A walkthrough containing tips and strategies for cleaning the living room in your home.
Cleaning your living room can easily be a thankless, repetitive chore. Especially if you live alongside other people. But, thankfully, it doesn't have to be that way anymore. Here are some simple step to take to help clean your living room quickly and easily.

STEP #1 Get Motivated! Getting motivated to clean is at least half the battle, once you have that accomplished you will be a virtual cleaning machine.

STEP #2 Have a plan of attack. Create a checklist of things to accomplish so that you can check things off as you go. Starting with the big things to get done makes time go by faster, and makes it appear as though you are getting work done more quickly. Also, always work from the top down, so that if you dust the high shelves, then you don't have to re-vacuum the carpet later.

STEP #3 Specific items. Easily clean Venetian blinds with cotton gloves on your hands, then running your fingers along the inside slits.

Be sure to vacuum out under your couch cushions. An easy way to clean the arms and backs of couches is to use spray on carpet cleaner, and wipe off with a damp rag.

When cleaning your TV screen make it stay cleaner longer by using vinegar, which will make it more resistant to dust than Windex.

If you live with children, easily clean crayon marks off walls by using WD-40. Just spray on WD-40, and instantly the crayon with wipe off easily with hardly any effort! Be sure to wipe over it with a damp rag and dishsoap to make sure it does not leave a greasy stain behind. Remove most stains from carpet by using ginger ale, or if they are a greasy stain, use WD-40 exactly like the crayon removal.

Clean lampshades easily by using a vacuum cleaner to suction the dirt off.

Disguise scratches in furniture by purchasing a large box of crayons, and coloring in the scratch.

Use a spray keyboard duster (the kind that shoots fast air) to easily clean around electronics with a lot of buttons on them

STEP #5 Toss what you no longer need. Be ruthless with yourself, and toss or give away to charity those things which don't fit the following categories:

1. It is beautiful or has aesthetic value.
2. It has a true purpose
3. If #2 holds true, then if you use it more than once a year.

If it doesn't fit into the above categories, then stop trying to talk you self into keeping it because you might need it or like it. Get rid of it, or donate it. It will also be one less thing to clean next time. Less is more, and the most beautiful homes are beautifully simple.

STEP #6 Make the next time you clean easier than the last. Look around for ways to make things simpler to clean.

Here are a few ideas:

Place dust covers over speakers or electronics that are not used often.

Use coasters beneath your drinks...have 8-10 just sitting around for easy use. Those water rings are hard to get rid of!

Are there any misc. items that are laying around that you only use now and then? Consider purchasing a small Rubbermaid storage container to store these items in behind a sofa or chair.

Spray knickknacks and artificial plants with a dust repellant like pledge.

For a quick fix on artificial plants that also works as a deodorizer for the room, is to spray dingy artificial plants directly with an aerosol spray air freshener. The smell will last a while, and will make your plants look shiny again.

Consider purchasing an elasticized sofa cover for your couches. They look attractive, and are easily stripped, thrown in the wash to clean, then easily put back on for a quick clean.

About the Author

Stephanie is the author and webmaster of http://www.beendreaming.com, and enjoys reading and writing about cleaning, organizing and housekeeping, as well as a variety of other subjects.