Deep Cleaning Living Room Checklist (Step by Step)

Thinking of giving your living room a deep clean but don’t know where to start?

I know exactly what you need — a handy deep cleaning living room checklist like the one I’m about to share with you.

This deep cleaning checklist has been a life saver for me!

It has worked perfectly for spring cleaning, all I need to do is follow my checklist step by step and voila, my spring cleaning in the living room is done!

I doubt there’s a room in your home that has as much traffic as the living room. It’s where we entertain guests, spend most of our time, and chill with the family after a long day.

With this deep cleaning checklist, I promise you’ll now be able to tackle every nook and cranny of your living room that you often miss (or give the side-eye *ahem*) during your regular cleaning sessions.

Ready to deep clean your living room and make it the cleanest it can be?

Let’s get to it, don’t forget to get our deep cleaning checklist!

How To Deep Clean Your Living Room:

Clear all the clutter off the floor.
Deep clean walls, baseboards and ceiling fans.
Deep clean all living room decor such as picture frames, wall art, and knick knacks.
Deep clean all window treatments.
Deep clean all furniture in your living room, remove all couch cushions and clean underneath.
Remove any removable covers for your throw pillows and wash them alongside your throw blankets.
Deep clean your entertainment center, use a use a can of compressed air to remove dust from vents.
Deep clean your carpet and rugs, use baking soda to remove an odors.

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Cleaning Supplies You’ll Need

A dust mop (preferably one with a long handle)
Cleaning cloths (I recommend microfiber cloths)
Small bucket with a handle
Sponges
Step ladder
Vacuum cleaner with attachment
Gentle cleanser
Rug shampoo machine with an upholstery attachment (optional)
Spot remover for upholstery or carpets.
Glass Cleaner

Decluttering & Organizing

Get rid of the clutter

Before you deep clean your living room, do yourself a favor and do some decluttering, especially around the floor area.

Get everything off your floors, including area rugs, your kids socks (it’s not just my kids who drop their socks everywhere is it?), and any trash you see.

Move your furniture around so you can check underneath the couch, ottoman, chairs etc.

Pick up whatever belongs in the living room and place it in its rightful spot, and take the non-living room items lying around to their individual rooms, these items can also be thrown into a basket to be moved later.

Once you can see your floors, you’re ready to move onto the next stage.

Organize and clean your pets toys

When my kids were little, they would leave their toys everywhere, but especially in the living room where the dog always was.

This is a good time to deep clean the kids’ toys with a clean cloth, then soak them in your preferred disinfectant cleaner for a few minutes before rinsing them with running water.

This is also a good time to clean and organize the soft toys that belong to your dog. My sister in law bought a little basket for her dogs toys and I thought it was a great idea, so I did the same. It’s great for keeping everything tidy, before this we had dog toys all over the floors.

For toys that use batteries, don’t soak.

Instead, simply wipe with a cloth dampened with the disinfectant cleaner, then wipe again with a clean cloth dampened with water only.

Deep Clean Walls, Baseboards and Ceilings

Dusting and deep cleaning the walls

Once you’ve gotten rid of the clutter and trash, now you are going to begin to deep clean your living room ceiling and walls.

A rule of thumb you should follow while dusting your living room — and every other room in your house — is to clean from top to bottom.

If you do the opposite, that is, dust your coffee table and other heavy furniture at the bottom level first, then dirt from the tall surfaces will settle on the items you had already dusted, and you’ll have to start all over again.

Nobody has time for that!

Use a long-handled dust mop and step ladder to dust down your ceiling and walls with ease.

Having the right cleaning supplies makes a huge difference when it comes to deep cleaning your living room.

Deep clean your baseboards

Remove any obstacles or furniture that are in the way of you getting to the baseboards. This will make the cleaning process easier and more efficient.

Dust all baseboards using a dry cloth or a duster (some vacuums have a brush attachment on them which is great for this chore).

Make up a bucket of warm water and detergent. Wring out any excess water and gently wipe the baseboards with the damp cloth or sponge, starting from the top and working your way down.

Pay attention to any stubborn stains or scuff marks, and give them a little extra attention

Dust ceiling fans & light fixtures

Ceiling fans tend to attract dust like crazy, so as you deep clean your living room, make sure to give it a really good deep cleaning.

Make sure to turn off your ceiling fan first. You also might want to put an old towel underneath the fan to collect any dust.

I recommend using a long handled duster so you can reach the blades no problem. Start from the outer edge of the blade and work your way towards the center.

Mix a solution of mild detergent and warm water in a bucket. Dip your cloth in the solution, and wipe down each blade thoroughly, removing any built-up grime or sticky residue.

Be careful not to bend or strain the blades while cleaning.

