Living rooms are the places where we relax after a long day at work but are never as tidy as we wish they were.
Keeping the house constantly spotless is pretty unrealistic, however, Good Housekeeping spoke to experts to find out how best to declutter – and what you should avoid.
1. Paperwork, letters and documents
Kate Ibbotson, from A Tidy Mind, says having loads of unfinished paperwork and important documents scattered across the living room looks messy, and it “reminds us of the left unfinished.”
She added: “The living room is a place to put your feet up, but piles of paperwork simply remind us of the left unfinished.”
Ibbotson advises only looking at paperwork when we’re ready to deal with it and keeping in tidily somewhere else until then.
2. Gym and exercise equipment
Having gym equipment dotted all over the living room is a no-no.
Machines such as treadmills and cross trainers are huge and take up a lot of room. They also look awful placed behind the sofa or next to the coffee table.
Lesley Spellman of The Clutter Fairy suggests going for a run outdoors instead.
3. Chunky, oversized furniture
Most of us don’t have huge homes with gigantic living rooms so it’s best to steer clear from big, bulky dining tables, sideboards and sofas.
Light, fold-out furniture and dual-purpose furniture makes all the difference.
4. Dozens of decorative cushions
If you need to move cushions out of the way before you can actually sit down on your sofa, this probably means you need to get rid of some and declutter.
Vicky Silverthorn, author of You Need A Vicky, calls decorative cushions “impractical.”
5. All of your washing and ironing piles
Unless they are just about to be done, laundry does not need to be kept in the living space as it looks untidy and is just a reminder of what needs to be done.
6. Magazine racks
Although magazine racks are seemingly there to help tidy-up and organize living spaces, they can also unintentionally cause people to stack up loads of old and unwanted magazines.
Sally Walford, from Declutter Me, has called them “real clutter collectors.”
7. DVD’s and video tapes that you don’t need
Let’s be honest, who actually still uses VHS and DVD players anymore? Nobody.
We all use streaming services nowadays, so there’s no need to take up storage with loads of outdated tapes and DVDs.
8. Trinkets and ornaments
These are often easy to rack up, especially if they hold sentimental value or were given to you as a gift.
But if it’s a decluttered and clean house you’re after then it’s time to pack away the bits and bobs.
After all, it makes your surfaces a lot easier to clean.
9. Beanbags
They’re the squishy seats we all used to have in our bedrooms as teenagers, so why do they make their way into our main living space?
Ibbotson suggests sticking to structured, square-shaped furniture in living rooms: “Beanbags work better in children’s bedrooms, playrooms or basement conversions.”
10. Kids’ toys and playthings
Mention stepping on a bit of lego and it has everyone wincing. So why would we risk it?
By making sure the children keep their toys solely in their bedroom it ensures toys won’t get lost or broken if we accidentally step on them and it keeps the living room looking stylish.