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I don’t know about you, but my living room takes some serious abuse. It takes on all the forms of disarray that a home can get: clutter, stains, messes, dirt…the list goes on. Now that I think about it, it’s really quite gross…

Eh hem. My point is that (as a rule) the high traffic in living rooms means they collect more messes than some other areas of the home. Which in turn means we need to spend more time working to get them clean, right?

Unless….

Unless you prep your cleaning space so well that you can power clean your living room like a boss!

Can I hear an “Amen”?!

So what do I mean by “prepping” your cleaning space? It’s simple:

Normally when most of us clean we deal with obstacles as they arise: Move decorations on shelves as we need to dust them, go to the other room to grab new rags as the used ones get dirty, etc.

But think about how much time we waste by doing this. It’s an efficiency disaster!

Y’all, prepping your cleaning space is the secret sauce to cleaning faster and more thoroughly. And so, my friends, here’s how to clean your living room efficiently (like the boss you are)!

1-) Return wandering toys, magazines, etc.

I give living rooms the number one spot for room in the home that collects the most random “stuff.” Because every member of the family spends time in the living room reading magazines, making lego creations,  and playing the latest video game system (what playstation are we up to now?), it becomes a magnet for wandering items.

So before you break out that all-purpose cleaner make sure you put those wandering items back! If your kids are older, you could even develop a system for them to help so you’re not stuck doing all the work.

2-) Unplug electronics

I’m not sure there’s much worse in life than having to stop cleaning mid-vacuum because those pesky wires got in the way. Again.

So do yourself a favor and unplug everything you don’t need (i.e. lights if you’re cleaning at night) and move the cords up and out of the way. You will save yourself a ton of time and frustration by taking this one simple step before you clean. I promise.

3-) Move decor to another room

As I hinted above, moving decor and putting it back one shelf at a time is not time efficient. Instead, before you start cleaning remove all decor from shelves, mantels, coffee tables, etc. and place them in another room. Then put them all back at once when you’re done. Wiping down shelves becomes significantly faster when you deal with decorations in bulk!

4-) Move furniture to the middle

Like wires, furniture can get in the way of an easy and thorough vacuum job. It’s generally easier to keep your vacuuming momentum going when the furniture is already in the middle of the room and you have to push them back to the edges rather than the other way around. So while I wouldn’t call this step absolutely necessary for an efficient cleaning job, it’s certainly something you should try.

5-) Take down curtains

Curtains are an amazing addition to any room, but they should be away while you’re cleaning. I have personally experienced my curtains get sprayed with windex by mistake because I was trying to hold them back while I was cleaning the windows. Given that curtains can be expensive, it’s best to save yourself the hassle and take them down before you start cleaning. If your curtains are machine washable, you can also give them a head start in the laundry so they’re ready for you when you’re done cleaning!

6-) Get all your supplies in one place

Make sure you’ll have all your cleaning supplies together in one place right before you’re ready to start. Having  the vacuum (with an empty canister), cleaning agents, extra rags, the mop, wood polish, etc. all in one place will save you a ton of time running back and forth to different rooms when you’re in the middle of cleaning!

That’s my 6 tips on how to clean your living room efficiently! And while you’re here, go ahead and grab my living room cleaning checklist! Simply opt-in below to have it sent to you straight away!

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For more cleaning advice, check out my spring cleaning guide and home management tasks you can complete in 15 minutes or less!