Tips on ways to clean, de-clutter, and organize your home living room.
With entire television programs dedicated to cleaning and organizing our lives and homes, de-cluttering and cleaning our own living rooms should not be that difficult a task. Why is it then that of all the rooms in a house, living rooms are often filled with an over abundance of clutter and so disorganized that it can be a chore to find a ringing phone or remote control? Because a living room is exactly as its name implies, a lived in room. In addition, we often do not identify with a mess that has slowly grown up around us. We are immune to how bad it really is!
The first step to organizing and de-cluttering a living room is taking an open-eyed look at it. Start by looking at the room one small area at a time. Oftentimes, that is all it takes to become aware of the reality of the entire room's clutter. To begin the process of organizing and de-cluttering, approach the room in the same manner, one area at a time. Clean the surfaces as you go. A room with dingy windows and a dirty carpet will still appear messy even after the clutter is gone.
Begin by sorting through and removing excess clutter that has no true home in the room. Magazines and newspapers are often guilty of being major clutter problems. To avoid this problem in the future, designate a spot that will hold a day or two worth of papers and a few select magazines. A basket alongside of a reading chair works great.
If toys are a problem, consider if they have any real purpose in the space. If you feel that the toys must stay, define how to store them and how many to store in the room. If possible, relegate the majority of them to the children's rooms or a toy room.
In today's busy world, computer desks are often found in living rooms. Ideally, a desk should not be part of a room that is mainly used for rest and relaxation. Realistically, desks are becoming more and more common. We want to be able to monitor our children when they use the Internet, or we want to sneak in a few hours of work ourselves from home. We also want to be able to have the computer in a centrally located part of the house and that is usually the kitchen or living room. If this describes your home, and you must have the desk in the living room, ask yourself a few questions. How does the desk itself work? Is there sufficient storage for computer hardware and everything else that accompanies a computer? Is the storage pleasing to the eye? Consider a desk that closes when not in use and the average visitor will not even realize you have a busy work area in the room.
Once the room has been de-cluttered, assess how the living space is arranged. Define how you use the space. Watching television, reading, entertaining, and working/playing on a computer are all common pursuits. Is there a defined area for each? If not, can you create a space for each? For example, a wingback chair separate from the television viewing area, complete with a reading lamp and a basket or small table to store a few reading materials. By giving yourself a spot to sit and read, crochet, work a needlepoint, or even to work the Sunday crosswords, you will be inspired to keep that area clutter-free and useable. As you define each area, the same will hold true. It is hard to create clutter in separately defined areas, and if one area becomes cluttered, it shows against the opposing clean areas.
Is the layout of the room friendly to entertaining? If this is an important issue, try a few arrangements, sit in each chair, or spot on the couch. Is each spot conducive to the other areas? Is the lighting sufficient? Poor lighting can have several bad effects. One is that you do not see the total picture of the room's layout. Proper lighting can give a room the appearance of a total makeover.
Lastly, start! The biggest problem of any room's clutter and disorganization is not being brave enough to start organizing and cleaning. Take that first step. Toss the clutter, clean the windows and carpets, and before you know it, you will be enjoying your de-cluttered living room.
