How to spring clean your living room

Deep cleans require lots of effort and time when doing them on your own, but the results are worth it for a more hygienic home – and you only need to do them once every few months, after all.

The living room is especially important since it’s the area your relatives and friends will be spending most of their time in. Here are our favourite tips on getting it sparkling clean.

1. Make sure you vacuum your sofa and cushions, and wash the covers if possible.

These tend to accumulate dirt and sweat over long periods of sitting, so make sure they’re washed before the relatives come! Allow the sofa to air for at least 24 hours before putting the freshly-washed covers back on.

For a more thorough cleaning, consider hiring a professional service like Nouve or Supersteam, which uses steam-cleaning to eliminate stains and odours from upholstery.

For a finishing touch, swap your cushion covers for brightly-coloured, festive ones.

2. Give your floors a thorough cleaning.

To eliminate bacteria, mix a half-cup of distilled white vinegar in water and mop your floors with the solution.

For stubborn stains, you can use something like a Magic Eraser to gently scrub at them. However, be careful to wear gloves and test on a small area first as the Magic Eraser is actually a very fine sandpaper surface that shouldn’t be used on shiny marble or anything you don’t want scratched.

Don’t forget to wipe down the skirting too! These often tend to accumulate dust and are forgotten during our usual sweeping and mopping.

3. Wipe down often-neglected areas with a damp cloth.

Areas we commonly forget to dust include the tops of mirrors and clocks, doorknobs, and even light switches. Use a clean, damp rag to wipe these down.

For hard-to-reach places, consider investing in a tool like the Magiclean Wiper Mop that allows you to reach even the farthest of ceiling corners.

Finally, make sure you clear items from dead zones, such as keys and newspapers. The living room is where we tend to drop off items as we come into the house, so these things pile up over time. Add a final vase of flowers and you’re ready.

This article was first published in Home & Decor.