Living room cleaning is mostly upholstery, floors, and the surfaces that accumulate everyday dust in the room used most.
01Upholstered furniture
Vacuuming upholstered furniture weekly with a brush attachment removes surface dust and debris before it works into the fabric. For deeper cleaning, a water-based upholstery cleaner applied with a cloth and worked in with a soft brush, then extracted with a clean damp cloth, addresses most stains and odors. Check the care code on the furniture tag first: W means water-based cleaner is safe, S means solvent only, WS means either, X means vacuum only.
02Hardwood and area rug
Sweep or vacuum hardwood floors before mopping. Mopping with excess water damages hardwood — use a barely-damp mop with a hardwood floor cleaner. Area rugs should be vacuumed in both directions to lift the pile and remove debris embedded in the base. Rotate the rug 180 degrees every 6 months so it wears evenly. Take the rug outside and beat it annually to remove embedded particulate that vacuuming can't reach.
03Electronics and entertainment surfaces
A thin layer of dust on electronics is constant. Use a microfiber cloth, dry, on all surfaces including the TV screen. Never spray cleaner directly onto a TV — spray onto the cloth and wipe gently. Cleaning the fan vents on a receiver or gaming console with compressed air quarterly extends the life of the equipment.
04Fireplace and hearth
After each fire use, sweep the hearth immediately. Do a full cleaning once or twice a season: remove ash from the firebox when fully cool, vacuum the remaining fine ash with an ash vacuum or a shop vac, and wipe the firebox interior with a damp cloth. Clean the glass on a gas fireplace with fireplace glass cleaner — standard glass cleaner doesn't handle the combustion residue.
Marcus Webb is a general contractor and home maintenance writer based in Columbus, Ohio. He writes about the repairs and installs that come up every year in every house — the practical, repeating work that keeps a home livable.