This Weekend: Mindlessly Refresh Your Living Room For Free

This is one of those chores that experts say to do once a year or so, and maybe even more frequently if you have kids and/or pets. It’s not hard, and requires almost no brain power, so your mind is free to gather wool while you work. And once this weekend’s project is done, your entire room will feel brand new again.

First, Vacuum: Before you do the deep cleaning, do a pass with your vacuum first, getting rid of surface dirt. If it’s a small rug, consider taking it outside to shake or beat, and while it’s out there, vacuum the actual floor underneath your rug. It’s amazing what gets trapped there.

→ 5 Ways to Really Make Your Vacuuming Count

Spot Clean & Attack Stains: Zero in on all the spots of who-knows-what left by who-knows-who, and do your best to get rid of the worst stains.

Deep Clean: Once you’ve dealt with the specific problem areas, do a deeper clean to really make everything feel fresh again. Or, if you’re lucky, just throw yours in the washing machine and let it do all the work.

Remember, as with all of our Weekend Projects, just do what you have the time and energy to do. This is a marathon, not a sprint!

• Help motivate others by letting the rest of us know how things are going! Share your tips and photos of your Weekend Project work on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #ATweekendproject.
• Check out 2017’s entire Plan for a Healthy & Happy Home to access all Weekend Project ideas, so you can pick and choose what to do this weekend.
• Download our September Home Checklist. It’s a free, downloadable, low-pressure list of things to try this month if you want to keep your life and home running like a well-oiled machine. Pick and choose what and how much you want to tackle, and have the satisfaction of crossing them off the list!