In part 4 of our series, we return to a common space shared amongst the entire family. The living room, where the whole family congregates and lives is a magnet for concentrated dust, mess, and clutter. Just as we pointed out in other parts of this series, routine is key, and the living room is no exception to that. Because of the higher traffic that a living room receives many people have found that keeping up with the living room can be greatly simplified with some simple and straightforward checks and routines.
It’s best to create a starting point for yourself and stick to it anytime you want to do a quick once-over of the room. The preferable approach is typically to start at the front most doorway and work your way to the back of the room from there. Staying consistent with a starting point gives the task a more defining quality and focuses you more.
Dusting is crucial in a living room. One of the most commons tips you will see repeatedly is to keep a long-handled duster on hand close to the living room. The secret to dusting is a microfiber cloth. They do make these with long handles as well but they are less common. Microfiber cloth does much less pushing the dust around into the air and much more capturing dust onto the cloth itself and for that reason is worth the investment. There are always surfaces, corners, and crevices building up dust and particles that are brought on by constant, heavy traffic. Getting into the habit of dusting daily is another tip you’ll hear often. Many people let dust accumulate over a longer time period and then dust when its built up and noticeable. In that instance, even the best dust cloths and cleaning techniques won’t be able to capture 100% of the dust. A daily wipe down of problem area surfaces can be pivotal in tackling the living room.
Sometimes something as simple as a box can solve a huge problem as well. Getting and keeping a little living room ‘laundry’ type box can be a big help when you’re simply trying to clear the clutter and keep it to the items that belong there. It can be annoying trying to go through and find a place for everything one item at a time so with a box your mobile and more fluid.
You might not be able to fully avoid the occasional deep clean of the living room just by its nature, but it is possible to limit those more difficult cleans. Routine starts, dusting, boxing, and all the little tricks involved with each one of these areas offers a straightforward and very manageable set of tasks to add to any daily routine.
