Admit it, we eat on our living room furniture. A lot. From a late-night snack, to a sandwich at lunch, we enjoy eating in front of and watching TV. Mealtime and family time at home together is all too often a rarity. Just grabbing food and going to eat in front of the TV is pretty much the norm. As we rebound from self-quarantine, we are again leading incredibly busy lives with families all on different schedules.
Likely, we’re eating 3 meals a day all on our living room furniture. The question is how do we prevent gaining lots of weight and how do we avoid any of those “Oops'' moments? We only know furniture care, so unfortunately for the weight question, you’re on your own.
Here are some helpful hints.
Prevention
1. Use bowls as much as possible. Food tends to slide on a plate and your living room seating surface is not as firm as a dining room chair! If you make the slightest move, your plate may tilt and before you can stop it, “Oops”, your food slides off your plate, leaving a mess on your living room furniture.
2. Never fill a bowl more than halfway up. If you want to enjoy that cereal, saucy pasta, or that hot fudge, make sure it’s no higher than halfway to minimize the chances of a mess.
If you insist on scrolling through TikTok, put your food safely down on a flat hard surface. For maximum enjoyment, focus on your food and commit to your eating experience. The full use of both hands enables you to swiftly “handle” and stop any lurking “Oops” moments.
4. Only have a maximum of two drinks if you’re going to eat on your living room furniture. Although another smooth vodka and cranberry may be tempting, more than two drinks could compromise your ability to prevent both, an “Oops” moment or even care if one does occur.
5. Avoid eating messy finger foods. Even the most-skilled eater could mistakenly have their fingers rub against their living room furniture—a classic “Oops” moment.
6. Sit upright. No slouching. Place your bowl or snack on a flat hard surface while eating. Do not use thick, narrow books. Ideally, your flat hard surface must extend past both your legs as you sit upright.
7. Try eating and drinking back in the kitchen! Do not try both at the same time. Only the most experienced and coordinated living room eater has the skills to manage both eating and drinking at the same time without an “Oops” moment.
8. Always have 2 napkins handy. One to keep your face clear of food and the other to quickly scoop up any food debri that may drop. Sometimes a swift snatch up of dropped food can be enough.
9. Avoid watching any cable news while eating. This is more for your mental wellbeing to fully enjoy whatever you're eating.
10. Create consequences for any family member who is responsible for an “Oops” moment. One “Oops” gets that family member a “time-out”, but a second “Oops” moment from that same family member—regardless of their excuse— must be permanently banned from eating on the living room furniture. Show no mercy here—the family member can adapt—your living furniture might be forever stained.
Cleaning
1. Know your living room's cleaning codes. Have the entire family know where to find what your codes are immediately after your “Oops” moment. Timing is important here.
3. Make sure you're not out of stock on cleaning materials! Have designated family members to ensure the right cleaning materials are stocked in your pantry with easy access right after your “Oops” moment.
4. Always vacuum before you attempt to start cleaning. Vacuuming can take up any residue or crumbs that might sink into your living room furniture/carpet. You’ll be surprised how better an “Oops” may look after a quick vacuum.
5. Most food stains use water and soap. Use a sponge or soft cloth. Use warm water unless the stain has dairy products. If soap and water don’t work, try liquid detergent that has enzymes in it. Let it soak for a half hour before blotting it with a sponge. For larger stains, start on the outside and work your way in.
6. For greasy stains, sprinkle baking soda or make baking soda paste by combining it with water, then spread it on the stain. The goal is to try and soak as much of the oil out of the stain as possible, so let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Vacuum the baking soda away, then blot the remaining stain with vodka. Another option is to use a little bit of dish soap and scrub it with a toothbrush, then blot it clean with a moist paper towel.
7. Wine and berry stains lift when you blot sparkling water on the area. If for some reason that doesn’t work, you can also try mixing a tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of laundry detergent into 4 cups of cold water. Use this solution to dab at the stain with a clean cloth, then blot with clean water afterwards.
8. Got beer or coffee stains? For beer: rub the stain with an ice cube and then mix with about a teaspoon of liquid detergent, use this to blot at the stain with a paper towel. For coffee: the stain can be handled in a similar manner, except you can skip the ice cube and get right to the liquid detergent.
9. Got ink stains? Pour a little rubbing alcohol on the stain then blot at it starting from the edge. A dry-cleaning solvent can also work if you happen to have one available. But whatever you do, do not rub the stain; It will spread further.
10. Did your pet pee on your furniture? Pour a half water and vinegar solution on the stain, and then blot it with a clean rag, until you’ve removed most of the moisture. You can also sprinkle baking soda over the top and let it dry to help reduce the odor as well.
We hope these 20 tips help your living room last clean and comfy for the years to come!
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