Your Organized Life

In my last post, I took another small step in the whole spring cleaning business: the entry. So now that someone can actually make it into the house, they are going to need a place to sit down. It’s time to clean and organize the living room.

Take the quick sweep through the area to gather up the clutter; then do what you must (put away, toss, etc.) with it. Now that you’ve cleared the area, start at the highest –literally – points and start cleaning. Dust any ceiling fixtures like lights and fans, molding, and vents.

If the drapes are just dusty, vacuum them. If they need a little more than dusting, take them down for washing or dry cleaning. The unfortunate thing about taking down your drapes is that you’re now going to see your windows, and you’re probably going to notice that they need cleaning, too.

Window washing is one of those household chores that falls into the Big Pain-in-the-Neck category. You can take a couple of different approaches to it: You can clean the (inside of) windows in each room as you go; you can do all the windows as one separate spring cleaning step, or you can throw up your hands and hire someone to do it. I know that last one is a cop-out, but – especially if you have a multi-story house – if you can afford it, it’s worth it. A professional can do the insides and outsides and screens and do a better job than you might. Or maybe you can do the insides and hire someone to do the outside. I’m willing to put the cost of window washing on the personal-safety budget line. Don’t forget to clean your windowsills.

You’re now at about mid-level in your room, so clean any artwork – frames, mirrors, whatever — and shelves, anything on the walls. Dust the mantel, lamps, and table tops, and clean and organize anything on the tabletops. Dust and polish any wooden furniture and take a look at the upholstered furniture. You’ll probably need to vacuum the upholstery for sure, but you may need to actually clean it or launder slipcovers.

At last: floor level. Sweep, vacuum, and mop everything you can. And don’t forget under the furniture. I inadvertently glanced under my sofa the other day and I haven’t recovered yet. I have eight pets; why didn’t it cross my mind to look under there before this? If you have carpeting and it needs it, now’s a good time to clean it or have it cleaned, too. Don’t forget the baseboards; they can get pretty yucky.

Straighten the accessories, organize the books and magazine,  and look around for anything you might have missed doing . . . and you’re done.