Living Room Cleaning

Much is made about how to spring clean a living room, but we here at Dang Good Carpet and Furnace Cleaning have a different take on this. The living room is a high-traffic, highly visible area, and a messy one has a huge impact on the house and everyone in it. While you may feel the need to do a deep living room cleaning in the Spring, it’s an area of the home that needs attention year-round. 

But don’t worry! In this blog, we will discuss everything you need to know for living room cleaning tips and provide you with a living room cleaning checklist. So, are you ready? Let’s learn how to turn the dreaded clutter of the biggest room in the house into a place of calm relaxation for family and friends.

Clutter in the home often translates to clutter in the mind. Who wants to be overwhelmed by piles of laundry, toys and magazines? The more mess and clutter, the less quality sleep you get, the higher your chances of lower air quality (allergens, dust, mites) and the higher your stress (increased impatience, frustration with lost items, inability to relax in the room, embarrassed to have guests over, etc.). A good living room cleanup and organization helps with better mental and physical health and increased indoor air quality.

Living Room or Family Room? What is the Difference? 

 The terms living room and family room are used interchangeably, but in the interior design world, they actually mean two different things. The family room is the informal family and friend gathering space. The living room, on the other hand, is more formal.

In larger or estate homes, it is often adjacent to the formal dining room, so guests have an elegant place to repose after a meal or enjoy appetizers before the first seated course. It is also where more distinguished guests would be entertained.

While your teens would hang out in the family room and play video games, the living room is where you and the board members from the charity you support would have a lovely afternoon tea. Naturally, the presence of both a living room and a family room in the home is not necessary. It really depends on the size of the home and your particular lifestyle. 

There is a ton of flexibility in these terms too. The den downstairs could be the family room, while the upstairs living room is kept for company. Or, there could be one room that functions as both, with the TV off and the clutter removed when guests are over, and a cool playlist going and some comfy snacks and throw pillows around when it’s an informal hang-out time.

Why does this matter? Because how you organize the space will depend on whether its a living room, a family room, or a hybrid situation. As you go through the living room cleaning tips below and start re-organizing the space, keep its main function in mind. You’ll want a place for reading materials and games for a family room, an enclosed space like an ottoman with storage if it is the only entertaining space, or to remove those items entirely from a living room. Again, it is subjective, and really all depends on how you want the space to function.

The Test: Unexpected Guest Ready. 

This is a question you can ask yourself anytime to gauge the necessity of a cleanup (and to avoid procrastination). Is the living room ready for unexpected guests? Would you feel comfortable to have someone see it? Would you be scrambling to move things and have nowhere to put them? Anytime you answer “yes,” to those questions, it is time to re-evaluate. Do you need to clean? Get more storage? Or permanently remove items and clutter?

Remember, it’s not about having fancy brocade chairs and marble statues in a pristine room. It’s about the room functioning for you, your family and your guests. It doesn’t matter if every item is thrifted or your pictures are from the dollar store (hey, it’s a great place for photos, storage items and frames!). 

What matters is that you and your guests can comfortably use the space, and it is clean and free of excess dust.

But it’s the Most Used Room! How Can I Keep it Clean?

Before we get into the living room cleaning checklist, we do know that the living room, like the kitchen, sees heavy use. That means it is very hard to keep it clean and organized. Our living room cleaning tips for this are:

• Support the function of the room. If it’s a hangout, have open shelving for board games and video game controllers, end tables that can hold snacks, etc.
• This may not be the room for a high-end rug where you can’t have spills.
• Blinds are easier to wipe down than curtains that must be laundered.
• Have coasters to prevent rings on tables.
• Use fabric protectionon the couches for easy spill cleanup.
• Mount the TV on the wall to free up space.
• Make furniture do double duty: a couch can turn into a bed for overnight guests. Recliners make game day more comfortable. Coffee tables with storage cut down on clutter.

The Deep Living Room Cleaning Checklist. 

Now that you have identified the main function of the room(s), it’s time to clean.

