Do you ever look around your living room and think, “Wow, this is pretty dirty”? The truth is that no matter how much you clean, certain items in our living rooms often stay hidden away and accumulate dirt over time. While it may not be pleasant to think about, it’s essential to identify those items to keep your space as clean as possible. This article will discuss common things in the living room that tend to get overlooked when cleaning but should be given extra attention for optimal health!
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Tips For Keeping Your Living Room Clean
Everyone knows it’s easy to let your living room get out of hand, but keeping your space tidy doesn’t have to be daunting. To maintain a well-organized and clean living room, start by tidying up daily – this should be quick! This means taking a few minutes each day to put away items that have been left out since the night before. Once a week, set aside time for deep cleanings, such as moving furniture to clean behind it and dusting bookshelves or windowsills.
Organizing your living room regularly is the key to ensuring that it remains clean and tidy. Set aside the necessary tools, such as dusters, vacuums, and all-purpose cleaners, so you can easily whip through those weekly deep cleans. Break down larger projects into smaller tasks; handling one bookcase at a time can help make the process more manageable.
Things In The Living Room That Are Probably Dirty
It’s no secret that the living room can quickly become messy and cluttered, but you don’t want to overlook some areas of your home when cleaning. Here are some commonly forgotten items that often accumulate dirt in the living room:
Remote Controls
Remote controls are one of the most-used items in the living room and, therefore, one of the most likely to collect dirt and germs. Anyone in your household and visitors can easily touch these handheld devices. Since remote controls generally lay out in the open, all sorts of tiny particles — from dust and skin cells to allergens and even bacteria — can accumulate on their surface over time.
To protect yourself from these unwelcome guests and help lessen their entrance into your home, clean or sanitize your remotes regularly with a disinfectant wipe or microfiber cloth. This alone is no guarantee that they’ll remain germ-free at all times, but it will certainly cut down on the number of unwanted microorganisms entering your space.
Candles
Although candles can offer a nice decorative touch to the living room and a peaceful ambiance when lit, they can, unfortunately, come with an unhealthy side too. Since most candles are from paraffin wax, produced using petroleum, they release harmful chemicals like ketones and benzene which can irritate the respiratory system.
Hence, if you have candles in your living room, opt for ones made of soy or beeswax. Also, look for wicks that don’t contain wires or metal, and try to avoid heavily scented candles as much as possible.
Wall-To-Wall Carpet
Living room carpet is one of those things that are often overlooked when it comes to regular cleaning and maintenance. While sweeping, vacuuming, and spot-cleaning may seem like enough, wall-to-wall carpets need far more attention than most people think. They accumulate dust, pet hair, food particles, and other potentially harmful substances, and they stay in contact with your feet throughout the day, exposing them to even more dirt and grime.
Moreover, experts recommend that carpets be professionally cleaned at least once a year for optimal sanitation levels. This can save homeowners from replacing their carpets due to a buildup of dirt and debris over time. So, if you want to keep your living room clean and healthy, don’t forget the carpet!
Air Fresheners
Air fresheners often cover offensive odors in the living room, from plug-in pieces to sprays. However, by using fragranced products, you can introduce indoor air pollution that can cause respiratory distress and further aggravate conditions like allergies and asthma. Instead of chemically-infused aromas, there are other natural methods for scenting the living room.
Baking soda, activated charcoal, and distilled white vinegar act as odor absorbers while making your own potpourri with dried flowers and spices add delightful scents without harming anyone’s health. When all else fails, just let some fresh air into the home to clear out stale air naturally.
Heat And Air Conditioning Vents
It’s no surprise that dirt and dust can accumulate in the many corners of a living room, including along air conditioning vents or heat registers. This is especially true regarding trunk lines and ducts, which are often located behind walls and have plenty of tight spaces for dirt and dust to hide.
As these things remain undisturbed, they can collect serious amounts of dirt that look gross and can also be hazardous to your health, exacerbating allergies and asthma by increasing indoor air pollution. You should regularly check your living room vents and take preventive action, such as changing filters every three months or so.
Shoes
It may not seem like a big deal, but leaving shoes in the living room can lead to major dirt and germs being brought into your home. Shoes are exposed to many different places and surfaces, from the street to office floors, parks, playgrounds, and anywhere else you choose to take them.
Not only are they covered in germs from all the places they come in contact with – but depending on the type of shoe you own – all the layers of material, laces, and soles create a perfect environment for dirt, dust, and other allergens to collect over time. Therefore it’s best practice to limit walking around your living room with shoes on and leave them exclusively as an outdoor item.
Vacuum Cleaner
With the amount of regular foot traffic in your living room, it is no wonder that one of the dirtiest items you come in contact with is often overlooked: the vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaners can be one of the most unsanitary things in a living room, as they are often covered with dust and hair that can be circulated throughout your house. It is recommended to clean your vacuum cleaner’s filter regularly; otherwise, you might just find yourself having to deal with an even bigger mess.
In addition to cleaning your machine on the outside and inside, it is vital to empty any excess debris or pet hair because, if not done correctly over time, these tiny particles can start clogging up parts of the vacuum. Taking good care of your vacuum cleaner will keep your home clean and preserve its functionality for years to come!
Maintain The Dirty Things In Your Living Room With Ease!
In conclusion, keeping your living room clean and tidy can be a challenge. Therefore, it’s essential to take the time to keep an eye out for those dirtier elements in the room that could be affecting your health or making the space look less than its best. Fortunately, with a few minor tweaks and regular maintenance of these items, you can easily maintain a cleaner, healthier living room.