Dining Room Cleaning Ideas

How often do you think of your dining room? Is it just there, usually not a topic of conversation, or given any thought outside of Thanksgiving or Christmas? That’s a shame because the dining room is just as pivotal to the home as the kitchen – and often just as problematic.

Comfortable social gathering rooms tend to attract a lot of clutter. They are also magnets for accessories and gadgets that are seldom used, creating even more clutter. How many impressive centrepieces for the table are in storage, for instance? And is your dining room table accessible, or is it covered in homework, functioning as a work-from-home office or a laundry folding table?

This blog will explore everything you need to know about proper dining room cleaning and give you dining room decluttering tips so you can reclaim this important space.

What Does Your Dining Room Mean to You? 

Before embarking on a dining room cleaning, take a few moments to think about what you use it for now and what you might wish to use it for in the future. What you decide will ultimately determine how you organize and arrange the room. 

For example, if the dining room is the site of crafting and play, storage options that will close to hide craft supplies are ideal. If the dining room is a sacred place for socializing, how easily can you use it for a dinner party if needed? Perhaps the dining room doubles as a home office or breakfast/lunch room? You’ll need to set things up so chargers are not tripping hazards and chairs are ergonomically correct or easily adapted using lumbar or seating pads.

How Cluttered Is the Dining Room?

If the dining room is less of a dining room and more of a cluttered dumping ground, this needs to be addressed first. The dining room may be highly visible, and the clutter and mess are not good for you or your home. Spend time decluttering the kitchen and the dining room before cleaning and reorganizing. Once a year, commit to a dining room cleaning – a spring cleaning session to keep clutter from creeping back and address those seldom cleaned areas like the table legs and the tops of the French doors.

How Functional Is Your Dining Room? 

Before we get into our dining room cleaning tips, let’s address the room’s functionality. Is it seldom used because the table is too big or too small? Are there enough chairs for everyone? Do you know where the table leaf is stored? Is the amount of storage appropriate? How fast can you convert the homeschool setup to a space for a family dinner?

How you organize the space will depend on its functionality. While it is important to have a clean and organized space for meals, it is okay for the space to do double duty. Just ensure that you have the right systems in place to quickly and easily transform the dining room from an office, homeschool, or craft table into a place for a sit-down meal.

Embarking on the Dining Room Cleaning. 

Now that you have considered how you want the dining room to function and what you’ll need to get it there (different tables, storage solutions, more or less chairs, etc.) it’s time for the deep clean. Our simple dining room cleaning checklist will help you make quick work of this, and these tips will make the process even more fun and efficient:

• Enlist the help of family members. Give everyone a job to do.
• There is nothing wrong with cleaning to a soundtrack of your favourite tunes!
• Put pets in a different room if possible so they don’t scatter things about and hold up the process.
• Schedule the cleaning to be completed in one day, with an extra day for painting, replacing furniture or other big jobs. Don’t let the process drag out, or you will have a bigger and more frustrating mess to deal with. Do you need some visual inspiration? Check out Amber’s Deep Dining Room Cleaning Video.

Are you ready to start?

Dining Room Cleaning Checklist. 

Here are our best dining room cleaning action items so you don’t forget anything.

Remove the Clutter. 

Keep mail off the table by putting a mail sorting rack in the hall or foyer.
Keep magazines in a decorative box. Once the box is full, recycle the old magazines.
Put kid’s crafts and toys in accessible, closeable totes.
Remove the pet dishes and beds unless they can be placed in a corner out of the way to avoid accidentally stepping on them.
Remove any laundry. Keep baskets in each person’s room for their clean laundry so they can put their personal things away.
Do you have too many chairs? Or an unused sideboard? What about useless barstools? Or an old side table? Purge the things you don’t use.

Clean from the Top Down. 

Clean ceilings, lights, fans, cobwebs,
walls, light switches
shelves,
paintings.
Windows – clean and open them for some airing.
Clean window ledges, window screens, window tracks
Clean doors and doorknobs,
floor registers and vents.

Dust Everything with A Microfiber Cloth. 

A Microfiber Cloth helps trap and hold the dust.

Dust Tables and Chairs
Dust Cabinets
Dust Pictures, Mirrors and Photographs
Dust Door Ledges and Skirting Boards
Dust ornaments: salt/pepper shakers, candle holders, napkin holders

Sanitize Hard Surfaces and Placemats. 

