please say you have one they are so great) and run it along the ceiling corners, over the door jam and behind the door. Then finish off by running it along your baseboards!
- Now straighten the sofa cushions and any blanket throws. Do you have pets? You might need to go over the couches with a damp sponge or a sticky roller. I use a damp sponge and I keep the couches covered in pet friendly throw blankets because cats are sneaky and will get up there when you aren’t looking.
- Go to the bookshelves in the room and straighten them and dust the exposed shelving in front of them and the books themselves. Do this quickly. If you have a feather duster dust the knick knacks. (keep in mind this is not deep cleaning. This is getting-it-done cleaning)
- Dust any lamps and lampshades.
- Dust the hanging pictures and paintings (careful). With a duster, it goes quickly but it’s not as thorough. Our goal here is quick.
- Now vacuum your carpet. No, not under the couch, just in front of it. Moving furniture is for Spring Cleaning. Vacuum the middle of the room and any exposed areas. If you have uncarpeted flooring in this room then sweep and dry dust it.
- Lastly, open a window to let in fresh air.
The living room is a fairly easy room to clean but let it go without dusting and pickup and it can quickly get out of hand. It’s one of the first rooms your guests see so do take steps to keep it neat and organized…
- Have bins for children’s toys
- Recycle newspapers and magazines daily.
- Dust often.
- Clean any windows, glass surfaces and mirrors every so often. This will make a difference.
- Tidy this room each night before heading off to bed.
You’re done!
Turn out the lights and pat yourself on the back.
Tomorrow get ready for the dining room…
