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Speed Clean Your Living

Room in 20 Minutes Flat

by Maria Gracia Join our newsletter to be notified when the newest Organizing Article is available. How fast can you clean your living room? 20 minutes is all it takes. Put on some lively music and get moving...you’ll be done before you know it! • Stranded Items: Place all items that do not belong in the living room into a laundry basket. After the living room is clean, you can run these objects to their appropriate homes. (2 minutes) • Clear Surfaces: Remove piled up stuff from your end and coffee tables. Your goal should be to have 2 or less objects on each of these tables. Any more and your space begins to look cluttered. (2 minutes) • Speed Dust: Start dusting like the wind, starting from the highest area and work your way down. Don’t forget tables, lamps, pictures, and baseboards .  (4 minutes) • Rally Reading Material: Recycle old newspapers and magazines. The rule of thumb: magazines should be read and recycled before the next edition arrives. Newspapers should be kept for only one day; two days tops. This is also the time to put out-of-place books, CDs, DVDs and video games back onto the bookshelf. (3 minutes) • What’s lurking: Remove sofa cushions. Hand pick out any loose change and other doo-dads that have made their way under the cushions. Then vacuum with a soft brush attachment before returning the cushions. (4 minutes) • Final touches: Vacuum or dust mop your floors. Fluff up throw pillows. Open windows and let in some fresh air. (5 minutes) • Feeling ambitious? Spot clean your carpets before you dance your victory dance. Back to Organizing Articles Index