Living Room Spring Cleaning Checklist: Deep Clean All The Things!

Do you have a formal living room in addition to a room where your family hangs out to watch TV? My home does, which means the living room doesn’t get much use. You’d think it would stay clean that way, but no such luck.

That’s why I came up with a Living Room Spring Cleaning checklist to give it a thorough, deep clean at least once a year. So take a peek at the steps involved, then sign up at the end for a printable cleaning checklist.

Gather Your Supplies

The first step, of course, is to make sure your favorite homemade cleaners are topped off and that you’ve got all the equipment you’ll need. No side quests to the store!

• Cleaning supplies: Liquid dish soap, water, glass cleaner, furniture polish, floor cleaner.

• Equipment: Step ladder, long-handled duster, microfiber cleaning cloths, vacuum with attachments, mop and bucket or spray bottle, and empty boxes.

Step 1: Prep the Living Room.

Spring Cleaning is a chance to get rid of winter’s grime. So, throw open those windows and let there be light! How else are we going to find all those pet hair tumbleweeds?

Remove window treatments: Check the care label for washing instructions. You might be surprised to find that even some curtains labeled as ‘dry-clean only’ can be washed at home.

Another quick trick is to toss them in the dryer for about 5 minutes on a no-heat setting to get rid of dust and odors.

Clear the walls: Take down artwork, photos, and wall hangings. Dust each item front and back then set it aside. We’ll worry about polishing smudges later.

Collect clutter: Gather things you don’t want in this room and put them in a box marked “Return.” Then, grab things you don’t want in your home and put them in a box marked “Donations.”

Set both boxes aside. But remember: no one wants your broken stuff. Add it to the trash bag.

Step 2: Clean the Ceiling, Walls and Trim.

We’re going to Spring Clean your living room top to bottom—literally!

First, though, you need to pull the furniture away from the walls so you can clean behind it. Get someone to help if you need it so you don’t injure yourself, please.

Dust: Grab the long-handled duster and dust the ceiling, ceiling fan, walls and corners, window and door trim, doors, window stills, and baseboards.

Wipe: Use warm, soapy water and a microfiber cloth to clean wall smudges and grimy trim.

Polish: Use glass cleaner and a fresh microfiber cloth to polish the glass on artwork and photos, then hang them all back up.

Step 3: Clean the Soft Furnishings.

The soft surfaces in your living room collect a lot of dust, allergens and pet hair, even greasy soil—even if you don’t use the room very often!

So, this section of the Living Room Spring Cleaning checklist focuses on the upholstery and other fabric surfaces.

Wash: When it comes to throw blankets and pillow covers, always follow the care labels when washing them.

And for your upholstered furniture, don’t forget to unzip the covers and check those care labels too. If you want the quickest way to freshen up your sofa, washing the cushion covers is the way to go.

Vacuum: Start by using the dust brush attachment to give your lampshades a good cleaning. Then, switch to the upholstery attachment and vacuum your sofa and chairs. If possible, tilt them back to get the underside as well.

Stain removal: Warm soapy water is usually enough to remove food stains on upholstery, or try a fabric cleaner. Woolite makes an upholstery spray that comes with a silicone brush head for tough stains.

Reassemble: Put any sofa cushion or throw pillow covers back on when they’re dry an,d if you need it, take a break. Spring Cleaning can be exhausting!

Step 4: Deep Clean Wood Furniture.

If your family only uses the living room to entertain guests, the furniture is probably in good shape. (Unless you have wild guests.)

But go ahead and clear everything off so you can dust and polish it. You might find issues like stickiness or scratches as you do.

That stickiness is something I deal with a lot. See, I like to buy and flip furniture but the wood often has a sticky buildup from furniture spray.

Removing that gummy layer requires a good scrub with equal parts warm white vinegar and water with a little dish soap.

And sometimes, you’ll find scratches like the ones that mysteriously appeared after somebody —no one knows who—played with his toy truck on the coffee table and piano lid.

Fill those marks with a wax scratch repair kit from the hardware store. Or, grab a matching crayon from Not Me’s coloring box and use it to fill scratches in your wood furniture.

Step 5: Make it All Shine and Sparkle.

Once you’ve got the stickiness and scratches taken care of, wipe your furniture with a warm, damp cloth to remove dust. Let it air dry if you need a break, or dry it with a soft cloth.

Then use a homemade furniture polish to moisturize the wood and make it shine without stickiness.

To make your windows and glass surfaces really shine, grab some glass cleaner and a clean microfiber cloth.

And if your freshly laundered curtains are ready, go ahead and hang them up. Just remember to keep them open to let that lovely natural light fill the room.

Step 6: Finally, the Baseboards and Floors.

Although we dusted the baseboards when we began Spring Cleaning the living room, they still need a quick wipe.

If you don’t want a stiff back from cleaning your baseboards, use a damp mop and a spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner.

Now, unless you’ve got enough room to move all the furniture out of your living room, you’ll need to clean the floor in two parts:

First, the outside edges: Vacuum where your furniture usually goes. Mop this area and let it dry, then put the furniture back in place.

Then, the center: If you have an area rug, vacuum both sides then roll it up and set it aside. Vacuum and mop the rest of your floor. Put the area rug back when your floor is dry.

Finishing Touches

Arrange your sofa’s throw blankets however you like and polish up any smudges from moving your furniture back in place. Then put away things in the “Return” box, toss the trash, and put the “Donation” box in your car.

And, hey, if there’s time, why not be the first to enjoy your deep cleaned Living Room by taking a nap on the sofa?