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 from, spend most parts of our days, and chill with the family after a long day.
So, what better way to show some TLC (tender love and care) to this cherished space in your house than giving it a top-to-bottom deep clean occasionally?
With this deep cleaning checklist, I promise you’ll 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, happy deep cleaning!
Supplies You’ll Need With Your Deep Cleaning Living Room Checklist
- 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.
#1 Do a Quick Clean Up of Clutter
Before you deep clean your living room, do some decluttering, especially on your floors.
Get everything off your floors, including area rugs, your kids socks, 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 respective rooms. Throw away clutter that qualifies as trash.
I recommend using a basket to collect items that don’t belong in the living room so you can take them all to their rightful place at once. Or put the basket on the stairs and anyone going upstairs can take it up at that time, just make sure to remind them to put the items in their rightful spot.
#2 Dust Ceiling and Walls
Once you’ve gotten rid of the clutter and trash, begin to deep clean your living room’s 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.
Use the long-handled dust mop and step ladder to dust down your ceiling and walls with ease. Using the right cleaning supplies will help make cleaning your home much easier.
#3 Dust and Clean the Ceiling fan
Ceiling fans tend to attract dust like crazy, so as you deep clean your living room, you can’t afford to leave out your fan.
With a cloth in your hand, use the step ladder to get as close to the fan as possible (remember to first turn off the fan).
Gently wipe each blade with the cloth before dusting the motor housing and light fixtures.
Once you’ve dusted the blades, motor housing, and light fixtures, go over these areas again with a slightly damp cloth. Note — slightly, not dripping wet.
You can use an all-purpose cleaner to deep clean the fan or make your own cleaner. You’ll need a spray bottle, baking soda, and dish soap. Once you’ve gathered these supplies, do this:
- Put warm water in the spray bottle
- Sprinkle baking soda in the water
- Add a few drops of dish soap.
Don’t spray this cleaning solution directly on the ceiling fan, though. Spray it on a cloth and wipe clean the various parts of the fan.
#4 Dust and Sanitize Doors, Knobs, and Light Switches
Wipe down the dirt on your doors, door knobs, and switches using a dry microfiber cloth.
Use an old toothbrush to remove the dirt trapped in the tiny spaces surrounding each switch that the cloth can’t reach. Please make sure your power is off when cleaning the switches.
After dusting, sanitize these areas using a disinfectant cleaner.
Simply spritz this cleaner onto the cloth, and clean your door and door knobs. Go over the switch plates with this cloth as well (don’t spray the cleaner directly on the switches).
#5 Dust and Clean All Art and Wall Hanging
Grab a cloth or a feather duster and begin dusting your wall art and other wall hangings.
Once done, use another cloth slightly dampened with warm, soapy water to clean these pieces.
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).
Finish by buffing the wall hangings with a fresh cloth.
#6 Dust Mantel (If There’s a Fireplace)
Remove any decor pieces from your fireplace mantel, and use a cloth or vacuum attachment to clear dust from the mantle surface. If you can add this to your weekly cleaning checklist, it will make a huge difference. I must admit I don’t get to it every week, but I try my best to clean round the fireplace a couple of times a month.
#7 Dust Down and Wash Fireplace Surround
Using a vacuum attachment, begin vacuuming the fireplace surround to clear the stray ashes. Wash the area with warm water and a damp sponge or cloth.
#8 Clear Ash and Scrub Down Hearth
Using a dustpan and brush, remove the ash and other debris in the firebox (have a trash bin bag next to you for easy disposal). If there are still ash remains, vacuuming will help.
Next, get your rubber gloves, sponge, and soft scrub brush ready. Mix water and liquid soap in a bucket, and use this solution to scrub away soot and other build-up visible on the mantle.
Rinse the mantle repeatedly with a soft clean rag dampened with clean water, and let it air dry.
#9 Wipe Down Fireplace Tools and Accessories
Dampen a cloth with warm, soapy water and clear the soot and grime on your fireplace tools and accessories. Buff them dry with another cloth afterwards.
#10 Take Down Window Treatments and Clean
Remove the curtains and drapes, and start cleaning your windows with your preferred glass cleaner. Buff the glass surface with another cloth.
If your windows have blinds, clean each slate (starting from the top going down) with a cloth dampened with soapy water.
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.
