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Comprehensive Guide to Deep Cleaning Your Living Room

The living room doesn’t present a particularly unique challenge. At least, it’s not challenging in the same sense that the kitchen or the bathroom are. But at the same time, there’s so much to do that it’s hard to know where to start. Not to mention, it’s easy to get so used to the way things look in your home that you don’t even realize what all needs to be cleaned.

Our guide can help you with that. We’re giving you a comprehensive list of what needs to be done, as well as a reasonable order to do it in. Think of it as a checklist with a few tips and tricks thrown in for good measure. (We also remind you every now and then to take care of yourself – deep-cleaning can be a long, frustrating process. A lot of the advice here is good, general advice for cleaning any room. There are also a few little tips and tricks in here.

Of course, you may not need to do everything on this list. You may not even have time to do everything. That’s cool! There’s no judgment here! But at least you’re getting to make your own decisions about what to do and what not to do in an orderly, organized fashion. Are you ready?

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Gather supplies

Gather supplies

You’ll need garbage bags, a long-handled duster, glass cleaner, furniture polish, microfiber cloths, and a vacuum. You may need other things, like a mop, or leather cleaner, depending on your situation.

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Put on some music

Put on some music

Or a podcast or something. This is going to take awhile. You might as well enjoy yourself.

Make separate piles to sell, donate, and give away

Make separate piles to sell, donate, and give away

Now is not the time to be sentimental. At the same time, you don’t want to completely stall out here because you couldn’t decide whether to keep that old photo of your high school swim team. Move quickly through this process.

Remove curtains and drapes

Remove curtains and drapes

You can clean these in the laundry, or take them to a dry cleaner, depending on the care instructions that came with them.

Remove accent pillows and blankets

Remove accent pillows and blankets

Take out all of your afghans, blankets, pillows, and throws, and clean them according to their instructions.

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Remove drawers from all furniture and go through them

Remove drawers from all furniture and go through them

Time to use those trash bags again. Like before, be merciless about what you do and don’t need. But at the same time, don’t get hung up on this step.

Clean the drawers themselves

Clean the drawers themselves

Vacuum the inside of the drawers, wipe them down inside and out, and put their contents back – in a more organized fashion than when you started.

Start at the top and work your way down

Start at the top and work your way down

This is good advice for cleaning any room, and we’re ready to start cleaning this one in earnest.

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Dust your ceiling fans, light fixtures, and AC vents

Dust your ceiling fans, light fixtures, and AC vents

This is why we clean top to bottom. Get all that dust on high. We’ll knock it out for good later.

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Check and replace light bulbs and batteries

Check and replace light bulbs and batteries

While you’re poking around on your ceiling anyway, do a sweep of your light fixtures. While you’re at it, check the batteries in your smoke detectors, Carbon monoxide detectors, and the like.

Dust corners where the wall meets the ceiling

Dust corners where the wall meets the ceiling

You might want to use a broom to clear away cobwebs, while you’re at it. But even if there aren’t any, you at least want to clear dust out of the corners.

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Wash upper wall trim

Wash upper wall trim

Get a damp cloth and run it along the trim on at the ceiling level. Take care of any smudges, and if any paint needs touching up, now’s a great chance to do that.

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Clean hanging décor

Clean hanging décor

Turn your attention to the art on the wall. Dust off the frames. Clean glass, when applicable. Same goes for mirrors, and anything else you might have hanging.

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Clean the blinds

Clean the blinds

Turn your attention to the window blinds. Use a dry sponge for fabric blinds, or a damp cloth for wood blinds. If you’re pressed for time, or if your main concern is dust, you might get away with a dusting instead of a full cleaning.

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Clean windowsills and frames

Clean windowsills and frames

Turn your vacuum to the windowsill, or for extra thoroughness, try a damp cloth. You might also want to get that grunge between the window and the screen. If you’re feeling extra sassy, consider removing and cleaning the screens.

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Clean the windows themselves

Clean the windows themselves

Use Windex or a similar window cleaning solution. You can also use dish cleaner, but be sure you make it extremely diluted – we’re talking one teaspoon for two gallons of water. Otherwise, you’ll get soap residue stuck to the windows, and be worse off than when you started.

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Wash the doors

Wash the doors

Take a damp cloth to the doors. Be on the lookout for scuff marks in particular. This is also your chance to clean fingerprints off of the door handle.

Wash the walls with a wet cloth

Wash the walls with a wet cloth

Yeah, it’s tedious. You can probably skip this if you really want to, but this is a guide to deep cleaning, after all, so we have to mention it.

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Check the paint

Check the paint

If you do decide to wash the walls, it’s a great opportunity to check your paint for dings, nicks, and smudges, and repair them as you see fit.

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Clean your electronics

Clean your electronics

Obviously, you don’t want to use ammonia or anything caustic. But you can get away with a lightly damp cloth or a dusting. Use a microfiber cloth for screens, like your television. Be gentle. But be thorough.

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Dust and sort your cables and wires

Dust and sort your cables and wires

Cable management is important, and those little suckers behind the TV sure do attract a lot of dust. Unplug, clean up back there, and make judicious use of cable ties.

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Sanitize your remotes

Sanitize your remotes

When was the last time you cleaned your remote? Yeah, that's what we thought. Take the batteries out, and clean it with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. Then soak a Q-Tip in alcohol and use it around all of the buttons. If you still have a landline somehow, disinfect that, too.

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Move furniture away from the walls

Move furniture away from the walls

You’re about to clean the furniture, and all those gross spaces behind it.

Clean your bookcases and desks

Clean your bookcases and desks

Any wood furniture gets the cleaning treatment. Clear out your bookshelves and desks. Dust each piece, or wipe it down with a damp cloth. Consider adding polish or oil, if you’re so inclined.

Vacuum under your cushions

Vacuum under your cushions

We’re going to take care of the seating now. Lift your cushions, and vacuum out all the crumbs that have collected in your sofa.

Clean your sofas and chairs

Clean your sofas and chairs

Now take a microfiber cloth to your seating and your soft furniture. Use oil for leather furniture, if appropriate.

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Vacuum behind furniture

Vacuum behind furniture

Now’s your chance to get revenge on all those dust bunnies that keep making the cat sneeze.

Vacuum and/or clean the baseboards

Vacuum and/or clean the baseboards

We’re almost done! We started at the top, now we’re here! Use a damp cloth, like before. If you want to check and fix the paint, the baseboards are more likely to have problems than the upper trim is.

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Vacuum and mop or shampoo floors

Vacuum and mop or shampoo floors

You can vacuum everywhere. Just be sure to use the appropriate attachment for carpet vs. wood or tile. Consider shampooing your carpet, or mopping wood or tile. If you’re a “clean the grout with a toothbrush” person, now’s your chance.

Put everything back!

Put everything back!

You probably put your furniture back as you moved it around to vacuum under it. If not, put it back now. This is also when you replace your decorative items and window dressings. And you’re done! Congratulations!