How to Clean the Dining Area in 15 Short Minutes

The cleanliness of your dining room is very important to both the comfort and aesthetic appeal of your home, but it can seem like a time-consuming and tedious task to maintain a clean dining area.

However, with a little knowledge and helpful hints, you can have a dining area that’s clean, well-organized and ready for action in just 15 minutes.

Dusting and Polishing

No one wants to try and enjoy a meal when the table and chairs they’re using are covered in a layer of dust, especially if they know what dust is comprised of. That’s why you should begin your dining room cleaning regimen with a thorough dusting, followed by polishing the surfaces of the chairs and table(s).

Don’t just dust around things on the table, but move them and dust underneath, as well. If you don’t, there can be a buildup of dust and dirt that can be just as bad as not dusting at all.

For wooden furniture, polish using an aerosol or liquid wood polish, preferably with an agreeable scent to it. For plastic or metal furniture, soapy water will usually do the job, but be sure to rinse and dry the furniture thoroughly afterwards.

Vacuuming the Area

While this seems like an obvious step, many people don’t realize that the dining area requires a much more thorough vacuuming than most other sections of a home, due to the increased odds of dropped crumbs.

To really do the best possible vacuuming, move everything well away from the table, including chairs, other tables, lamps, etc. Make sure to canvas the area thoroughly, and use the vacuum’s detachable hose tool (if applicable) to vacuum closely around each table leg.

You should also vacuum in a wide circle around the table, as well, since dropped food can often bounce or be moved across your floor by feet, pets, etc.

Organizing the Dining Area

Dining tables often serve double duty as the largest shelf in your house (second only to the floor, perhaps). Unfortunately, this doesn’t usually leave much room to actually eat on the dining table, necessitating a reorganization of your eating space.

Things that should not be on your dining table include clothes, tools, crafts or other non-eating and non-entertainment items. If you use your table for activities involving these things, invest in some plastic storage crates and only bring them out when you want to use them.
If you must have things like papers, books, televisions or computers on your dining table, try to find an inconspicuous place to put them so that your entire eating area isn’t inaccessible. Remember, a book on a bookshelf can be retrieved before eating, and a television can be seen from across a room; they don’t all need to be within arm’s reach of where you eat.

With a little foresight and diligence, your dining area can be clean, comfortable and presentable within 15 minutes by following some simple household cleaning rules.

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Jordan Gaither: I’m a Communications major by trade, an artist by choice, a welder by day and a dancer by night (Okay, I made that last part up). Having lived in a succession of cramped, oddly-shaped apartments, I have a wealth of personal experience in apartment living, as well as arranging and decorating to maximize effect and livable space.