CLEANING YOUR LIVING ROOM

As one of the most used spaces in the house, the living room can easily become cluttered and dirty. This cleaning process will be easier if you carefully employ this step by step methods that will be provided below;

PART 1

Motivating Yourself

• Listen to music. Find an upbeat playlist to play while you work. Music is proven to lift your mood and help you complete tasks more quickly, so listening will both add some fun to your cleaning process and improve your efficiency.

•  Let some light in. Open the curtains and shake off the dust. The natural light will brighten and open up your space. You could also open the windows for some fresh air, which will help to expel any unpleasant odors and chemicals you may be using to clean.

• Set a timer. Choose a manageable amount of time, such as 15 or 20 minutes, to really focus on cleaning without any distractions. Tell yourself that you can be done after those 15-20 minutes are up if you focus and keep cleaning the whole time. Combine this step with music--make yourself a 15- or 20-minute playlist and focus on cleaning until the music is done.

PART 2

Covering the basics

• Pick up any trash. Bring a bag with you to eliminate countless trips to the trash bin. Throw away all obvious trash, such as wrappers and old mail, and if you have a little extra time, assess your space for usefulness. Are there objects that don’t get much use or don’t suit your tastes anymore? Now may be a good time to get rid of the excess.

• De-clutter your space daily. Having a large amount of clutter in the area can make starting more intimidating. Gather anything that’s out of place, such as toys, video games, books, papers, etc., and put in a pile in the middle of the room. Once you’ve gathered all the clutter, start putting each piece back where it belongs. 
• To keep the pile contained, use a laundry basket to hold all the clutter as you collect it.
• Making this pile first will help you focus on that one main task and makes the room look cleaner faster--seeing visible progress can be encouraging and motivating!
• Completing this task daily will keep clutter from piling up and becoming overwhelming the next time you clean.

• Straighten up the sofa. If you only have time for a basic cleaning, it’s important to make sure the focal points of the room like the sofa get the most attention. This way, you can maximize your time and effort and make the room look visibly cleaner.
• Fluff pillows, straighten seat cushions, and fold any blankets to tidy up this area.

• Dust surfaces. Run a slightly damp cloth over main surfaces such as the coffee table, TV, and shelves to pick up dust and spot-clean any fingerprints. Microfiber cloths are perfect for this step.
• Dust from top to bottom, as dust falls and settles. This way you won't have to go back over areas that you’ve already cleaned. Start with the highest objects and work your way down.

• Straighten and stack any books or magazines on the coffee table. If there are too many objects on the table it'll look cluttered, but a few stacked print items can add a nice touch.

• Re-position any floor or throw rugs that may have shifted out of place. This way, they'll look tidy and won't be distracting to the eye.

• Clean the ceiling fan and light fixtures. Use a vacuum on the lowest setting and a brush attachment to quickly remove cobwebs, hair, and dust.
• As with dusting, it's best to vacuum from top to bottom for efficiency.
• When cleaning the light fixture, turn on the lights so you can see all of the cobwebs and dust more easily.
• For more detailed cleaning, use a long, extending duster to work your way around the fixture. Make sure to cover the chain and bulb as well as the outside of the fixture to get rid of any cobwebs hiding on the inside. 
• Vacuum the drapes and blinds. When cleaning the ceiling fan and light fixtures, be sure to use low setting and a brush attachment to gently clean this area.

• Vacuum the floor last. Moving objects around shakes dust and debris onto the floor, so be sure to save this for the last step. This should be done once a week to keep the area clean and tidy.
• Start in the farthest corner and vacuum your way out of the room, the exact way you would with mopping.
• Sprinkle carpets with a little baking soda before you start vacuuming, this helps to take care of any unpleasant odors. 

NOTE: Regularly covering the basics, such as de-cluttering and vacuuming, as well as deep-cleaning every once in a while will keep this area tidy and inviting for you and your family.

If you find this helpful, do drop a comment for us. Your feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Join us next week for the 'DEEP CLEANING' (PART 3) session. This will show us the way to go about intense cleaning and it is going to be just as easy as the basics.

Do have a lovely week ahead! 

And don't forget to keep it a date with us next week.