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Living Room Cleaning Guide

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Your living room is the room most people spend a lot of time in. It gets its name for a reason – you kind of LIVE in it, after all. As a result, it can get rather messy very quickly. Whether you have children’s toys cluttering it up, half-done projects taking up space, or the room has become a sort of “catch-all” area, it’s probably time to tackle the cleaning of this very important space.

If you’re just looking for a quick and easy printable checklist, scroll down to the bottom of the page to grab our free one-page guide to help you stay on task. It’s really easy to follow and helps you get your living room cleaned up in no time!

How to Clean Your Living Room

There are three different versions of cleaning your living room. There’s the deep clean, which should probably done once a month. There’s the standard clean, which should be done daily or at least weekly. And there’s the quick clean, which is the version you do when your mother-in-law is coming over in ten minutes, and you can’t even remember where the vacuum was last used.

Quick Clean

The secret to the quick clean is to sort. Really, this is the secret to all cleaning. Sorting is your friend. But when you have limited time to clean, make sure you break the cleaning down into easy steps. If you have family members who can help, this is even more important. Grab the kids, grab the life partner and start assigning tasks.

Give the room a brief once-over and assess the categories of things that need put away. For instance:

  • Clothes
  • Dishes
  • Toys
  • Books
  • Big garbage
  • Small garbage
  • Sporting equipment
  • Blankets/Pillows
  • Games

Once you have an idea in your head of the different categories, assign them to each person. Kid one is in charge of grabbing every piece of clothing and running them to the laundry. Kid 2 gets to grab all of the dishes and run them to the kitchen (even better if they can place them neatly in the sink or dishwasher!).

Grab a garbage bag or bring in the garbage can to collect the small garbage, and anything large can be taken straight to the outside bins.

Fold blankets and arrange pillows neatly. Organize and put away books, games and toys.

Grab a broom or vacuum to sweep up whatever is left on the floors, and neaten up anything that is on the surfaces that you can’t easily put away before company arrives.

The goal is not to make things look perfect. The goal is to look like THIS is your starting point, not your ending point.

Standard Clean

A standard clean can be similar to a quick clean in many ways, but it’s not nearly so stressful – mostly because you have a lot more time to get it done. It begins once again with sorting. Looking at your room as a series of tasks will help you to create a mental (or actual) checklist.

To clean properly, it is important to eliminate the clutter in the room first. Once again, you’ll need to get rid of anything that is taking up space on the floors, furniture or surfaces. Put away all toys, games, books, and other clutter. Make sure everything that is supposed to be there is in its correct spot.

Vacuum or sweep your floors, making sure to check under areas that you can’t normally see, like the edges of the couch or coffee tables. You don’t have to move furniture around if you aren’t up to it. But the first few inches are often seen from a few feet away, so be sure to step back and look. Check between the cushions of the couches and chairs for any crumbs or wrappers. Dust or wipe down any surfaces, and look for any dropped food or spilled drinks.

Arrange any decorative items so that everything looks nice. Check all cords to make sure they are not trip hazards. Fluff up the cushions and pillows, fold throw blankets, and open the blinds and curtains.

Do one last look around to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

The more often you do a standard clean, the less you’ll have to do each time. Daily cleaning will mean only minor tweaks each day, whereas weekly clean ups may mean you’ll have a lot more to do each time.

Deep Clean

Once a month or so, it is prudent to do a deep clean on your living room. This helps to prevent a build up of dust, dirt and germs that might otherwise keep your air unclean and make you sick. If you have pets, this will also help to keep your home from becoming overrun with fur and dander.

A deep clean will involve all of the same things a standard clean will, but it goes a few steps further. Prep your space by removing any floor and mantle decor, as well as your light fixtures. Remove all throws and pillows, as well as sofa cushions and slipcovers. Also remove any junk from the coffee table if you have one.

Get a load of laundry started with your throws and slipcovers inside, following the instructions on their labels. You don’t have to do this every month, of course, but if they are obviously dirty, or every three months at least.

Vacuum any crumbs and dirt from the sofa and any other seating in the room. For leather furniture, be sure to wipe down any dust with leather-appropriate cleaner, the moisturize the leather.

Head over to your windows, where you will want to dust your blinds, then remove and wash your curtains (if necessary, or once every three months). Clean the windows with glass cleaner, and clean the window sills, including the window slides with all-purpose cleaner.

If you have removed your light fixtures, carefully wash them with soap and water, then dry them well and replace them. Otherwise, give them a good dusting, along with any ceiling fans. Get an extendable microfiber duster to make it easier. Run it along the edge where the wall meets the ceiling while you’ve got it out!

Dust and wipe clean your electronic consoles and the TV/Home Theater area as well as the fireplace and mantle area if it applies.

Take any of the decor that was removed, wipe it down, and replace it where it belongs. Or if you feel like it, try it out in a new spot!

Replace any throw blankets and slip covers that were removed, making sure they are in place, wrinkle free and fit as expected.

Sprinkle baking soda on any carpeted areas or rugs, then let it sit for 15 minutes or so. When it has had enough time, vacuum it up. If you are in the market for a new vacuum, I HIGHLY suggest this one, as it works on carpet and hard wood, and it has been a game changer since we got it! Plus it’s pretty dang affordable.

Finally, you should mop your floors, if this applies to you, and make sure you check them for any areas that are sticky or gummy. I swear we find so much crud on our floors every month that we had no idea was there. It’s insane.

If you want to grab our free printable living room cleaning checklist, just grab it below. Just print it out and use it the next time you need to really get that deep clean. After all, it’s always nice to relax in a truly clean room!

Living Room Cleaning Checklist Printable

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