We all like to relax in the living room, which means for most of us it's where we like to spend our free time and entertain guests. Yet with so many things going on in just one room it's inevitable that a lot of dust and dirt will accumulate. These tips will keep your living room much cleaner for longer, and leave it looking spotless.
Upholstery
A good place to start your clean is with the upholstery, as this is a common feature in many living rooms. It is also one the most overlooked places when it comes to cleaning too, with many people not realising there is as much dust on upholstery as there is as on wooden furniture, floors, and other places where it is more visible.
Worse still is that dust contains microscopic abrasives, such as silica, which if left can grind into the fabric and wear upholstery out quicker than it would on other materials. This means all upholstery should be vacuumed weekly to remove the build up of dust, preferably with a upholstery attachment for your hoover if you have one.
If you have a pet, an easy way to remove hair from upholstery is by rubbing a slightly dampened chamois leather gently across the fabric. This will cause the pet hair to gather nicely in a ribbon as you work over the surface.
To clean finished leather upholstery moisturising soap such as Saddle soap is ideal and can be purchased from most riding shops and hardware stores. This should be applied to a damp cloth and lathered onto the leather, ensuring you only use a small amount of water. Wipe the lather clean with another damp cloth, and then polish the leather with a dry towel.
Cleaning unfinished leather requires a lot more care and attention than finished leather, and if incorrectly done can severely shorted the lifespan of the furniture. We recommend purchasing a cleaning product specifically designed for unfinished leather. This can then be applied in a circular motion using a soft damp cloth to get into the grain of the leather. Finally, wipe away with another cloth to make sure all of the residue is removed.
Glass Coffee Tables
Caked on material that is difficult to remove such as wax, paint or other stuck-on substances can be peeled off using a single razor blade on the glass. Do nor use a putty knife, which can scratch the glass.
Easier stains can be removed using a solution of 1/4 cup vinegar to a litre of warm water. Although this can be mixed in a spray bottle and applied this way, if the glass in your furniture is framed by wood, do not spray on directly as this may damage the wood. Instead, apply the solution to an old newspaper and rub onto the glass, remembering to clean both sides. The newspaper, unlike paper towels and many types of cloth, leaves behind no traces of lint.
Televisions
The more televisions are switched on the more dirty they become as they generate heat, and static electricity generated makes them magnets for dust. It is therefore advisable to clean your television once every week.
It is important to unplug your television before you start work on cleaning it, and never spray cleaning products directly onto the television as the wetness could seep into the electronic parts and ruin the set. Instead, dampen a paper towel with a drop of concentrated washing-up liquid as this will clean even the dirtiest of televisions. Most people neglect the back of the television, however this is where dust builds up in the numerous wires connecting the televisions to items such as DVD players and cable television.
Afterward buff your television dry with a clean paper towel, and remember that wood cabinets should also be polished with furniture polish.
Caution: Although you can dust or vacuum the ventilation grills of a television with a soft brush attachment, never poke anything into the openings as this may cause both yourself and your television set harm.
Pictures and Frames
We all want our frames and pictures to look their best, which means they need to be cleaned in a manner that will not damage either the frame or the content underneath the glass. Dusting regularly with a feather duster or soft-bristle brush will prevent the build up of dust and dirt, and harder to remove stains should be wiped down with a slightly wet cloth and dried.
You should never spray glass cleaner directly onto the glass itself as this may damage the frame or seep through and ruin the canvas or the picture inside. A great old cleaning tip that is still practical today is to mix a solution of vinegar and water together and rub onto the frames to get them to sparkle. Apply to a damp old newspaper and rub onto the frames, ensuring you don't leave any print smudges.
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