Last week I went over my kitchen and dining room, for this week’s Relaxed Cleaning non-Challenge I tackled the living room. Because this is where my kids spend most of their day, the living room is one of the rooms that get the messiest and the quickest in my home.
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Just like the last week, I first took a moment to assess what I wanted to clean and organize and wrote it all down on my Relaxed Cleaning checklist. My couch covers are dirty, the amount of crap that was in my couch was unbelievable (crumbs, toys, wrappers), under the couches were stuffed with toys and trash, and the tv shelves and cubbies had grime from dirty kid fingers. You know, just your typical life with kids.
Like I just stated above, the couches were pretty bad. Both in and out. So we did pull out the couches from the wall and took off all the cushions so we could get all the stuff pick up. We did have my kids help out with picking up all the trash along with their toys and make sure they were putting everything properly. We also washed all the covers, thank goodness for these Ikea couches with removable/ washable covers!! My favorite detergent for the white cover is OxiClean’s white revival, IT IS THE BEST!!
Our makeshift entry area had become very cluttered. The cubbies have become a common hot spot to throw junk on so I did go through every cubby. I had a bag that I threw everything that was not trashed or give away but did not belong here in. I also had a designated trash bag for things that were giveaway and the trash can was right there next me to immediately throw any and all trash away. Since I am also trying to still purge as much as I can, I did literally dump out everything that was in each bin and piece by piece went through everything to decide if we were keeping it or not. I also wiped down all the bins and cubbies as I did this.
And since we are finally in spring and summer, I put up all the winter jackets and went through all the shoes to either give away or pack up any winter boots. I also pulled the cubbies out from the wall to wipe down the wall behind the cubbies and mop over there.
before:
after:
Some other “deeper cleaning” I did was wipe down my curio in and out and pulled that out from the wall to get all the dust and cobwebs from behind there. We did the same with the tv stand. We also rolled up our rug to mop the whole living room really well. I wasn’t initially planning on this but I did get to wipe down and re-organize my bookshelf too.
before:
after:
I did have plans to mop the ceiling like we did our kitchen and dining room but got to point where I felt satisfied with everything else and quite frankly I was too lazy and decided to move on.
Favorite Cleaning Hacks for the Living Room
Favorite Cleaning Supplies for the Living Room
- OxiClean white revival for couch covers
- Grove collaborative all-purpose cleaner (smells so good!)
- Windex for glass
- Pinesol for mopping
- Magic Erasers
- EO’s to clean or freshen the air (Rocky Mountain Essential Oils are my favorite!)
Things to get rid of/ Minimalize
- CDs/DVDs that you never watch or listen to
- Books that are damaged or you don’t ever read nor plan to
- Toys that are broken or never played with
- Decor (random knick-knacks, extra decorative pillow, frames) that you don’t really care for or broken
- Religious pamphlets/ literature you don’t ever look at (donate it to your local parish)
- Furniture that is never used (we got rid of so much furniture when we went through a major purge a few months ago, especially when I realized that we had a lot of cumbersome furniture that all its purpose was was to place junk!)
Some of the things I decided to get rid of were some DVDs that we never watch or was too damaged, all the broken toys, and a few books.
In case you missed it, you can read my previous post with more information about the Relaxed Cleaning non-Challenge. If you want to join in, then check out the Relaxed Cleaning non-Challenge Facebook group for support, more tips, and see more behind the scenes. Here is the printable for the living room:
>>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LIVING ROOM CHECKLIST<<
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What are your favorite cleaning hacks or supplies for the living room? Do you have any tips on keeping it clean? Comment below and don’t forget to pin this post!
