How to Clean the Living Room | eHow

Pick up objects and particles and move them to where they belong. A way to remember this is: throw away, put away, dust, & vacuum.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• An empty waste basket.
• A tote bag.
• Soft paper towels.
• Dusting wipes.
• A vacuum cleaner & attachments.
• A dust mop if needed.
• Upholstery & rug shampoo if needed.

1. Toss litter. Throw away old periodicals and mail, packages and containers, and other litter. Do this one area at a time, going around the room. Take a break when you want to.
2. Put away step one. Put away items to be used later. Do one part of the room then the next when you can.
3. Using a dusting wipe. Use a dry paper towel to remove some thick dust; then use a dusting wipe to remove what's left. It's damp in the package. In both cases, fold the towel in half; then in half again. When one part of it gets dirty, turn it over and then refold it to use a clean part of it. Do another part of the room the next day.
4. Upholstery brush attachment. Remove dust from cloth-covered furniture and under it with the upholstery brush attachment of the vacuum cleaner. Then put away the attachment, and vacuum the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• To get energy, put on gym clothes.
• Cleaning supplies are for sale in grocery stores, etc.
• Remove cobwebs with a feather or other duster.
• Wear rubber gloves when damp dusting.
• On unpainted wood furniture, use dusting wipes that also polish.
• A dust mop on hard floors reduces noise pollution.
• A whisk broom helps pick up popcorn, broken chips, etc., from carpet.
• When washing cloth, keep bleach & fabric softener & irons off of microfiber cloth. It's made of polyester and nylon.
• Keep cleaning solution out of your eyes & off your skin.
• Telling yourself "clean the room" may be unrealistic time-wise. Replace the idea with "Do some cleaning."
• Vacuuming wooden furniture doesn't work. To pass the "white glove test," a test probably thought of during the New Stone Age when linen was invented, dust with a damp cloth. To get the cloth damp, rinse it in mild soapy water and then wring it out well, like with deerskin or other soft leather "cloth."
• Furniture is varnished. It doesn't need to be waxed.