The living room is one of the rooms we spend most of our waking hours in, but it can be one of the hardest rooms to arrange. We want to help you make your living room the most liveable room possible, with a few key tips.
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1. Evaluate
Have a good look at your room and consider the following:
- What do you love about it, and what drives you crazy?
- If constant clutter or toys everywhere drive you batty, think about a storage system that might work for you.
- Is your furniture the correct scale for the room? Lots of small furniture pieces in a large room can make it feel cluttered and busy. And on the flipside, giant overstuffed couches in a small living room can make it feel smaller and cramped.
- Does the room function the way you use your living space? Since living rooms can serve so many functions, it’s important to think about the way YOU use it. Is it a playroom, TV room, game room, or all of the above?
- Consider the way that people move through the space, also known as the flow of the room. What are the destinations within the room (ie: couch, chairs, bookcase, etc)… are there obstacles in the way? Do people need to walk through the living room to get to other areas in your house? If so, these require wider walkways.
2. Less is more
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in a room that just has too much stuff in it. Start by taking out anything that you don’t use. If you have a collection of knick-knacks, pair it down to your favorites. Clear off the clutter from your coffee table. Invest in some smart storage that can store away or display some of the clutter, while still looking great; like Sarah’s sideboard (Canada) (USA), for instance.

3. Clean it up
A clean space can be so beneficial to your mental and physical health. So the next step is to clean up your room.
- Work in a circle, top to bottom, and left to right. Start with your ceiling fan if you have one.
- Vacuum everything first, then wipe down surfaces (and walls where needed) with our recipe of 1 gallon of hot water and 1 tsp of powdered Tide (Canada) (USA) (no bleach here since there’s likely carpet or upholstery that could be ruined).
- Move your couches and vacuum behind and under them. (Don’t forget to vacuum (Canada) (USA) underneath your cushions and suck up any lint or pet hair on your upholstery.)
- Make sure to dust your fireplace, and clean your TV.
- Lastly, give the whole space one last vacuum and mop.

4. Arrange
Now that you have a clean, decluttered room, it’s time to arrange your furniture. Here are some tips that designers use for arranging furniture:
- Don’t place all the furniture against the walls. It sounds counterintuitive, but this actually makes your room look smaller. Even pulling your couch just 6 inches away from the wall will draw your eye away from the wall and into the room.
- Consider flow. Where will people be walking in the room? How will they get from point A to point B? Does the room function as a walkway between other rooms in your home? Make sure you leave extra space as a walkway in this case.
- What is the focal point of the room? Is it the fireplace, the TV, or something else entirely?
- What is the purpose of the room? Is it a playroom? Do you play board games or watch TV? Make sure the furniture is arranged so that your room works for those purposes.
- Do you have kids? Think about how they will use the room too. Also, if you need to be able to see them playing from another room like the kitchen.
- Create conversation areas and groupings.
- Use an area rug to define the space, and ground the furniture groupings. (Hello, ruggable.)
5. Let there be light and life
Nothing brings life to a space like actual living things. Maybe you have a green thumb or maybe you couldn’t keep a plant alive if your life depended on it – but no worries!
Start small – bring in one plant, see if you can keep it alive, and see how it makes you feel. (My 3 plant tips are: light, water, and drainage!) Then you can go from there.

Plants and humans need sunlight. Maximize your windows! Open up your blinds and let in all that natural light. Hang your curtains as close to the ceiling as you can to draw your eye up and out.
6. Layer and accessorize
Now it’s time to add some personality. Bring in your favorite accessories and display them in a pleasing way. Consider the rule of threes: Items often look pleasing when grouped in sets of threes. But don’t let us tell you what to do. Play around with it. Up the ‘cozy factor’ by bringing in pillows and blankets.

