Social Life at Home Living Rooms and Dens
As a shared space where everyone congregates, the family room can be a mess magnet. Toys pile up, newspapers and magazines blanket the coffe table, towers of CDs and DVDs totter and remotes get sucked into the couch. Having proper and adequate storage – in other words, a place for everything – is key in this multifunctional room.
Social Life at Home Living Rooms and Dens
Organizing…
First, decide what types of things you want to have a permanent home in the family room. The entertainment center is usually in the family room, so decide on the best way to store all the movies and music the family enjoys. There are many all-in-one units that hold the TV, stereo and other components, but they can be expensive and take up a lot of space. If you don’t plan on changing the layout of the room, the cabinets are a good choice. But, if you like to change the look of the room, smaller, more portable furniture would be a better choice.
To store the movies and music, there are many different styles of storage racks, from simple wood cabinets or bookshelves, to modern metal units that have a sculpture look to them. There are storage racks that are free standing, and others that can be attached to the wall. A closet with added shelves can also make a great place to store the media, especially with young children, who tend to use them for building blocks.
Allow the children to have a few favorite toys in the living room. Give them each a container, either with their names on it, or their favorite color. Then they are allowed to keep just enough toys in the room that fit in that box. If they can’t get it to fit in the box, then they need to find a home for it in their room, or the playroom. They can always change which toys are in their boxes, but they still have to follow the rule that if it doesn’t fit, it can’t stay. Then, they know that at the end of the day, their toys need to go back in their containers.
Finally, create a home for the newspapers and magazines that will invariably accumulate on the tables and on the floor. A simple rack against the wall will make a nice home for these print items and this can be cleaned out on a monthly basis.
Social Life at Home Living Rooms and Dens
Cleaning…
If you are looking for simple, do-able advice for keeping your house organized and in good working order, the Carvalho’s Cleaning’s detailed cleaning lists are a GREAT way to start:
Clean cobwebs
Clean windows
Straighten bookcases
Wash ornaments and what-nots
Clean out end table
Straighten closets and drawers
Wipe fingerprints from walls
Polish furniture
Clean out magazine racks
Clean phone
Clean under cushions
Clean out fireplace
Move furniture and vacuum
Shampoo carpet
The living room is for living in so you don’t want to create a sterile environment but you don’t want things to go wild either.
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