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Deep cleaning require lots of effort and time when doing them on your own, but the results are worth it for a more hygienic home – and you only need to do them once every few months, after all.
The living room is especially important since it's the area your relatives and friends will be spending most of their time in.
Yet, living in this bustling metropolis of ours, along with hectic work schedules, cleaning our house often seems like a laborious and exhausting chore.
We find ourselves dreading having to spend a precious portion of our weekend, laboriously cleaning around the house as well as figuring out which products to use or not, or if they are even harmful to our bodies even though they may remove the dirt.
Don't fret. We've done the research for you. Planning to spring clean your living room? Follow our guide here.
Content
- Deep cleaning your house: 4 Things to know
- Clean living room checklist: 6 Steps to cleaning
- How to clean sofas
- 6 Best cleaning appliances for living room
Deep Cleaning Your House: 4 Things to know
Step 1: Get into the mindset
Focus on the task at hand. Don’t just think about the way we’d love our home to look but also how you want your home to feel. For instance, you’d want your bedroom to make you feel comfortable and relaxed, and your study to inspire you.
Now look at what needs to be done – are there unnecessary products in the bathroom, or clutter of paperwork in your bedroom? Focus your efforts there.
Step 2: Remove the excess
Be ruthless. If something is taking up space that doesn’t serve a purpose or bring you joy, get rid of it. You’ll feel fresher, lighter, and more open to inspiration.
Clean Living Room Checklist: How to clean living room furniture fast?
Clean Living Room Checklist: How to clean living room furniture fast?
Step 3: Set rules
Everything should have its place. Paperwork should never be allowed on the kitchen table, because it belongs somewhere else. Label boxes and drawers, and even kitchen cabinets if it helps, so everyone knows exactly where to put the mugs and cups.
When it comes to shopping, be diligent about what you allow into your home. Say “no, thank you” when you don’t need or want something – even If it’s on sale or a free gift.
Step 4: Deep clean
Once you remove the clutter, do a deep clean.
Wash your upholstery: Soft furnishings accumulate dust, mites, and dander, and this leads to unhealthy air quality. Wash curtains and sofa pillowcases in your washing machine, on a hot setting. Clean your kids’ soft toys in a bucket of soap and water, dry them completely, and then freeze them overnight in freezer bags to kill any dust mites.
Clean out hidden dust: This is the time to tackle those tough-to-reach spots we often neglect. For example, under the refrigerator and behind the washing machine (applicable to large furniture too), and ceiling fans.
Seal any gaps: Leaks, cracks, and broken seals in the walls can lead to bigger problems such as mould and insect infestation. Look out for trouble spots and get them repaired.
Clean Living Room Checklist: 6 Steps to clean living room
The living room is usually the part of the house with most decorative items, from flower vases to sofa throws. However, these get pretty dusty after some time. Here are six steps to go through when cleaning your living room:
- Remove curtains and other household fabrics for washing
- Clear storage cabinets and small items from the television console
- Unplug wires and keep consoles and electronics out of the way when you clean
- Dust and wipe all surfaces, including ceiling fans
- Sweep and mop floor
- Reorganise storage space and cables
Vacuum sofa and cushions, wash covers
These tend to accumulate dirt and sweat over long periods of sitting, so make sure they're washed before the relatives come! Allow the sofa to air for at least 24 hours before putting the freshly-washed covers back on.
For a more thorough cleaning, consider hiring a professional service like Nouve or Supersteam, which uses steam-cleaning to eliminate stains and odours from upholstery.
For a finishing touch, swap your cushion covers for brightly-coloured, festive ones.
How to Clean Sofas
Chinese New Year is coming, and that means prepping your house to look spanking new! But, don’t throw out the sofa just yet. All it needs is a good clean-up.
Clean Leather Sofas
Dust your leather furniture to ensure dirt and grit are removed as these can scratch the surface of leather.
Leather sofas should be gently vacuumed, damp-wiped, and cleaned with leather conditioner.
Avoid using household cleaners, wax, or shoe cleaners. There are tailored products specifically developed for sofa leather care, such as sofa brand King Living’s King-Care range. Always pre-test the leather cleaner and conditioner on a small concealed area of the sofa first, to ensure product is right.