You can also vacuum curtains, this can be easily done with an attachment on your vacuum. Depending how tall your curtains are, this can also be done with a handheld and a step stool.
#11 Remove Cushions and Vacuum the Sofa
Time to vacuum furniture.
Vacuum your sofa and cushions to remove all the loose dirt, pet hair, snack crumbs, and other debris on your couch.
Once done, remove the seat cushions to vacuum the base of the sofa. Use your vacuum’s crevice attachment to remove the debris and hair trapped along the narrow sofa line.
Don’t be too shocked at everything you will find hiding in your sofa. We find socks, popcorn, hair bands, pens, and so much more.
#12 Dust and Clean Out the Couch and Chairs
Once you’ve dusted every side of your furniture with a vacuum, dampen a 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.
#13 Wash Any Removable Seat Covers
If you’re lucky enough to have furniture with removable covers, now would be the time to toss them in the washing machine.
#14 Vacuum or Wash Throw Pillows and Blankets
As you deep clean your seats’ cushion covers, don’t leave out the decorative pillows and throw blankets in the living room. Don’t forget to wash your cushions if you can, and throw pillow covers in the wash (check the label first).
Vacuum all the throw pillows and blankets. Once dusted, head over to your laundry room and toss the pillow covers and throw blankets in the machine. (make sure they are machine washable first)
#15 Dust Down and Clean All Table Lamps
After taking care of your pillow covers, move to the table lamps.
First use a dry microfiber cloth, then another one dampened with soapy water to clear away grime from your table lamps. This is a deep cleaning task that can be done in under 5 minutes! If you have older kids, have them help you with this easy task.
#16 Dust Down Accent Tables
Wipe your accent tables with a cloth to remove all the dirt on the table surfaces. After dusting, clean the tables with another cloth dampened with soapy water.
Even if not mentioned here, make sure to wipe down all hard surfaces with a soft cloth, this will take care of any dust hanging around.
#17 Remove and Clean Books or Knickknacks on Shelves
Clear your bookshelf, and use a cloth to clean all the books and decor pieces.
#18 Dust and Clean Shelves
Dust each shelf with a cloth, then clean using a damp microfiber cloth.
Remember to move the shelf and mop the floor where your bookshelf sits. Also, don’t forget to clean the wall behind your shelf.
#19 Wash Coasters
Dampen a cloth with a soapy solution and clear the water rings and sticky beverage stains on your living room coasters.
Use another microfiber cloth (dampened with plain water only) to rinse off the soap residue on the coasters. Set them aside to air dry.
I like to use coasters on any tables we have in the living room, because they save my furnoture from getting stained!
#20 Dust and Wipe Down Entertainment Center
Unplug all the electronics before cleaning your entertainment center.
Start dusting the entertainment unit with a dry cloth, then clean it up with a damp microfiber cloth.
#21 Wipe Down TV or Screens
After unplugging the TV, dust the screen as gently as possible using a dry microfiber cloth.
Once dusted, moisten a cloth with plain (distilled) water in a spray bottle and wipe the screen (don’t spritz water directly on the screen).
Go over the screen one more time with another clean, dry cloth and let it air dry before plugging the TV back in.
#22 Disinfect Toys or Games
Wipe your 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 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 he same. It’s great for keeping everything tidy, before this, we had dog toys all over the plae.
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.
#23 Disinfect Remote Controls
Dust all remote controls with a clean microfiber cloth, then wipe them with disinfecting wipes. Let them air dry.
#24 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 down the floor. Make use of the crevice attachment to clean the edge of your baseboards. Crevice attachments work perfectly for baseboards.
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.
#25 Polish Wood Furniture or Stone surfaces (Mantle)
To keep your wooden furniture and fireplace mantel looking their best, polish the surfaces with a clean microfiber cloth and your favorite wood polish (or marble polish).
#26 Vacuum and Clean Door Mats
To close off the cleaning chapter, vacuum your front door mats and clean them thoroughly as you did the living room area rugs. Here are some awesome tips to clean wood floors.
Living Room Deep Cleaning 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, hygienic space.
We can all agree there’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes with deep cleaning the living room compared to any other space in the house.
It’s where we host family and friends, and so we know conquering the living room chaos with a deep clean will impress, not just us, but those we love.
With this deep cleaning checklist, you’ll 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 checklist, do me a favor — sit back and relax and look around at your sparkling clean home.
Leave a Reply