Ten Things You Forget To Clean In The Living Room

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There are certain things you forget when you’re cleaning. You don’t mean to forget, you just … do. Check out these Ten Things You Forget To Clean In The Living Room.

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We spend a lot of time in the living room. I think everyone has been spending more time than usual in the living room. We relax there, fall asleep there, and, well, live there. What we don’t do is clean everything. I know, I know. We think we do, but I put together a list of the ten things you forget to clean in the living room.

It’s not that you forget to clean those things on purpose. It’s just that some things get overlooked.

Sure, you always vacuum. And sure, you always dust the coffee table. But how often do you dust the ceiling fan? If you’re like me, not as often as you should.

So don’t worry. Clean how you clean on a regular week, and then come to this list and go through it every so often.

But a little more often than you really want.

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If you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking about cleaning. So don’t stop at the living room. Check out The Ultimate Guide To Spring Cleaning Your Home for more cleaning tips.

Ten Things You Forget To Clean In The Living Room

Ceiling fan

I very often lay on the couch, look at the ceiling fan, and think, “I should dust that.” And then I carry on watching whatever show is on TV.

I do eventually dust it, but definitely not every single time I dust the rest of the living room. And actually cleaning the ceiling fan? That doesn’t happen very often.

The good thing is, you actually only have to clean the ceiling fan twice a year.

The best way to clean the ceiling fan

Every week, you should stand on a step stool with a long duster and dust both sides and the edges of the blades. Be sure to dust the light fixture (inside and out) as well.

You want to clean it twice a year by spraying household cleaner on the blades, then wiping them down.

Ceiling fans should turn left during the summer and right during the winter (it’s based on cold air going up or down, depending on the season). So when you remember to change the direction that your fan is spinning, that’s a good reminder to actually clean the fan as well.

Light fixtures

I sort of touched upon light fixtures with ceiling fans, but then I thought about people who don’t have ceiling fans. They probably just skipped over that part about ceiling fans, assuming it didn’t apply to them.

But light fixtures need to be cleaned. And people don’t like to clean them because some of them are a real pain in the neck to get back up. You have to get the screw in the hole exactly perfectly.

But don’t use that as an excuse to not clean them.

The best way to clean light fixtures

Unscrew the light fixture and take it down off the ceiling. Use a dry cloth or dusting pad to wipe away any dust and bugs that have accumulated in the light fixture.

Spray a cloth with household cleaner or dip it in soap and water, then wash the inside and outside of the light fixture. Use a cloth to dry the light fixture before putting it back up.

Remote controls

The remote control in your house is something everyone touches. Touches when they’re eating snacks, eating dinner, licking their fingers, coughing, sick, healthy … you get the idea. Every touches the remotes all the time, and it’s covered in germs and crumbs and who knows what else.

But when you’re cleaning your living room, do you stop to clean the remote controls? Or do you just pick them up, dust the coffee table under them, and put them back down?

I’m guessing the latter.

The best way to clean remote controls

Remove the batteries from the back. Hold the remote upside down and gently tap it to remove any dirt, debris, or crumbs in the buttons. Flip it back over and see if there’s any dirt or crumbs between the buttons. If there is, use a toothpick — gently — to dig out any dirt.

Then, spray a towel with a household disinfectant and rub down the entire remote (but not inside where the batteries go). Wipe it down with a dry cloth and put the batteries back in.

Light switches

This is one that I always remember to clean, but I know so many people who don’t. You touch the light switches so frequently, but for such a short amount of time, so you don’t think they can get dirty.

But light switches aren’t like your fork at dinner. You don’t wash your hands before you touch it. So who knows what’s lying on the surface of your light switches.

Clean them. And clean them often.

The best way to clean light switches

Spray household cleaner onto a cloth. Wipe down the entire light switch cover. Then, while holding the cloth, grab on to the light switch itself, flip it up, clean it, flip it down, clean it.

Throw pillow that says "Cuddle Weather."

Throw pillows

We lay on throw pillows all the time. I’m sure you do too. And sometimes, you probably fall asleep on them.

What lurks on the surface of those throw pillows you relax on? Dirt? Spit? Grime? Farts? Who knows. But you should clean them.

The best way to clean throw pillows

Most throw pillows are spot clean only. So you’ll want to dab a towel in laundry detergent and water, rub the spot that’s dirty, and then go back over it with clean water.

Some throw pillows are machine washable. In order to do that, unzip the cover off the throw pillow and wash the cover only according to the directions on the inside. Don’t wash the pillows inside.

Curtains

If you have curtains in your living room, you’re gonna need to clean them every so often. You really need to clean them so infrequently that people end up not cleaning them at all.

The best way to clean curtains

All of our curtains have always been machine washable. But, constant expose to sun makes them pretty delicate. So you don’t want to just throw them in the washing machine and call it a day.

Instead, wash your curtains in the washing machine on the gentlest cycle. Then, hang them to dry. When they’re completely dry, iron them. Then, put them back up.

Blinds

If you skipped the last one and thought, “Haha, I don’t have curtains,” well, you’re probably someone who has blinds. And I’m gonna be honest. Blinds are worse than curtains.

We had blinds in the apartment and when we bought the house, I decided we were either getting curtains or plantation shutters. I was never dealing with blinds again because I never want to clean blinds again.

The best way to clean blinds

Start with a microfiber cloth and wipe down the highest blind. Work your way down until the bottom, then use a handheld vacuum to suck up any extra dust.

If your blinds are really grimy, soak them in a bathtub with dish soap for an hour. Use a cloth to wipe them down completely. Then, hang dry them or use a dry cloth to dry them.

Fake plants

We have live plants, which require a bit of babysitting. You have to water them and clean up fallen leaves and every so often give them plant food.

Fake plants are so much easier. You just put them out and then forget about them. But don’t forget about them too long because they’ll get dusty.

The best way to clean fake plants

Just dust your fake plants. They probably aren’t greasy or gross. They’re just dusty. So when you think about it, just wipe them down with a duster.

Tops of shadow boxes/bookcases

Sometimes, we like to ignore the things we can’t see. Like the tops of things. If the dust isn’t eye level, it’s so easy to pretend it doesn’t exist. And then it’s easy to ignore it.

But don’t.

Just dust those high places, like the tops of shadow boxes that hang on the wall or the tops of tall bookcases.

The best way to clean the tops of shadow boxes/bookcases

Grab a long duster, and a stepstool if you need, and just dust the tops of the shadow boxes and bookcases. Dust anything that’s above eye level that you generally can’t see the top of.

Paintings/wall hangings

It’s so weird to say, “Clean your pictures,” but … clean your pictures. If they’re just hanging on your wall, there’s a good chance any pictures, paintings, or wall hangings will get dusty. So you’ll want to dust them.