Make Your House a Home

Need a place to start in your own Living Room? Find Sarah’s favourite items here as inspiration. (Canada) (USA)
Hopefully these tips will help you to create a living space that makes you happy. It’s a living room – now live in it! For more great cleaning tips, be sure to take our Basic Training interactive video course! You can learn more here.
- Becky @ GoCleanCo
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gocleanco
Jul 20
Pesto anyone? 🤢 #cleaningmotivation
gocleanco
Jul 14
We scrubbed and shined up this small space and put it back together with some TLC…and a @ruggable ! Best thing about smaller @ruggable (like besides that you can wash them and switch them out whenever you get bored) they are cheaper! Use my code: GOCLEAN10 to save a few bucks! @ruggable #ruggablepartner
gocleanco
Jul 9
Small Patio Clean Up: What I used: Floors: water, bleach and powdered Tide Siding: powdered Tide and hot water Windows: water and Blue Dawn and my trusty Aquablade Windows Screens: wiped them with powdered tide a few times (they were not removable) Patio tracks: my Dupray Steamer And a healthy dose elbow grease (shit doesn’t clean itself folks, you still need to do some work) The rest is coming shortly! I just bit off more than I could chew (as usual) and it’s gonna take more than a day to finish. #summervibes
gocleanco
Jun 27
Roll call of some of our favourite caddy staples! We carry an arsenal of products at work so we are never empty-handed when we meet a scary mess. Check out my stories for quick tutorials on where, when and how we use these products in the field at @gocleanco #sponsored @mrclean @febreze @microban24 @dawndishwash @swiffer
gocleanco
Jun 26
Pet odours can get really bad in the summer! Use @febreze Fabric Pet Odour Eliminator to keep your furniture smelling fresh. Lots of people think @febreze masks the smell but it actually removes bad odours. You just spray it on your couch and let it air dry. Be sure to spray until the fabric is damp to touch - this lets the product get deep down into the fibres of the upholstery, in order to eliminate the source of the odour. @febreze works best on lingering odours when you cover the entire area well. #sponsored
gocleanco
Jun 21
Over packer or under packer? TRUTH: I have never *carried on* in my life. I’ll wait 40 mins for my checked bag if means I can bring 5 pairs of shoes for a 4 day trip. I will live with my choices thankyouverymuch Off to the Big 🍎 for a few days with the @amazoninfluencerprogram All my outfits are linked up in my Amazon store and on my LTK. Link in bio. P.S. thanks for cute reel inspo @lauren_lally #hosted
gocleanco
May 30
Our little blog on bleachpraylove.com is getting so much traction and we are living for it. The blog has a search bar function so y’all can go directly there and search alllllll the things you need to clean. We are building it to include everything from blenders to car mats! Y’all are our built in focus group and the blog post ideas come directly from the questions in our comments and DM’s so let us know what you need us to show ya below! ⤵️ #bleachpraylove
gocleanco
May 19
The winner of the Spring Cleaning Challenge full-blown-top-to-bottom house clean from @gocleanco is 🥁 @sherilg4 !!!! We will be heading to Ontario to clean her house this fall and y’all get to come along in my pocket. 📱 Thank you to everyone who joined in on the Spring Cleaning Challenge! We have another one under our belt. It’s over. Now go take a nap. 📸 cred @substanceyyc 💕 #cleaningarmy
gocleanco
May 13
Washable chair covers. The thing we didn’t know we needed until it existed. Make sure you check out my stories where I put them to the test. 😈 @levityhome has living room and dining chairs and dozens of different covers to choose from, you can change up the vibe of your living room and swap out the covers whenever you want without having to buy new furniture. 💡 👏🏻 Use my code: GOCLEAN10 #levitypartner
gocleanco
May 8
Happy Mothers Day 🥴
gocleanco
May 5
I climbed up and cleaned this fan with a ladder when we moved in last June and I shoulda had the @swiffer Heavy Duty Dusters with Super Extender Handle. It extends up to 6 feet, you can lock it in place vertically and horizontally to get hard to reach places like the top of fan blades, light fixtures, ledges or shelving. @swiffer Dusters are also a great tool if you do not have accessibility to climb up high or bend down low but the dust still drives you crazy. Not everyone can climb up on a ladder or scrub on their hands and knees but we can help show you gentler ways to keep a clean home. Cleaning accessibility for all! 🙌🏻 I go-go-gadgetted this handy little tool all the way up to my ceiling fan which is 14 feet high. Maybe next time it won't take me an entire year to clean it. 😅 #sponsored
