Spring Cleaning- Living Room

Spring cleaning is a tradition that allows us to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the hectic seasons of spring and summer. While we may be doing an excellent job of maintaining our living rooms, occasionally we need to do more than maintenance. Here are some tips to get the cleaning started.

Grab your supplies. Having all of your supplies together before you begin means no distractions in the middle of cleaning up.
Put all items that do not belong in the living room in a container. It saves time if you put these things away after cleaning or at a later time. You’ll find that putting items away into other rooms causes distractions.
Clean your remote controls.
Clean your phones, both mobile and landlines, Kindles, tablets and computers.
Tackle the couch. Brush off the cushions. Retrieve any missing items from the depths of the couch. Brush off the dirt from the interior of the couch onto the floor. Use a vacuum cleaner with an attachment to clean out couch crevices.
Clean slipcovers, accent pillows, etc.
Use an upholstery attachment on a rug shampoo machine to clean soiled couches and chair surfaces if needed. If a light cleaning is needed use upholstery spot cleaner. Test in a hidden area first.
Dust down the living room ceiling and corners of walls. Determine if the walls need to be washed in dirty spots. Spot wash, remembering air vents, doorknobs, doors, and switch plates.
Dust and clean all art and photographs along the walls in the living room. Be careful when cleaning framed art and photographs. Lightly wet a clean cloth to wipe the frame and glass.
Dust and clean the ceiling fan in the living room. You may need to use a gentle cleaner like Murphy's Oil Soap. Take down any light fixtures and gently wash and dry them before replacing.
Take down draperies, curtains, and blinds to wash or have cleaned according to the manufacturer's directions. Vacuum and clean windowsills and corners. Wash the insides and outsides of the windows. Take down and rinse off the screens of the living room windows, before replacing.
Most washable curtains need to be washed in cold water with a small amount of laundry detergent. Delicate lace and sheer curtains may benefit from hand washing or machine washing inside a mesh bag.
In a pinch, you can wash delicate curtains inside an old pillowcase that is tied shut tightly to prevent fraying and damage.
Line drying or using a low setting on a clothes dryer will both work for washable curtains. Remove the curtains from the dryer before they are 100 percent dry. Aim to remove them when they are about 95 percent dry. Over drying will set wrinkles, but removing while still slightly damp makes ironing curtains a cinch.
A quick ironing is all that's needed before replacing your curtain hardware and rehanging your curtains.
Some curtains may have a label that reads dry clean only. Doing anything other than dry cleaning is at your own risk. Some fabrics may bleed and fade if they aren't properly dry cleaned, and others may shrink or pill on the fabric surface.
Vacuum blinds. Whether your blinds are metal, wood, or plastic, vacuuming weekly with a brush attachment will go a long way towards keeping them clean. If you try to vacuum with anything other than the brush attachment, it won't be nearly as effective, and you run the risk of scratching or denting your blinds. For best results, close the slats all the way to reach more surface area of the blinds as you vacuum.
Dust down and clean all accent lamps and knickknacks in the living room. Use a vacuum attachment or duster to clean the lampshades, lamps, and any extra decorative items.
If you have (and use) a fireplace, clean it out.
Remove books from bookshelves. Dust down the books and the shelves. If your collection of books is overflowing, it might be time to donate, trash, or sell. Too many books weighing down shelves can give a living room the appearance of being cluttered.
Dust down the coffee table and living room entertainment center. Unplug and dust down all the electronics. Check cords for fraying and wear. Dust down the television screen. Neatly arrange magazines and books.
Clean the undersides of every chair and table, then vacuum and mop the floors around them. Move the couch and clean and vacuum underneath it.
Vacuum or sweep up the floor.
If your carpets and rugs are heavily soiled it may be time to call a professional. You can also rent cleaning machines to use. Be sure to ask for one with an upholstery attachment. If your carpets are only lightly soiled vacuuming and spot treating may be all that is necessary.
Take the time to clean the doormats inside and outside your doorways. Wipe them down. Dust them off. Whatever needs to happen so that shoes don't transfer the dirt of your mat to your home. Double check that your mats are still in good condition to protect your carpets.