True to its name, a lot of living happens in the living room. From family unwinding to cocktail parties, this room can see a lot of traffic and a lot of dirt and dust. It’s generally also the biggest room in the house. Below are tips to help make the cleaning job not seem as big.

1. Give Fair Warning to Family. If this is the room where everyone settles to watch TV or log-on to the PC, warn them that the room will be off limits while you clean. Of course, you can invite them to help you clean so they can get TV and PC access faster.

2. Green Clean. Skip the chemicals and purchase natural cleansers or make your own. Generally, you need look no further than your fridge to create safe, effective cleansers for everything from glass to silverware. You can find many cleanser “recipes” online.

3. Gather Your Gear. Have everything at the ready, from dusters to brooms and vacuums. Having to stop to retrieve items slows you down.

4. Textile Cleaning. Curtains and area rugs are a challenge. If they’re quite dirty, you’ll want to call on professionals. The same with fabric-covered furnishings. If they’re all in good condition, vacuuming works to pick up loose dirt. However, if your area rug is hiding a sand box inside it’s pile, take it outside, fold it over a fence and give it a few whacks with a broom to dislodge as much dirt as possible before vacuuming.

5. Dust from the Top Down. Aim for ceilings, fans, and vents with a feather duster, then move down to shelves and art works with a microfiber cloth. If you have a lot of decorative pieces, dust all of them as well. Attack the baseboards with a microfiber cloth or vacuum with the brush attachment.

6. Take Inventory. There’s nothing like dusting to make you wonder if you really need all those knick-knacks and books. Before you dust a china frog or epic novel, consider whether you really need either. If the answer is no, move them to a donation box and save yourself that much more dusting.

7. Furnishings. As mentioned above, you’ll want to vacuum or professionally clean your chairs, couches, et al. Just be sure to check under cushions for loose change and such that can clog a vacuum. If a furnishing features wood or metal accents, polish them. If you have kids, your couch is probably harboring dozens of toys underneath. Shift it to get at small objects before the vacuum does.

8. Tech Toys. TVs, stereo systems and computers are dust magnets. You can use scratch-free microfiber cloths to clean them. Be sure to get the tops, sides and backs of all your equipment as well as the cables.

9. Window Work. Curtains can go to cleaners or be vacuumed. Blinds need to be dusted. Shades are trickier. Vacuuming can remove dust, but it they’re still dirty, you’ll need to check with the manufacturer to see if you can wipe, wash, or dry clean them. Of course, don’t forget to clean your windows too!

10. Finish With Floors. Ideally, you can remove all your furnishings from the room to provide open mopping and polishing space, but if that’s not an option, try moving furnishings to one side of the room while you work on the other. When that side dries, switch everything to the other side. When you’re done, take the opportunity to reorient your area rugs so that they wear evenly.