Using a clean, slightly damp cloth, wipe down the motor housing and any other exposed parts of the fan.

Try to avoid getting water or cleaning solution on the motor itself, as this can cause damage.

An alternative is to use a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment to remove dust from the motor housing and other nooks and crannies.

When you have finished cleaning, allow the fan blades and motor housing to air dry completely.

Avoid turning on the fan until you’re certain everything is dry to prevent any electrical issues or damage.

Check out our super popular busy mom cleaning routine

Now onto the light fixtures, these are really easy to clean, just be super careful when you are taking them apart.

Get ird of any dust, bugs or anything else you might find!

Fill up your sink with a solution of mild detergent and warm water. Allow your glass light fixtures to soak in the water for a few minutes. Then, gently wipe them down, rinse them and dry them carefully with a towel.

Don’t ever put your light fixtures in the dishwasher.

Cleaning Living Room Decor

Dust shelves, picture frames and knick knacks

Do you ever notice how dusty your shelves can get in your living room? They seem to attract every bit of dust they can.

It’s a good time now to get them a good deep cleaning, kind of like a spring cleaning.

Remove everything off your shelves in the living room and give them a good dusting with a microfiber cloth or a duster.

Grab a cloth or a feather duster and begin dusting your wall art and other wall hangings carefully.

Use a mild detergent or all-purpose cleaner diluted with water. Then using a wet clot, spot clean any stains or marks. Wipe dry with a clean cloth to prevent water damage or streaks.

For wall hangings with a glass frame, deep clean them the same way you clean windows — dampen a cloth with your favorite glass cleaner and clean the frame (don’t spritz glass cleaner directly on the glass frame).

Carefully dust each knick knack with a microfiber cloth or a feather duster. Remember we’re doing a deep cleaning here, so give them a really good dust.

130+ things to declutter in your home today

Clean lamps and lampshades

You can use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe away the dirt on all your light fixtures. Pay attention to all the hard to reach areas, a soft brush or a toothbrush works well to get into hard to reach areas.

Depending on how dirty your light shades are, you can either wipe them down with a damp cloth or handwash them with a mild detergent and some warm water.

Don’t forget to make sure they are dry before putting them back on the light fixture.

Dust any accent tables

Remove everything from your tables in the living room, and wipe your accent tables with a cloth to remove all the dirt on the table surfaces. Make sure to use a wood cleaner on any wood furnoiture you have.

Cleaning Any Window Treatments

Clean windows and glass

Remove the curtains and drapes, and start cleaning your windows with your preferred glass cleaner. I like to use windex. Buff the glass surface with another cloth.

When the window is all streak-free, clean the window sills with a damp microfiber cloth. If there are stains on the sill, sprinkle baking soda and scrub lightly with the cloth. Again, an old toothbrush works well for those hard to reach areas on your window sills.

You can also vacuum curtains, this can be easily done with the upholstery attachment on your vacuum. Depending how tall your curtains are, this can also be done with a handheld vacuum and a step stool.

Dust your blinds

Close all the blinds in the living room. Now, start at the top and work your way down. use a microfiber cloth or a feather duster, and gently wipe each blind.

If you find this too time consuming, you can use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment, this works pretty well too.

Then, fill a bowl with warm water and and a small bit of mild detergent. Mix this well together.

Use a microfiber cloth or a sponge, wet it with the solution, wring out any excess water, and start washing the blinds from top to bottom.

Do this to both sides of the blinds, pay attention to any stubborn stains. Make sure to rinse your sponge from time to time.

When you are done, open the blinds to let them air dry.

Deep cleaning your blinds can make a huge difference in your living room.

I’ll be honest, this is not a job I enjoy, but doing it makes such a difference, so I just suck it up and do it. I have older kids now, so I will now pay them to do this chore.

Furniture Cleaning

Vacuum your furniture

Now it’s time to do a good deep cleaning on your furniture.

Vacuum your sofa and cushions to remove all the loose dirt, pet hair, snack crumbs, and other crap on your couch.

Once you’ve done that, remove the seat cushions to vacuum under them. Don’t be too shocked at everything you will find hiding in your sofa. We find socks, popcorn, hair bands, pens, and lots of empty candy packets!!!

Use your vacuum’s crevice attachment to remove any debris trapped along the narrow sofa line.

Now let’s move on to where we will deep clean the furniture.

Once you’ve dusted every side of your furniture with a vacuum, dampen a microfiber cloth with soapy solution (or wood cleaner of choice) and use it to wipe down the non-fabric parts of your seats.

If there are stains on the couch fabric, apply your preferred spot remover on the stain or make a paste with water, baking soda, and dish soap. Apply the paste to the stained area.

