Comfortable couches, children’s toys, a bed for your pet, and books, blankets, or plates strewn about: there’s no doubt about it, the living room is definitely the center of your home. Relaxation, family bonding, work, and play all happen here. The living room is a central location for your family to be, whether it’s a daily or weekly event. However, because the living room is such a commonly used room in your house, that also means it gets dirty very quickly. From regular use and daily clutter to dust, dirt, and other long term debris, your living room gathers a lot of mess, so knowing how to clean the living room will make your life much easier.
Cleaning your living room is both a short and long-term occurrence. Besides for just picking up the regular clutter of your home, there’s also dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, and sanitizing to think of. Keeping the most commonly used room in your house clean is a challenge, but not impossible. Our team has put together an expert guide on how to tackle your home’s dirtiest messes on a regular basis, keeping your living room in top condition and making it a comfortable space for everyone whenever it’s needed.
Dusting Your Living Room
Materials Needed:
- Duster
- Microfiber Cloths
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Dawn Dusting Spray
For the busy family, a regular dusting is the most reliable way to keep your living room looking clean without putting in a ton of work. From your end tables to lamps, picture frames to the television, dust can collect quickly and pose a health hazard to those with allergies so you’ll need to dust your living room regularly to help it stay in top shape.
The most common and reliable type of duster is a feather or microfiber style duster, but really any duster will do. One with an extendable arm can help you reach ceiling corners and windows as well as more accessible parts of your living room. You can also use either Dawn Dusting Spray or distilled white vinegar applied to a microfiber cloth in order to thoroughly cleanse and remove any dirt or debris.
Picking Up/Sanitizing Your Living Room
Materials Needed:
- Microfiber Cloths
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Lysol Disinfectant Spray
Keeping your living room clean on a regular basis is one of the hardest habits to learn, but the sooner you practice it the better off you will be. Try to get in the habit of picking up after yourself every time you’re in the room. Put dirty dishes in the sink as soon as you’re done using them, pack up toys once your children are done playing with them, and fold up blankets at the end of your movie night. While you’re picking up, consider wiping down or sanitizing your living room right away as well. For a targeted multi-purpose cleaning solution, you can spray down a microfiber cloth with Lysol disinfecting spray and wipe down all surfaces it’s safe for.
For a gentle, more natural cleaner, you can always turn to distilled white vinegar as a natural grease-cutting detergent that will help remove the dirt and grime from any surface. Spray your vinegar on the cloth first and then wipe down all surfaces until fully sanitized and ready to go.
Vacuuming or Sweeping Your Living Room
Materials Needed:
- Vacuum
- Carpet Shampoo
- Baking Soda
- Dry Mop
Vacuuming out your living room should be a regular part of your cleaning routine. Daily debris, dust, dirt from your shoes etc., can build up quickly in your carpets and on your floors, creating a bad-smelling mess you’ll want to get rid of right away. Keep a vacuum in your home and vacuum your living room floor once in every few days, going slowly over your carpet. Vacuuming in cross-hatch patterns, first one way and then the other, will help pick up the most dirt.
Baking soda or carpet shampoo can treat liquid messes or stains. It might be a good idea to rent a carpet steamer every few months for the ultimate clean. Do the same to any rugs or carpets you have in your living room as well. If you have hardwood floors, take a dry mop to them once every few days to keep dust from accumulating and use wood-safe wet mop treatments as needed.
Cleaning Living Room Windows
Materials Needed:
- Windex
- Microfiber Cloths
Windows in your living room can be a hassle to clean, especially if you’re battling streaking materials. Luckily, microfiber cloths have been proven to reduce window stain streaking while still thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing them.
To clean your windows, apply Windex liberally and spray all over your windows. Wipe from top to bottom with a microfiber cloth and dry thoroughly.
For a natural window cleaner recipe, pre-wash your windows with dish detergent and water to cut through grease. Then, mix distilled vinegar, water, and a few drops of lemon oil and spray over the window for streak-free shine and debris removal.
Maintaining Your Living Room
Keeping your living room in top shape will require regular maintenance in order to build clean habits that last. The sooner you can get into the habit of picking up after yourself on the regular, the cleaner your overall home will be. Maintaining your living room means keeping on top of dusting, vacuuming, and picking up the messes that seem to gather regularly. As far as larger chores, dusting should occur at least twice a week to help keep the dirt from building up. Vacuum once a week to keep dirt from your shoes out of the house. Windows can be wiped down bi-weekly, and throw blankets or pillows into the wash every two weeks or so as well for a thorough, full-room clean.
Cleaning your living room is the easiest step to showing guests that you keep a clean and organized home. With our expert guide on how to clean the living room, you’ll feel put together and satisfied, enjoying the benefits of a clean and spotless room that you’ll feel right at home with.
