The key to de-cluttering and organizing a family room is to sort, toss and clean as you go, a
If the match isn't close "" if, for instance, you're always dragging an extra lamp in whenever you're knitting, or the kids use the sofa cushions on the floor to play their video games""you'll want to be re-thinking either the room's uses or its furnishings as you organize. Keep a "best use" list in your pocket, and make note of problems and opportunities as you work your way through the room.
De-Clutter First
Before you start heavy-duty cleaning, take a box and remove everything you think doesn't belong in your family room but has a "home" in some other place in the house. Don't put it away right now, just remove it from the room. You'll be de-cluttering as you clean, so keep three little boxes in the doorway. Label the first one "toss," the second one "move," and the third one "give away."
Next, gather together all of your cleaning supplies. You'll need at least:
* broom and dustpan
* dustmop
* cleaning solutions of your choice
* wood soap
* furniture polish
* several soft rags or cloths
* window cleaner or vinegar
* detergent
* two small pails
* wetmop, if you don't have carpeting
* plastic gloves
* upholstery cleaner
* vacuum cleaner
Dress in comfortable clothes. Wear a garden apron with pockets, to store the miscellaneous little trinkets, pins, game pieces and coins you'll likely uncover when cleaning out chairs and sofas. You can keep your scrub brush and some tissues in the pockets, as well. Now let the family know that "their" room will be off-limits until your task is completed.
Cleaning From the Outside in
Start by removing everything from the walls, including curtains and curtain rods. Remove throw rugs, shake or beat them, and toss them into the laundry.
If the curtains are washable, toss them into the laundry so they'll be done when the room is ready to re-occupy. If they need to be dry-cleaned, set them aside for take-out while your carpet or floor is drying at the end of the project. Take your dustmop and run it completely over the ceiling and walls, chasing down all the cobwebs, dust and residue that hide in corners, crevices and on top of door jambs and moldings.
You'll be cleaning the room from the outside in, top to bottom, left to right. That means starting with the windows and screens. Wash the screens first, and rinse them. While they're drying, wash the outside of the windows, then come in and wash the insides. Do the windowsills, moldings, frames and the glide tracks for sliding doors if you have them. When you've finished all the windows, sills, screens and frames, tackle the walls.
Pull all the furniture into the center of the room, or at least far enough away from the walls so that you can easily move back and forth to dust and wash the walls. Spot-treat scuffs, around doorknobs and light switches. Polish paneling and wood trim. Work top to bottom, left to right.
Ceiling lights or fans? Now ia the time to dust and wash them. Inside shutters or blinds? Dust and wash or polish them. Have shelves? Everything comes down, one shelf at a time. Remove the items, then wash or polish the shelf. Wash and polish each item before replacing it. Bookshelves or curio cases? Everything comes off or out, and receives a thorough dusting. Dust, wash and polish the shelves, and don't forget to wash the glass and mirrors in the curio cases.
As you go from shelf to shelf, keep in mind your three little de-clutter boxes! Use them! Old mail and circulars that get stashed and forgotten on a shelf "" time to trash "˜em! The local seniors center can always use more good books. Think about thinning that curio collection by offering it for sale at a local consignment shop.
When you're tackling furniture clean-up, start with the upholstered items, biggest first. Sofas, sleepers and chairs: cushions off, vacuum in! Pull the sleeper out and vacuum again. Wipe down the mattress with a barely-damp cloth, and let it air-dry while you attack the back and arms with the vacuum and a rag to clean the furniture's feet. Anything that's kept on the furniture, such as covered pillows or afghans, gets a trip to the laundry.
Next, tackle the wooden furniture, tables, rocking chairs, desks and doors. Use a wood-soap cleaner first, making sure to thoroughly clean most-handled spots such as knobs and lids. Use a separate cloth to apply polish after you've washed the wood thoroughly. Cleaning out wooden cabinets, drawers and storage areas under lamp tables means working those de-clutter boxes again. Empty the drawers and cabinets, and wash and polish inside. Replace only what you know needs to be there.
If your family room is home to an entertainment center, unplug all the gadgets and gizmos before you even think of approaching them with a damp cloth. Take each piece down, or at least lift it up to dust, wipe and polish beneath it. Dust and wipe down each appliance. Dust all the cables and cords, and don't forget to clean the remote controls!
Sort and rebox, if necessary, the videotapes, games and DVDs that populate this area. Good time to use those de-clutter boxes! Have half-a-dozen Barney sing-along tapes but no one under the age of 15 in your household? There are a lot of children's shelters that would appreciate a donation.
If you have a fireplace, this is the time to deal with it. Strip the mantle and hearth, and sweep and wipe down the firebox. Give everything a good dusting and washing. Polish the fireplace tools. Wash out light fixtures and wall sconces, if you have them. Speaking of light: Check to make sure the fireplace matchbox is filled with matches, and the mantle oil lamps are washed, dried and filled with oil. Replace the wicks, if necessary.
Dust and wash table lamps, lampshades and floor lamps, and any miscellaneous items, large or small, that you've got in your family room. When you're sure you've washed and cleaned them all, turn your attention to the floor. Seriously sweep and polish hardwood floors or non-carpet flooring. If you have a carpeted family room, now's the time to give that floor a heavy-duty cleaning. If you don't own a carpet shampooer, you can rent one fairly inexpensively from most hardware stores and home improvement stores.
While your floor or carpeting is drying, clean up those items you had hanging from the walls and removed early on in the process. Wash, polish and put back those items you're keeping. Use your de-clutter boxes to take care of the rest. Since you're cleaned out, sorted and organized as you cleaned and polished, there's only one key organizing chore left at the end of this project: Consulting your "best use" list.
This will guide your organizational planning and adjusting for the future. For instance, if the kids routinely snack while playing games or watching TV, having sturdy TV trays or stacking tables may help avoid spills and keep crumbs out of the sofa. Do your tapes and DVDs runneth over? An inexpensive bookcase or a second-hand footlocker works wonders for that organizational headache. Before you unlock the doors and let the family back in, take some quick photos and file them with your household inventory. Then sit back, put your feet up and just relax.