Clear away this paste with a cloth, then suction the remaining moisture with a vacuum cleaner.

Note: Before you clean your furniture with a steam cleaner, look at the manufacturer’s instructions to know if a steam cleaner is a safe choice for your couch fabric.

Wash Cushions, Pillows, and Throw Blankets

When you’re deep cleaning your living room, now is a good time to deep clean your throw pillows and throw blankets etc.

If you’re lucky enough to have cushions or throw pillows with removable covers (how I love thee), now would be the time to toss them in the washing machine.

But before doing that, always check the care instructions to see if this is allowed. If it’s not, you can always do a spot clean on your throw pillows, this works great too.

Throw your throw blankets into the wash too, again, always check the care instructions for your throw blankets before throwing them in.

I love it when my throw blankets are folded and all neat on the couch (see above), this doesn’t last for long, once we hit the couch for a movie, the blankets become a huge mess once again.

But, fold your blankets, and you can at least enjoy the neatness for a couple of hours.

Deep Cleaning Your Entertainment Center & Electronics

Dust and wipe down entertainment center

Unplug all the electronics before cleaning your entertainment center.

Start dusting the entertainment unit from the top down with a dry microfiber cloth, gently remove any dyst you see.

Pay attention to vents, corners, and any other areas where dust tends to accumulate.

When it comes to cleaning your tv screen, always use a screen-specific cleaner. Apply the cleaner to a microfiber cloth, never directly onto the screen, and gently wipe the screen in a circular motion.

Avoid using excessive pressure or rough materials that could scratch the screen.

Use a slightly damp cloth with mild detergent or all-purpose cleaner to wipe down other surfaces of the TV and entertainment center, such as the outer casing, shelves, and remote control.

Be careful not to get excess moisture into any openings or electrical components.

Use this opportunity to tidy up any messy cable wires and connections. Arrange them neatly and use cable organizers or zip ties (these work so well) to keep them organized and out of sight preferably.

After you have cleaned, make sure all surfaces are completely dry before plugging in and turning on your devices.

If your TV or entertainment center has ventilation slots or fans, use a can of compressed air or a soft brush to gently remove any dust from these areas. This will help prevent overheating and ensure proper airflow.

Deep Clean the Carpets and Rugs

Move your furniture so that you have enough room to clean your carpet.

Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and rags, then vacuum (baking soda will help your vacuum lift all the pet hair easily and remove bad odors from your carpet).

Start cleaning your carpet and rugs thoroughly with a carpet brush (or carpet cleaning machine) and your go-to carpet cleaning solution.

With the carpet out of the way, vacuum and mop the floor.

MOM TIP: I like to use my iRobot around the house on a daily basis, it’s not necessarily doing a deep cleaning, but it is constantly cleaning under the couch for me, and getting to those hard to reach areas and keeping dust bunnies at bay. I get everything off the floor, put it on and off it goes.

Deep clean your hard wood floors

Always start out by sweeping up loose dirt or using a vacuum cleaner with a floor brush attacment to do the job.

Use a cleaner that is specifically designed for hardwood floors, follow the instructions on the bottle to dilute with water. Dip your mop into the cleaning solution, wring to remove excess moisture and begin to gently mop your floors, working in small sections at a time. Move the mop in the direction of the wood grain to avoid streaks or damage.

Be very careful not to leave any excess water on the floor as it can warp the wood. If you find any subborn stains, apply a small amount of the diluted cleaning solution on the stain, and gently rub it with a cloth.

Don’t go too aggressive or you will damage the wood.

When you have finished mopping, use a soft ‘old’ towel, or a dry microfiber mop to dry the floor completely. You can use a hardwood floor polish to get your floors looking sparkling clean. Doing this can help restore the shine and provide extra protection for your hardwood floor.

Deep Cleaning Living Room Checklist: Final Thoughts

There you have it — a deep cleaning checklist to help you thoroughly clean your living room and transform it into a spotless, clean space.

We can all agree there’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes with deep cleaning the living room, and having a nice clean space for everyone to hang out.

With this deep cleaning checklist, you’ll deep clean your living room without missing any spots. Now you can enjoy some quick spruce ups to keep things fresh.

Once you’ve ticked off each cleaning task on this free deep cleaning checklist, do me a favor — sit back and relax and look around at your sparkling clean home.

I recommend doing a good deep clean in your living room every quarter, as this will help to keep your living room nice and clean. Make sure to Do your regular weekly and monthly cleaning in your living room, so you have less to do when you deep clean.

I hope our deep cleaning checklist helps to make your life easier

Deep Cleaning Living Room Checklist (Step by Step)

How To Deep Clean Your Living Room:

Cleaning Supplies You’ll Need