No cleaners at hand? Remove unsightly water stains by dabbing the area with a well-wrung new sponge moistened with room-temperature water. Treating it with saddle soup once leather its dry will make the leather supple.
Similar to fabric furniture, keep it away from any source of heating as it dries out and damages leather.
Clean Fabric Sofas
Vacuum it, and use the soft brush attachment on low suction. Too much force may lift the colour out of the fabric. As per King Living's advice you should focus on “high traffic areas” such as the leg, arm, and back areas where perspiration and body oils often accumulate.
Gently blot – don’t rub or scrub – spills immediately with a clean towel or paper towel. The quicker you act, the less likely the stain sets into the fabric.
In general, position your fabric furniture out of direct sunlight as harsh sun exposure may cause it to fade and fray. Can’t move it? Use curtains or blinds to keep UV rays away.
Clean Wood Sofas
If small bumps are appearing on your table surface as a result of moisture, it might be that your furniture has a veneer surface. “If it is a veneer top, it means that water has seeped beneath the top layer and caused it to distort,” says Terence Teh, marketing manager at furniture retailer Journey East. Try fixing small bubbles or blisters by placing a damp cloth over them and going over the spot with a hot iron. This might reactivate the glue which no longer bonds the veneer to its base.
Have scuff-marks? Walnuts and Brazil nuts work well with light-coloured furniture. Use the nut like a crayon: just rub the scuff with it, and you’ll find the mark vanishing.
To get rid of water and wine stains, make a paste with equal parts baking soda and white, non-gel toothpaste. Dip a damp cloth into the paste and scrub the table in a circular motion. It might take a long time to clear, but keep at it.
For stubborn oil and grease stains, rub lemon juice on the stain with a soft toothbrush. Alternatively, use a lighter fluid or white vinegar.
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Mop the floor
To eliminate bacteria, mix a half-cup of distilled white vinegar in water and mop your floors with the solution.
For stubborn stains, you can use something like a Magic Eraser to gently scrub at them. However, be careful to wear gloves and test on a small area first as the Magic Eraser is actually a very fine sandpaper surface that shouldn't be used on shiny marble or anything you don't want scratched.
Don’t forget to wipe down the skirting too! These often tend to accumulate dust and are forgotten during our usual sweeping and mopping.
Remove scratches from wooden flooring
Found scratches on your parquet or flooring? Rub a walnut over the affected area, as the oil from it would help to restore the colour.
Vacuum and steam carpets, rugs
If you have rugs, it's even more important that you clean your living room weekly. One gram of carpet dust contains about 730 million bacteria. Carpet dust can also cause respiratory problems and allergies.
To avoid that, vacuum your living room's rugs and carpets regularly using a machine with a HEPA filter, which can trap very tiny particles.
Steam your carpets and rugs
Accidentally knocked over a cup of coffee onto the carpet while having your breakfast in the morning? Or dribbled some wine on the couch while catching up on the latest TV show?
Steam away the stains with Kärcher’s SC 2 Deluxe Steam Cleaner ($238) – the winner of Red Dot Award 2018, in the Product Design Category.
The secret of steam cleaning lies in the combination of pressure, speed and temperature. The simple but powerful high-temperature ejection of steam emits microscopic steam particles that dislodge and breakdown the tannins, without the use of chemicals. Voilà! The stains are removed, leaving the carpet as good as new.
Wash Dull & Dusty Curtains
After cleaning the windows, you're now off to the curtains. Put half a pack of baking soda into the washing machine with your curtains and watch that greying disappear.
If you've got Venetian or Korean blinds instead, get a duster to dust your blinds. Then, put an old sock onto your hand and run it over the slats and vents once again.
Wipe neglected areas with a damp cloth
Areas we commonly forget to dust include the tops of mirrors and clocks, doorknobs, and even light switches. Use a clean, damp rag to wipe these down.
For hard-to-reach places, consider investing in a tool like the Magiclean Wiper Mop that allows you to reach even the farthest of ceiling corners.
Finally, make sure you clear items from dead zones, such as keys and newspapers. The living room is where we tend to drop off items as we come into the house, so these things pile up over time. Add a final vase of flowers and you're ready.
