7 Living Room Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid

Springtime is officially in full effect. Temperatures outside are rising which means more fun in the sun, more time to spend with family and friends, and unfortunately − more dust and debris piling up in your living room. Conquering that mess can seem like a fairly easy chore, however, there are many poor cleaning habits you should abandon now. To help you bust out that spring cleaning and bring your home back to life, here are our top 7 living room cleaning mistakes to avoid.

1. Don’t Use a Feather Duster

First thing’s first − step one of cleaning your living space should always be to dust. Dust accumulates on pretty much everything and is practically impossible to avoid; that’s why you’ll need the best tool available to stop it in its tracks. A feather duster was once considered the best way to clean up dust, but the times have changed. Feather dusters don’t actually pick up dust − they will only spread it from one surface to another, which ends up doing more harm than good. If you want to efficiently get rid of the dust, use a microfiber cloth instead. Microfiber cloths will grab and hold onto dust particles, meaning you won’t have to second-guess or double-check after dusting the same surface!  

2. Work Top-to-Bottom (Not the Other Way Around)

Nobody likes to do double the work when it can be avoided, and that should also be the case when you’re cleaning. One of the most effective ways to clean is to work from top to bottom. The top-to-bottom method is a great approach because it’s an easy way to make sure you never have to clean something twice.

When cleaning a space or piece of furniture from top to bottom, you work with gravity instead of against it. Start with the tallest surfaces first and allow dust and dirt to collect on the floor, then once you finish everything, sweep up or vacuum the remaining debris.

3. Dust Your Windows Before Cleaning

Speaking of dust; the next mistake gets its own mention because of how overlooked it is. One of the biggest cleaning mistakes you can make is forgetting to dust your windows (before you start cleaning them.) If you forget to wipe down the windows for dust beforehand, any type of glass cleaner you spray will eventually drip onto the frame and become a muddy puddle of dusty liquid – yikes.

So next time you’re planning to clean your windows, don’t forget your microfiber cloth and give them a quick wipe before you spray your glass cleaner. You’ll thank us later!

4. Clean Out Your Vacuum Beforehand

Chances are, if you’re cleaning up any living space around your home, you’ll be using a vacuum. How often do you empty your vacuum before running it? Forgetting to empty your vacuum of debris before using it will result in you pushing more dirt and dust around, creating even more of a mess to clean up!

For bagless vacuums, empty the canister after every use (and don’t forget to check that it’s empty before you use it, too). If yours has a bag, replace it once it’s one-third full.

5. Don’t Spray Furniture with Polish

Everyone wants their furniture to stay in tip-top shape throughout its years of use. Regular cleaning will increase the lifespan of your furniture; however, you do need to be cautious of what you’re cleaning the furniture with. One crucial cleaning mistake that isn’t discussed often is using polish directly on furniture.

Polish can make almost everything look bright and clean, but you don’t want to use it directly on your furniture. Applying polish directly can create a build up on the furniture that’s very tough to remove and attracts even more dust! To avoid this issue, spray your cloth (preferably microfiber) with your cleaner of choice and then proceed to wipe down the furniture.

6. Don’t Forget the Remotes

Just when you thought the job was over, you probably forgot to clean a couple of the most touched items in the home– the remote controls! In almost all households now, the remotes are easily the most frequented items, but how often are they actually cleaned? We know you don’t want to think about it, but remotes are touched by a lot of people and have countless germs. All remotes can be cleaned with a disinfectant wipe at least once every week and should become a staple (if not already) in your cleaning routine!

7. Review Manufacturer’s Instructions

Last but certainly not least, if you’re ever in doubt of how to clean a specific piece of furniture, you can never go wrong by referring to the manufacturer’s instructions. Usually, these instructions will be on the paper tag attached to the piece of furniture, but if you’re having trouble locating it (or already tore it off), most brands have an online reference page with specific cleaning instructions for every type of furniture, so you won’t have to guess. Reviewing the manufacturer’s instructions is always a good practice when cleaning a piece of furniture because it will give you every detail on how to properly care for and maintenance it over time.

With warm weather quickly approaching and countless activities in near sight, you’re going to want to make you’re your home stays fresh and clean while you’re entertaining and enjoying the sun. By avoiding some of these key living room cleaning mistakes, you’ll have your space brightened up and ready to take on the busy summer months!