How to Declutter Your Bedroom, and Why You Should
When you think about having to declutter a space, the bedroom is probably not the first place you think of. Not many people even see your bedroom, so why does it matter? Well it does. Your bedroom should be your sanctuary. So here is how to declutter your bedroom, and keep it decluttered for good.
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Why You Should Declutter Your Bedroom
Is it really that important that you declutter your bedroom? Yes!
Our bedrooms should be the soft place we come to relax at the end of the day, our sanctuary. After all, you spend approximately 33% of your life sleeping. Don’t you think the place where you spend about a third of your life should be a stress-free zone?
Clutter can be a reminder of your to-do list, and that does not make for a stress free zone. Instead it can bring on anxiety, and restlessness. Studies show you can even get better sleep when your bedroom is a clutter free space. And couldn’t we all use a better nights rest?
Why Do Our Bedrooms Get Cluttered?
When we think about spaces that accumulate clutter, we often think about our office, the junk drawer, or somewhere in the kitchen. But our bedrooms can get cluttered just as easily.
One reason bedrooms get cluttered is because they aren’t usually seen by guests as frequently as other places in our homes. This makes it tempting to throw unfinished projects into our bedrooms so they aren’t seen by company. That laundry you were half-way through folding, just toss it on the bed, and it’s like it never existed, right?
Also, if you are short on time, you are more likely to clean the public spaces that might be seen more regularly. So the kitchen counter is more likely to get cleaned with more frequency than the top of the dresser. It makes it easy for things to accumulate.
Places like our nightstands can also be the place where we put our to-do items. How many times have you seen a stack of books on a nightstand that the owner intends to read, but are now covered in a layer of dust?
Bedrooms can even be the place where we keep sentimental items that don’t seem to fit anywhere else. The picture frame you got as a wedding gift, but that really isn’t your taste? If it is in the bedroom, no one will see it, but you also don’t have to feel guilty about getting rid of it.
How to Declutter Your Bedroom
So we now know how easy it can be to accumulate clutter in our bedrooms, and yet how important it is that they are clutter free. But how do you actually declutter your bedroom?
First, and Most Important
- Figure Out What You Want From Your Room. What is your vision for your room? How do you want to feel when you are there? This will give you motivation to make your room your sanctuary.
- Clear Out The Easy Stuff. Remove anything that belongs in another room, or any obvious trash from the space.
- Declutter Each Space in Your Room Individually. Take the time to declutter each space in your room separately. Drawers, closets, nightstands, shelves, and under your bed should all be done as an individual project.
- Be Intentional With What Stays in Your Space. If something is staying in your room it should be something that you love, or regularly use. It should also have a set place, or “home” in your room where it can be returned to if it is moved. If it doesn’t have a home in your room, then it is clutter.
Second, to Help Your Room Look Less Cluttered
- Bigger is Better. When choosing bedroom decor choose a few bigger things to give you the look you want instead of a lot of little knick knacks. Lots of small items can look cluttered, instead go for statement pieces.
- Leave Some Space. You do not need to fill up every square inch of your surfaces. Open space onto top of dressers and nightstands with just a few statement pieces give your bedroom a more calming appearance.
- Remove Work From Your Room. If at all possible, do not make a work station in your bedroom space. While I understand that not every home has a designated office, if it is possible to make a work space anywhere else, do it. Having your work in your bedroom has been proven to make sleep more difficult because it puts your work and to-do list in sight, making it much harder to decompress from those stressors.
How to Keep Your Bedroom Decluttered
Once you have decluttered your bedroom, how do you keep it looking the way you want it to? Here are some tips.
Declutter Tips For Everyone
- Make your bed every day! Making your bed is the first step in having a put together, decluttered bedroom. It is an easy, quick step you can take each morning, to be intentional with the goal of having a beautiful bedroom. Plus, you are much less likely to set unfinished projects on a made bed.
To find out more about Intentional Living, Kim wrote a post, 30 Ways To Be Intentional Everyday that I think would be helpful to read in your goals for wanting a clutter free space.
- Do a Quick Clean Up Everyday. Even if it is just 3 minutes long, having a set routine is important. You will be surprised how much you can get done in 3 minutes, especially if you spend that time on one space everyday. Much can be accomplished!
- Unfinished projects do not belong in your room. To-do projects do not belong in the bedroom. It is a constant reminder of what you haven’t done, and we don’t need that in our sanctuary space. You can keep one book you are reading on your nightstand, but a stack of books you “intend” to read, need to find a different home.
- Keep your room simple, and about you and your significant other. This is not the room for large photo displays of extended family and friends. This is an intimate space that is the place to celebrate you or you and your partner. Big displays are better suited for other rooms, like a family room.
For Those Who Really Struggle With Clutter
If you are one of those people who really struggle with clutter, here are some extra steps you can take to help you keep that clutter free room you desire.
- Put your hamper in your closet or laundry space, not out in the open. Laundry hampers look messy on their own already, but an overflowing one is just a mountain of an eye sore. It can also be another trigger of all the things you didn’t get done that day. If you have one out in the open in your room, find it a new home.
- Have Less Throw Pillows. If keeping things tidy is a struggle for you, then make those daily tasks as easy as possible. Making the bed should be as simple as possible. Once you have that down and making your bed is now a daily habit, then you can start adding extras like throw pillows. (This doesn’t just have to apply to pillows. If you struggle with clutter and being tidy, have less in the spaces you want to be more stress free and clean.)
- Do not have a chair in your bedroom. A chair may seem like a harmless thing. Maybe you want a place to sit while you put on your clothes? Perhaps you have a space you want to fill in the corner and you think a chair would look nice? If you are a person who struggles with clutter, then a chair is not for you. Chairs invite clutter. It becomes a resting place for your purse, the jacket you decided not to wear, your jeans you took off before bed. It becomes an easy place to set things, instead of putting them in their proper home.
Let’s Declutter Your Bedroom
Taking the time to declutter your bedroom, can change your life and your sleep. You can have a safe space to call your own where you can forget the stressors of the day. A space that invites relaxation and rest instead of anxiety and restlessness.
We all think we want that space, but don’t always take the time to invest in ourselves and the spaces that are important to our mental health. Let’s change that today and take steps to make our bedrooms the inviting, restful places of our dreams!
For even more help deciding what to declutter, or how to make systems for the items you do keep, we love these books! The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, The Home Edit, and Decluttering at the Speed of Life.
Now you have the tools to help you declutter your bedroom and make it the stress free place you need for rest. You also have ideas on how to keep it from becoming the clutter catch all of your home. Let’s put this post to action and make the bedrooms of our dreams.
Start with a plan of what you want for your room, and then make it happen! Let us know how you are doing making your bedroom clutter free in the comments. We love to hear from you!