gocleanco
Apr 30
Reminder this week as you tackle the closets and hallways: Put away the winter stuff. It might seem like it’s not big deal to leave it out until next year (cause like really, it’s already nearly summer then it’s Halloween then it’s Christmas 🎄) but if you have to room to store it, do it. It will create so much more space for your MIND. We are nearly finished folks! Sun is shining here next week too so I’m busting out that damn pressure washer 💦 😎 #springcleaning
gocleanco
Apr 27
WHITE SNEAKERS: it's a love/hate relationship. I want my kicks to be blindingly white but as soon as I step outside, they get grubby. HOT TIP: Keep a @mrclean magic eraser at your front door or shoe closet for quick wipe down of your kicks….and I am talking super quick, watch my stories for one-wipe-magic! 🪄 …..I think I might start carrying them in my purse 👜 What else will you be cleaning with @mrclean magic erasers this Spring? #sponsored #mrcleanmagic @mrclean
gocleanco
Apr 24
Spring cleaning is not complete until you shine up your windows. The Aquablade is our go-to for getting the built-up winter grime off your windows. Just fill a bucket with hot water and a good squirt of dish soap, scrub down your windows and squeegee it off. The Aquablade has a patented drip tray to catch any excess water so it's great for interiors too. (You have to clean the window interiors too, not just the outside!) AND @oceansalesltd has the Carbon Tuff cloths back in stock! Get them before they sell out AGAIN. I carry one of these babies in my back pocket at all times, they work on glass, ceramic, stainless steel, counters, electronics….you name it, they polish it without leaving streaks or lint. #sponsored
gocleanco
Apr 20
Catch up week means we are back to the pits of hell AKA bathrooms 😵💫 #springcleaning
gocleanco
Apr 16
Me, watching it snow every single day of outdoor week. 😒 OH WELL. We factored weather and life into the Spring Cleaning Challenge so there is no need to stress if you also live in the North Pole. Next week is catch up week so if you have fallen behind, now is the time to pull up your socks and get back on track. There’s plenty of time if you have not started, the free download is still up for grabs on the website! Did y’all clean anything good outside this week? That car clean put me on my heating pad for two days 👵🏼 #springcleaning
gocleanco
Apr 11
WHAT IS IN THIS STUFF?! Dawn Powerwash has cleaned EVERYTHING I have tested it on. It’s proven itself on some of the trickiest jobs from cookie sheets and stovetops to shower glass and greasy laundry stains. It even got my gross, dirty BBQ grills sparkling ✨ Tune in with me for another IG LIVE with one of the scientists behind @dawndishwash at 4pm MST / 6pm EST TODAY, April 11th, and watch us clean even more unsuspecting items with Dawn Powerwash. What are you using Dawn Powerwash to clean? Give me some ideas! 👇🏻 #sponsored #dawndishwashpartner
gocleanco
Apr 10
It was fun while it lasted. My entire body is seizing up from sitting on cement for 4 days and nights but she LOVES IT! Did I clean anything else this week? NOPE. At least I have a back up career incase I get cancelled 🤷🏼♀️ #dollhouse #americangirl @americangirlbrand
gocleanco
Apr 1
3 days left of Kitchen Week in the Spring Cleaning Challenge. Did a full blown move out clean for my lil sis today, make sure you check out my stories because it was goooooood! How y’all doing? Have you started? Are you ahead? Behind? Watching Netflix and ignoring me? #springcleaning
gocleanco
Mar 29
Y’all always ask me why it has to be @dawndishwash …and I am about to answer all your burning questions in an IG live with one of the super smart scientists behind new Dawn EZ-Squeeze. Make sure you check in at 4pm MST/6pm EST to learn how to use @dawndishwash beyond the kitchen sink. Plus we have a HUGE Giveaway: comment below and let us know what clever ways you use @dawndishwash and we will pick 5 winners to receive $700.00 gift cards to Walmart to cover a year's worth of cleaning supplies. Must be a Canadian or US resident and at least 18 years of age. Winners will be chosen at random March 31, 2022. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, associated or administered by Instagram or Facebook. P&G is only the prize provider and is not involved in the administration of the giveaway, including the winner selection. Please see our website for full contest rules. #dawnpartner #sponsored