My house stays pretty clean. As long as I remember to make my bed every morning, almost every room in my house looks neat and tidy - almost every room. My living room is a different story. Since I do most of my actual living in that one small space, I struggle to keep it clean every day. If I didn't stay on top of my chores, my living room would be cluttered with old newspapers, shoes, dog toys, and trash. But since I'd rather not spend most of my day cleaning, I've come up with a few tricks I use to keep the living room clean in a few minutes a day. Here are my favorites.
Install a trash can
One of the biggest problems I faced in my living room was trash accumulation. For example, I would cut out coupons from the Sunday paper while watching TV. Afterward, my living room floor would be covered with newspaper clippings and advertisements. Since I'm too lazy to walk it all to the kitchen trash can, the paper would sit on the floor for hours. I finally bought a small trash can for the living room. Now everyone can toss their trash without leaving the room, and I saved the time I spent walking back and forth.
Look for furniture with storage
I have no built in storage in my living space so there was nowhere to hide coats, shoes, or books and magazines. Stuff piled up until the room looked cluttered and disorganized. When I was looking for a new coffee table I chose one with a second shelf. I lined the shelf with three decorative baskets. One basked holds magazines, another holds books, and the third holds remotes and other loose items. It takes no time at all to clean up and the baskets keep the clutter hidden from view.
Make shipping containers
Try as I might, the living room still gets cluttered and messy sometimes, requiring a bigger cleaning job. On those days, I use laundry baskets as "shipping containers." Each basket is labeled for one room. As I'm cleaning, I toss the cluttered that belongs elsewhere in one of the labeled baskets. Then I simply have to carry the right basket to the right room and unload. This one trick saves me about 30 minutes to an hour of extra work a week.
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