10+ Things You Forget To Clean In Your Living Room (And how to do it cheaply)

There are a few spots you forget when you’re cleaning the living room. But keeping up with them doesn’t require a ton of time or expensive products. Instead, check out our list of things you forget to clean in the living room, which is complete with what you forget to clean and how to clean it without breaking the bank.

And, while you’re stalling to get that cleaning started, you can check out all of our other cleaning posts.

We spend a lot of time in the living room, especially in the winter. We relax there, fall asleep there, and, well, live there. What we don’t do is clean everything every time we clean.

I know, I know. We think we do, but 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.

You probably look at it thinking you need to rent a cherry picker to get up there.

You don’t. A stepstool is probably good enough.

So, keep reading this post with simple tips for cleaning your living room. It should give you the incentive to clean all those things you forget to clean.

Ten Frugal Tips For Cleaning Your Living Room

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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. And all you need is a stepstool and a long duster or a microfiber cloth.

The best way to clean the ceiling fan

Every week, if you’re short like me, just stand on a stepstool with a long-handle duster and dust both sides and the edges of the blades. Be sure to dust the light fixture (inside and out) as well.

If you’re taller, you can just stretch your arm and wipe with a microfiber cloth. Super easy.

Twice a year, spray an all-purpose household cleaner (we use a lavender scented cleaner so it smells nice) on the blades, then wipe 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 your fan is spinning, that’s a good reminder to actually clean the fan.

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 overhead 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.

And also, lamps. Any table or floor lamps should be cleaned as well.

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 soapy, then wash the inside and outside of the light fixture. Use a cloth to dry the light fixture before putting it back up. You don’t need to use any type of expensive glass cleaner.

Fun frugal tip: When we had old t-shirts with holes in tthem, my mom would cut that into pieces to use as rags to clean really dirty things (like the bugs that accumulate in lamps) and then could just toss the cloth if she didn’t want to wash it.

For lamps, just dusting it with a microfiber cloth is fine. If you have a cloth lamp shade, a used dryer sheet works perfectly (and it would have been garbage, so now you’re giving it a second life).

If you clean everything at the same time, you end up using less cleaning product, which saves you money in the long run.

Remote controls

The remote control in your house is something everyone touches — when they’re eating snacks, eating dinner, licking their fingers, coughing, sick, healthy … you get the idea. Everyone 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 once a week with a dry cloth and put the batteries back in.

To make it much easier, you can use a disinfecting wipe to wipe it down instead. This is actually really good to do if anyone’s sick because those can get rid of germs.

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 (anytime you notice fingerprints all over the panel).

The best way to clean light switches

Spray household cleaner onto a microfiber cloth. You could also just use a little dish soap and water.

Quick note: Don’t spray anything directly onto the light switches. That can cause damage and replacing that could be expensive.

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.

You can use that same cloth to clean doorknobs in the living room too (lights are usually near the front door) so you’re cleaning more things with the same amount of product.

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. That’s it. You don’t need a fancy upholstery cleaner.

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.

You don’t need to wash the pillow cushion covers often, either. And not doing so will actually extend their life. Just do that if something that potentially stains spills on them.

Other than that, just spot clean. And give them a good shake every now and again before tossing them back on your couch cushions. That will keep them fluffed up, extend their life, and save you money because you don’t have to replace them often.

Curtains

If you have curtains in your living room, you’re gonna need to clean them a couple times a year (twice is enough). 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 exposure 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 on the gentlest cycle using regular laundry detergent (you don’t need anything special fabric cleaners). You could even throw all your other curtains in at the same time so you’re just doing one load.

Then, hang them to dry. When they’re completely dry, iron them (or just let gravity do its thing), then, put them back up.

Air drying them means less wear and potential damage, so they last longer (which means you hardly have to replace them and that saves you money).

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.

But, honestly, you need to clean them to make sure they last longer. And maintaining them is a lot cheaper than replacing them.

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 you do that regularly, that’s all you’ll need to do.

But, if you’ve never cleaned them and this is your first go at it, 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.

From now on, clean them regularly (whenever you see dust) and you won’t have to do the bathtub thing again.

Fake plants

Live plants 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 buy them once (yay stretching your budget), put them out, 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. Or, even better, use a used dryer sheet. I’m telling you, that cleans up all the dust.

If you already used that dryer sheet to clean the lamp shades, just use it on the plants too.

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.

You still need to dust those high places, like the tops of shadow boxes that hang on the wall or the tops of tall bookcases.

You also want to dust the shelves of the bookcases too. If you’re doing that, go ahead and take a couple extra minutes to remove any clutter on the shelves, wipe them down, and then put back your knickknacks.

The best way to clean shadow boxes/bookcases

Grab a long duster or a regular cloth and a stepstool if you need and 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.

Doing this on a monthly basis, whenever you’re already dusting things that need a stepstool (like the ceiling fan) makes the job so much easier.

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 anytime you notice any dust.

The best way to clean the paintings/wall hangings

The same advice I gave you for the tops of bookcases is the advice for paintings and wall hangings. Just dust them.

Using a used dryer sheet, which we’ve used so many times already, is the easiest and cheapest way to do this.

Baseboards

Most people only clean the baseboards in the living room when guests are coming over because they accumulate so much dust and they’re a real pain to clean.

But I promise you, if you clean them on a regular basis, it’s so easy.

The best way to clean the baseboards

Grab a used dryer sheet (not one you’ve cleaned with yet) and wipe it around your baseboards. It will pick up every bit of dust and make them look beautiful. A quick swipe goes a long way. And if you do that often, it’ll be so quick.

This tip also works for cleaning your window sills too.

Do this for you every week (or every other week). Don’t clean just for company. Clean for yourself too. It’ll feel so good.

Do you have other tips for the things you forget to clean in the living room? Be sure to let us know with a comment.