Welcome to week three in our Fall Into the Holidays series!  If you are just joining us, we are sharing our tips on how to get your homes ready before the holidays and all of the entertaining that goes along with it hits.  I’ve been so impressed with all of the tips shared by the other ladies in the series, and am actually feeling prepared for the holidays this year!  That never happens!!  We started the series off with kitchens in week one, bedrooms in week two, and now we’re focusing on living rooms.  I’ll share a full source list at the bottom of the post.

The living or family room is going to get LOTS of use during this time of the year.  It’s also the room that typically receives most of the decorations.  So, before I load it up with Christmas decorations, I like to give it a good “fall cleaning” and start fresh.  That way when company makes their way over I’m not having to maneuver around excess Christmas decor while scrambling to get it spotlessly clean.

Clean and Rotate the Rug

Before you get started, enlist some help.  We don’t need anyone throwing their back out!  Move all the furniture out of the way, vacuum the rug and clean the floors.  Rotate the rug 90 degrees so that it’s getting worn evenly.  If your rug is one that can be cleaned and needs it, send it out now so you’ll have it back in time.  Rotating our rug was one of those things I have been needing to do for a long time and felt so good to check it off the list!

Have carpet instead of a rug?  Check for any problem areas that need to be spot treated or have the entire carpet cleaned.

Clean the Furniture

Our couch is slipcovered and I like to give it one last wash right before the holidays.  Once it comes out of the wash it’s as exciting to me as fresh bed sheets.  Looks and feels amazing!  It never ceases to amaze me the amount of gunk that kids get all over the couch.  Even our dog who isn’t allowed on the furniture gets it nasty just from rubbing on it as he walks past.  If you don’t have a slipcover, pull out your fabric cleaner and take care of any trouble spots.  Trouble spots giving you trouble?  No shame in flipping that cushion over!  Even with a slipcover I still flip the seat cushions for even wear.

Also, if you aren’t planning on switching out your pillows for the holidays (I rarely do), check those out to see if they need to be tossed in to wash or sent off to the dry cleaners.  Couches and chairs will now be in tip top shape and smelling fresh for your visitors!

Touch up Furniture Paint

Coffee table chipped?  Media stand scuffed?  Use some touch up stain or paint for a quick fix.  I’ve actually even used a black permanent marker for small chips on black furniture.  If you’ve got a piece in really rough shape you can give it a quick refresh with some no-prep, fast drying paint like I did with our media stand.

Get these housekeeping tasks out of the way so you can be ready to layer in all of your holiday decor and let it take center stage.

For more ideas and tips on how to get your living rooms ready before the holidays, visit these talented ladies!

Shine Your Light  |  Simple Details  |  Miss Dixie  |

Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss  |  Dimples and Tangles  |  This is Happiness

Special thanks to Lisa for pulling all of this together!  Stay turned, we will be back next week with our final post in the series on how to get your dining rooms ready!

Sources:

Rug // Rug pad // Couch // Chairs // Coffee table // Side table – TJ Maxx (similar here) // Media stand – Walmart, discontinued (similar here) // Ceiling Fan // Drapes (more info here) // Bamboo shades // DIY sunburst mirror (tutorial here) // 3 round mirrors – Pier 1 discontinued (similar here) // Table lamp // DIY mudcloth pillows on gray chairs (tutorial here) // Large indigo pillow // Lumbar indigo pillow // White mudcloth pillow // Marble vase – Homegoods (similar here) // Wood beads // Gold candle holder // Brass candlesticks – thrifted (similar here) // Sheepskin // Plant basket // kitchen table // kitchen chairs // pendant // DIY floor mirror