• Gather your cleaning supplies
  • Broom
  • Vacuum
  • Microfibre dust cloths
  • Furniture polish, if required
  • A duster with an extended handle for the tops of bookcases, light fixtures and fan
  • Knee pads, if needed, for cleaning the baseboards
  • Window cleaner (commercial or homemade)

• Remove what you can
  • Anything that is cluttered and serves no purpose should go. Everything that is regularly used needs its place.
    • Too much furniture? Sell or donate the extra chairs or side tables.
    • Tons of magazines? Recycle them.
    • Lots of kids’ “artwork” and school projects? Make a digital photo album and let the items go.
    • Unused games, toys, cushions, etc.? Discard or donate.

• If possible and safe to do so, remove larger items, like couches, for a more thorough clean. However, if there is no space to move them, or they are too heavy, leave them and clean them under and around instead.

• Clean from top to bottom
  • Fan and light fixtures
  • Top of the window frames
  • Walls
  • Furniture
  • Flooring and Tile & Grout
  • Baseboards
  • Picture frames
  • Dust the décor
  • Wash the windows
  • Dust the shelves
  • Wipe and sanitize switches and doorknobs
  • Vacuum the furniture
  • Polish where necessary
  • Launder throw rugs and cushions
  • Clean the Gas Fireplace
  • Check the batteries and expiration date of any smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. No alarms? Install them.

• Organize the Space
  • Make use of space-saving items like furniture with storage.
  • Use vertical space. Install shelves on walls to hold items or use a bookcase.
  • Re-arrange the furniture, so there is good flow and effective use of space.

The Living Room Speed Clean.   

Once the living room is clean and organized, it’s easy to keep it that way. However, there will be times when life gets away from you or unexpected company is on the way. For those times, rely on these fast living room cleaning hacks.

• Quickly declutter items that don’t belong in the room (hoodies, laundry, sports gear, library books, homework, games, magazines and remotes)
• Toss out any garbage
• Dust the visible surfaces
• Lint-roll the couches and armchairs for crumbs and pet hair
• Fluff the pillows
• Clean glass surfaces with a glass cleaner and paper towel
• Vacuum Floors and Furniture to remove crumbs
• Open the window to freshen the air, or use a homemade (chemical-free) air freshener.

Keeping the Living Room Clean. 

A quick way to tackle a quick living room cleaning, (whether it is a deep clean or a fast, tidy up), is to follow this three-wave approach from Marc & Mandy:

• Wave 1 – Tidy/Organize/Declutter.
• Wave 2 – Dust Disinfect and Polish.
• Wave 3 – Take Care of floors and garbage.

How often is a Living Room Cleaning necessary?   

Keeping the living room clean will also depend on your family size and lifestyle. If you are a busy household or have pets, break cleaning up into different days (windows one day, floor the next day, dusting on another day). If you can do it all in under an hour and it stays tidy all week, then once a week would be enough.

Don’t overlook the benefit of hiring a cleaning company. Many cleaning services have flexible schedules, so you can choose daily, weekly, bi-monthly or monthly cleaning support. Also, look for cleaning and or even mental health support if the thought of decluttering paralyzes you into inaction.

Bonus Living Room Cleaning Hacks. 

Hacks You Need to Take Care of the Issues – Fast! Follow a weekly living room routine

• Do a quick tidy-up every night (clear garbage, remove items that don’t need to be there, etc.)
• Check out our Spring Cleaning Hacks and Carpet Cleaning Hacks
• Keep surfaces clean with ornaments and décor to a minimum for easy cleaning and an airy, open feel
• Quickly freshen curtains in the dryer
• No lint roller? A rubber glove or some masking tape wrapped with the sticky side out around your hand will do in a pinch!
• Use baking soda to deodorize furniture and carpets
• Use a sock to dust blind slats

Do you need Specialized Living Room Cleaning?   

If you live locally, Dang Good Carpet and Furnace Cleaning is on hand to keep your living room upholstery and carpeted floors in top shape. We have the equipment and experience needed to handle a variety of fabrics and carpeting, including delicate brocades and imported rugs. For all your deep cleaning carpet, window, furnace and duct, or upholstery needs, call us today.

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