Wipe Sideboards.
Wipe Tabletops,
Chairs.
Wash Cloth Placemats.
Wipe Glass or Plastic Placemats.
Replace Worn, Scratched or Outdated Placemats

Polish Wood and Glass. 

You can make your own natural wood polish
For commercial polishes, check out this list from Good Housekeeping

Vacuum. 

Chairs – look for crumbs in the creases.
Floors (use the right attachment for wood, lino or tile).
Vacuum carpets, area rugs, floor runners.

Wash the Floors. 

 Martha Steward has a great article on how to clean every type of floor.

Organize the Dining Room. 

Organize the dining room so that it serves its intended purpose but also quickly converts back to a dining space when needed.

• If it is also an office or homeschool space, set up your electronics with the cords tucked safely against the wall or underfloor runners and mats.
• Infuse the space with some fun for the kids by using bright and colourful area rugs and displaying their art on the walls.
• Have a bin or storage cube with a lid for your work items.
• Use mats under laptops to prevent scratching the table.
• Look into dual-function furniture. A cabinet with glass doors can display heirloom dishes, and drawers can hold paper, pens, etc.
• Don’t let the sideboard be a spot where clutter collects. Use it to display or hold a select number of useful items.
• Short on space? Leverage vertical storage or investigate ideas for a small dining room.

The Problem of Pets in the Dining Room. 

Our furry friends are part of the family, but keeping these particular family members off the table can be hard! Cats love to be the centrepiece. Dogs perch on chairs. There is always that fateful pawprint in the middle of the Zen Garden on the table….

If possible, it is best to train your pets to stay off the table and chairs for health and sanitary reasons. However, anyone with pets (especially cats) knows this can be a difficult task. Here are a few ways to share the space.

• Buy a PVC tablecloth that can be quickly and easily wiped down before each meal.
• Buy plastic chair covers.
• Use removable, washable chair pads.
• Keep the tablecloth or cloth placemats off the table until ready for use.
• Wipe down the table before setting it.
• Don’t keep tempting treats on the table between meals. Food attracts curious pets.
• Use a citrus-scented cleaner to help keep the kitty off the table. Cats do not like the smell of citrus.

Don’t Overlook the Silverware. 

Like the fancy dinner set, good silverware sits in a box or drawer until it’s time to shine at a dinner party. When you are cleaning and organizing the dining room, don’t overlook the silverware.
Even if you don’t use real, heritage, or antique silver, your cutlery can always benefit from a good polish.

• Remove the cutlery and clean out the drawers to eliminate crumbs and dust.
• If you don’t already have a cutlery organizer, purchase one.
• Purchase single, long trays if your drawers are too small for standard cutlery organizers.
• Polish the Silver Cutlery.
• If you don’t have silver, use the vinegar and water method to freshen up cutlery and remove water stains.

Dinner Party Ready. 

Now that your dining room cleaning is complete and everything is organized and perfectly set up to do double duty as a craft space, home office, or educational classroom, why not celebrate with a dinner party? Having friends and family over for a meal is a great way to increase personal connections. And, of course, you want the room to be in tip-top shape for the usual Thanksgiving or Seasonal gatherings. 

Here are some quick tips for preparing the dining room for a dinner party. Remember, the cleaner and more organized your dining room is all year round, the less fuss and mess you’ll have to deal with before the guests arrive.

• Don’t want to do dishes? No problem. Dollarama and other shops now carry eco-friendly disposable plates and cutlery. These biodegradable options are made with sustainable projects like bamboo and break down easily once discarded so they won’t contribute to landfill waste.
• Pots, pans and serving dishes are part of the planning. You don’t want to buy and stuff the turkey and then discover you loaned out the turkey roaster!
• What do you need to stock up on? Napkins? Ice? Do you have enough water glasses? Seats?
• Plan a beautiful centrepiece and shop locally (florists, Farmer’s Markets, boutique shops) to bring it to fruition.

Why stop at Dining Room Cleaning? 

The dining room is just as much the heart of the home as the kitchen and these days, it also serves as a craft or office space as much as a gathering space. A clean and organized dining room is beneficial for your mental health and contributes to a more efficient household. Take the time to do a Dang Good Cleaning and organize the room to best suit your needs. Dang Good Carpet and Furnace Cleaning has plenty of advice on our blog and specialty cleaning services for every room in your home. Connect with us today to learn more.

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