Speed clean with disposable wet wipes
If you're ultra lazy, get yourself a giant tub of disposable wet wipes and leave it on the living room coffee table. Give your living room a quick wipe down every week, keeping your TV, screens, window panes and TV screens free of smudges and dust.
Blot up any stains on clothes, carpeting, or upholstery ─ wet wipes are particularly useful for microfibre couches.
Lazy to get a pail of water and mop out? Wrap a wet wipe over your flat floor mop ─ such as the 3M Scotch-Brite Easy Sweeper Plus+ ─ to mop the floor. Likewise, use that to get rid of dust balls and spider webs on the walls and ceiling.
Wet wipes are super handy for cleaning out hard-to-reach spots. Run them along your window blinds, pull them through slits in your dining chairs and window grills.
A week before Chinese New Year, get that ladder out and give your fan and air-conditioner vents and blades, and those fiddly spaces between the window grills, a thorough cleaning.
6 Best Cleaning Appliances for Living Room
A little bit goes a long way. High quality tools and appliances can make cleaning your home much easier - and help your place stay clean and tidy for a longer period of time.
Heavy Duty Vacuum Cleaner
Pet owner? Love the pet, hate the shedding.
Animal lovers can relate to having your cats or your dogs spending 70 per cent of their time lying on the carpet or the sofa leading to unsightly balls of fur everywhere. As the hair that isn't so easily removed with a vacuum cleaner, use a rubber glove or scotch tape to remove the hair.
If budget allows, get a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner like Bosch Unlimited 7 Rechargeable Handstick Vacuum Cleaner ($1,299) that cleans hair and fibre off carpets, parquet, and furniture easily with its various brushes and nozzles.
The washable HEPA13 filtration eliminates odour and TurboSpin motor thoroughly filters dust and pet fur.
LG Robot Vacuum
Couples will appreciate having robot vacuums around because they’ll no longer have to argue over whose turn it is to sweep the floor. Just leave it to this handy helper to work its wonders while you’re at work or asleep!
With the success of the original Hom-Bot design, LG has stepped up its game with several newer and improved versions.
Newer versions of the LG robot vacuum not only cleans as well as its predecessor, but comes with functions to minimise wandering, and Corner Detection to reach tight corners more effectively.
Its Ultrasonic Sensor also scans for obstacles, including glass or transparent objects, to ensure it does not collide with furniture or topple that antique Ming vase in the living room.
LG robot vacuums are available at Courts for $1,513.
Dyson HEPA Filter Fan
Did you know the air inside your home could be more polluted than the air outside? Toxic fumes from cleaning solvents, deodorants and scented candles are some of the most common indoor air pollutants, based on a study carried out by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
This machine removes 99.95 per cent of indoor allergens, and pollutants as small as 0.1 microns, from the air. It has a 360-degree, vacuum-sealed glass HEPA filter and a layer of activated carbon granules, which captures and removes odours and harmful toxins!
Unlike most other purifiers that project air only upwards or in a singular direction, the Dyson Pure Cool Fan excels at circulating clean air across a room thanks to Dyson’s signature Air Multiplier technology.
Dyson Pure Cool Tower Fan is available on Amazon at $389.
Anti-Mould Wall Paint
Here’s a scary thought: walls are large surface areas for germs and bacteria to multiply. Nip that in the bud with the anti-mould, -fungus, and -bacteria Dulux PureAir ($79.90 for 5 litres on Shopee).
This wall paint is also washable, making it easy to hose down and clean.
Window Insect Screen
Keep pesky bugs and creepy-crawlies out of the house, with an insect screen. Latch the Magic Mesh Magnetic Window Screen ($50.57 for 139.7 cm) on any sliding aluminum frame window – it is easy to maintain, and you only need water to clean it.
HEPA Air Purifier
Not everyone's a fan of the Dyson fans due to the low wind draft. If you're one of the fan blasters, stick to your regular heavyweight steel or ceiling fan but get an additional air purifier.
Sharp actually carries an Air Purifier that comes with a Mosquito Catcher function - effectively doing two jobs at once.
It comes with Sharp's signature Plasmacluster to remove mould, viruses, allergens, and odours in the air. Within the device is a HEPA filter. Of course, you get a timer function too.
This dual function air purifier, however, seems a little more difficult to locate in home appliance and electric stores.
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