For the second part of the first time home buyer guide, we will be cleaning our desk and table tops, windows, drapes and working our way to the floor! Remember, we’re cleaning from top to bottom, so we want to make sure we’re catching any additional dirt or dust we create by cleaning an item that’s located higher in the room!
- 1 Minute | No Hard Credit Check
Cleaning Windows and Window Sills
Depending on the style of living room, your windows may have blinds, drapes, curtains, window sills, and also vary in sizes. We recommend tackling your windows by starting with draperies, curtains, or blinds. These items can be washed in several ways, so be sure to check your manufacturer’s suggestions with those. Some draperies, for example, require to be dry cleaned while some curtains can just be thrown into the washer and dryer on specific settings.
For blinds, you can pretty much just wipe these down with a damp cloth. We recommend letting them fully down, and leveling the blinds so that they are horizontal. Wipe the cloth on each individual blind to make sure you get all of the dust that has built up. Go through once more with a dry cloth to get any excess moisture and lift the blinds.
Once again, we’re going with the “top to bottom” approach with cleaning the windows. Clean your windows before tackling the window sills, just in case you loosen some dust that has accumulated on the glass. You can use your household glass cleaner here, but make sure that it you do not get any excess cleaner on your walls. If you accidentally get any cleaner on your walls, make sure you dab the wet location dry with a cloth. Do not wipe, as you can damage the paint.
You can now take a damp cloth and wipe the window sill clean. Wipe again with a dry cloth to pick up any excess moisture. Once your window and window sill have completely dried and your draperies and curtains are dry, hang them back up. Your windows are all done!
Coffee Tables, End Tables, Lamps and Desk Tables
For the most part, coffee tables, end tables and desks that need to be cleaned are all very similar. You want to take into account what these materials these items are made of, and use the appropriate cleaning method.
If you have a cherry oak coffee table, for example, you do not want to use water solutions as you can cause water marks. These watermarks can also happen for a variety of other reasons as well. An example of something that can cause watermarks is not using a coaster with a hot beverage. Wipe down your table with a cleaner like Pledge instead, spraying that cleaner into your cloth instead of directly to the table.
If you have any watermarks on your wood table, there are ways to remove them those spots. However, depending on the quality and type of wood, how it was treated, and how long the burn mark was there, you may have to settle with re-finishing the wood to remove it. We’d recommend getting a specialist’s opinion before possibly damaging your wood finish further.
If you are cleaning tables, make sure you wipe down everything that’s sitting on the tables first. Then remove that item and clean underneath. This way you can make sure you thoroughly remove all the dust and dirt that has built up! Yes, even lift that remote control!
Wipe any lamps you have with a damp cloth or microfiber cloth after you unplug it. Make sure you do not create any excess moisture here as well, as it can damage your lamp!
Deodorizing The Sofa And Wiping Down Chairs!
We’re almost to the finish! This is a good time to wipe down your sofa, love seats, and any other chairs that may be in your living room. Make sure you clean these items as specified by the manufacturer.
For example, on some microfiber sofas, you can get away with sprinkling a little baking soda on each cushion. Sprinkle a very small amount of baking soda but make sure you try to coat the cushions as evenly as possible. Once you are done, let it sit for about an hour. After the hour is up, take a vacuum and go over the cushions, picking up the baking soda and additional odors that it absorbed.
- 1 Minute | No Hard Credit Check
Taking Care Of That Carpet, Tile or Hardwood Floor!
Now that we’ve taken care of everything else in the room, we can vacuum the carpet. Similarly to microfiber couches, sprinkling baking soda on the carpet is a very good way to remove some of the lingering odors. Remember to let the baking soda sit for about an hour and then vacuum it up. This helps if you have pets or kids who may have had some fun outside before bringing all of that action on to your carpet.
If you have a tile floor or hardwood floor, we recommend making sure you sweep and dust the floor first. You want to pick up any remaining specs of dust that have fallen from dusting and cleaning everything else in the living room.
Once you have swept and dust mopped the floor thoroughly, mop the floor with the appropriate solution that is recommended. For tile floors, you can use any soap and water mixture and a mop. This will clean the tile thoroughly without fear of damaging the tile.
However, if you have a hardwood floor, you should use a cleaning solution that is not going to leave water spots nor damage the hardwood. While you can use water in your cleaning solution, it is very important that you remove any excess water as the moisture can damage the wood.
Hopefully we have provided some good tips to making your living room ready for guests, or ready for your family! While we’d recommend deep cleaning your living room at least twice a month, your general use of the room will determine if you need to clean it more or less than that. Happy cleaning!
