How to Declutter Your Bedroom

As we discussed in our last post, the benefits of decluttering your home extend beyond simply having a less cluttered space. Removing excess belongings and unnecessary items can actually help you to be more focused, relaxed, and creative.

Over the next few week’s we’ll be sharing step by step instructions on how to declutter every room in your house. You’ll be left with more clarity and space- both physically and mentally.

This week, we’re starting with the bedroom. Having a clear and clutter free bedroom is essential for a good night’s sleep.

Bed

Let’s start with the most important piece in any bedroom- your bed. Your bed should be a clean, clutter-free oasis where you can recharge after a long day and unplug from the world.

Step 1: Wash all of your bedding, and if necessary buy fresh new sheets. It’s important to buy only organic bedding, so you’re not exposing yourself to the chemicals and pesticides found in non-organic sheets. You can shop our organic bedding sets here.

Step 2: Replace any old and lumpy pillows- having good pillows is important for good sleep and for preventing neck pain.

Step 3: Pull out anything that you’ve stored under your bed. You may be surprised at what’s accumulated under there!

Step 4: Vacuum and clean under the bed.

Step 5: Go through everything you pulled out from under the bed. Sort into a keep and throw out pile, and donate or throw away what you’re no longer keeping.

Step 6: Now you can decide what to do with your keep pile. One option is to place the items back under your bed (organized, in containers), or relocate them to another area in your home/room. Feng shui advises against keeping items under your bed, as it can disrupt the energy flow of the room, but this step comes down to personal preference.

Bedside Table

Bedside tables are great for allowing you to have your nighttime essentials on hand, but they can also become a holding space for all kind of unnecessary items. Your bedside table is one of the last thing’s you see at night and the first thing you see in the morning, so start and end the day clutter free by conducting a little bedside table detox.

Step 1: Remove everything from your bedside table. Alarm clock, tissue box, everything.

Step 2: Wipe down the table so you’re starting with a clean surface.

Step 3: If your table is in need of a little TLC, now’s the time to do it. Give it a paint job, fix a broken handle, line the drawer with contact paper, etc.

Step 4: Go through the items you had on your nightstand. Keep only the things that you actually need. Things like your book, journal, a lamp, tissue box, etc. are great. You can also add an item or two for décor, like a small plant, crystal, etc.

Step 5: Get rid of or relocate anything that doesn’t need to be there. Things like old books and magazines, receipts and papers, and random household objects should get a new home.

Bonus: Consider switching from using your phone as your alarm to getting an actual alarm clock. There is evidence to show that emissions from your phone can hurt your sleep and using your phone before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. If you do use your phone, turn it on airplane mode while you sleep.

Closet and dresser

Okay, it’s all fun and games until we ask you to declutter your closet, right? Getting rid of clothes might not feel fun, but we promise you’ll feel so good afterwards! Most of us have closets full of things that we no longer wear, that no longer fit, or have been completely worn out. By clearing out these items, you’ll get rid of a ton of clutter, and it will actually be a lot easier getting dressed in the morning because you’ll be able to easily access the pieces that do work for you.

Step 1: Take a deep breath.

Step 2: Break your closet down into sections. Maybe you start with the hanging items or the drawers or maybe you’ll go with types of clothing, like organizing all your sweaters, then all of your dresses, etc. Just find a way to break it into chewable chunks so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Going in sections also allows you to take this project on over a few days rather than all at once.

Step 3: Remove the items, section by section, and place them into three piles: Keep, donate, repair/tailor. Repeat until all of the items are out of your closet.

Step 4: Vacuum and clean your closet and drawers. As with your bedside table, now is the time to make any repairs/upgrades. Maybe you want to paint your dresser, replace the hardware, build shelves into your closet, etc.

Step 5: Wash all of your items that are going to be donated, pack them up, and drop them off (don’t skip the last point! How often have you packed things up for donation and left them sitting in your trunk for week’s?? No thanks!).

Step 6: Make any repairs/take the items in need of tailoring/mending to a tailor.

Step 7: Add in any closet/drawer organizers, shoe racks, hooks, etc., and consider getting new hangers if necessary. It looks a lot less cluttered (and more aesthetically pleasing) if all of your hangers match.

Step 8: Place your keep pile back into the closet/drawers. It’s helpful to hang your clothing by clothing type. You can also take it a step further and organize each clothing type section by color.

Step 9: Don’t forget about your shoes, bags, and accessories! All of the above steps apply to these as well.

Décor and excess clutter

Now that we’ve decluttered your room’s main areas, it’s time to do a sweep of the room in general.

Step 1: Take a look around your room at any items that you don’t use or that have taken up residence on your floor. This can include unused exercise equipment, your kids’ toys, books you’ll never read, décor items you no longer like, and items that belong in another room.

Step 2: Relocate all of the items either by throwing them out, donating them, selling them, or finding a more appropriate place for them. Anything that feels wrong or like it’s adding to clutter and overwhelm rather than a sense of peace and calm should get cut.

Step 3: Do a deep clean of your room. Vacuum, clean the rugs, wipe down baseboards, wash the windows, etc.

Now that you’ve decluttered, take a moment to thank yourself and enjoy your fresh new, clutter free space. Make it a point to take a few minutes each week to remove any items that don’t belong in your bedroom to keep clutter at bay.