I love sharing little and big diy projects to enhance your home because I’m always looking to improve my home. One of the biggest ways to enhance your home is to de-clutter it. My latest mission is to de-clutter my bedroom so I thought I’d share some of the bedroom de-cluttering steps I’m following.
I realised that whenever I’m having guests over I run around tidying all the ‘communal’ areas like the kitchen, living room, dining room etc. But my bedroom always gets neglected because no one needs to go in there. Instead I just shut the door. But with a little effort, we can all reclaim our bedrooms and make them clutter free zones. Clutter is energy sapping, it creates overwhelm and a feeling of chaos which no one wants.
Before I get in to the tips, I should add that de-cluttering isn’t about getting rid of everything or about living in a room that has nothing visible apart from the main pieces of furniture. Instead it’s about creating a calm, inviting space where everything has a home and is organised in a way that doesn’t cause anxiety and stress. It’s about that feeling you get when you walk in to your room after a long day knowing you’ve arrived in an inviting, cosy and calming bedroom where you can completely relax.
6 tips to declutter your bedroom
1. Make the bed every morning
I know, I know – sounds obvious right? But not everyone does it. And I’ll admit, I never used to – at least not everyday (shame on me :). The bed is the biggest piece of furniture in your room so you can’t avoid looking at it every time you walk in to your room. If the bed is unmade, the rest of the room will feel messy even if it’s not. On the flip side, if the bed is made, the room will instantly look tidier and may even encourage you to spending a few more minutes tidying.
The best part of this is that it takes seconds – we’re not talking perfection like a hotel room but just plumping up the pillows and straightening out the duvet cover and sheet. If you can, always go for fitted sheets, making your daily task even easier. And if you have decorative cushions or other bits and pieces to dress up the bed, get rid of them. I’m all in favour of one throw that I actually use but that’s it. All other embellishments either create extra work or create clutter.
2. Clear the space under your bed
You may have come across suggestions that the space under the bed is a handy storage place. I’m going to tell you the complete opposite. In my previous home, I had a high(ish) bed so I thought bingo – extra storage space! Initially there was just a couple of boxes but slowly the clutter grew and was practically spilling out from all sides. It used to upset me every time I walked in to my room, not to mention the amount of dust that piled up under the bed. And the most annoying part was when I had to sort it to move house, I realised there was just two boxes of books that I really wanted and the rest could either be donated or thrown away.
Now, I have nothing under my bed. And seeing the floor visible under the bed makes my bedroom feel bigger and more spacious.
The only exception here is that if you really don’t have anywhere else to keep things then a bed with built in storage is the best option. If budget is an issue, Ikea have some very reasonable storage beds. Otherwise piling stuff under the bed will look and feel like clutter even if you invest in the nicest storage boxes. And once you’ve cleared out under the bed, I promise you’ll never be able to go back to under bed clutter.
3. Clear the counter tops
Nothing says clutter more than cluttered counter tops. This could be your night stand / bedside table or the top of a chest of drawers or shelves or any flat surface that so easily becomes a clutter magnet. You know, when you walk in to your bedroom with something in hand, you’ll just put it down on the first flat surface you come across. And there it lives for weeks, months or maybe even years.
Take a good, hard look at all the stuff on your counter tops and remove whatever doesn’t belong there – think books you’ve read, broken or outdated chargers, empty toiletries. I’m always looking for easy and effective ways to declutter and one of my favourite ways to clear countertops is to get a basket , walk around your bedroom looking at every counter top. Grab all the stuff that doesn’t belong there and place it in your bag. Once you’ve collected everything that doesn’t belong in the bedroom, put it back to where it belongs or if it doesn’t have a home, it’s time to donate or trash it.
4. Organise the essentials
Once you’ve cleared the counter tops of unnecessary clutter, there’ll of course be stuff that you do need in your bedroom, beyond what can be put away in closed storage. For the smaller things like watches, jewellery, books, face creams etc I always tend to use bowls, trays or small storage boxes. This makes everything look like it belongs rather than looking like clutter on your counter tops.
If you’ve got open shelves, leave space empty and dot with decorations like vases, candles and plants. Also keeping things together in clusters makes them look tidy. Those exact same things spread out all over the place will look like clutter.
5. Hooks and baskets are our saviours
I’m a big fan of wall hooks and baskets. So much that they are a tip all on their own because they seriously help reduce clutter but yet not enough people use them. I’ve just gone and bought a load of hooks and baskets as part of my own bedroom decluttering project.
Hooks are so handy for things like night clothes, handbags, shopping and anything else that would end up on the floor. They’re also handy for clothes that will be worn again the next day (read: clothes that I can’t be bothered to put back in the wardrobe). Otherwise these clothes will end up on a chair or on the floor. I also like to mix it up and display a few of my nicer things; perhaps a special handbag or a scarf I love or anything that will look pretty.
And baskets are handy in a similar way for dirty laundry and so much more. You can use baskets for pretty much anything – scarves, other accessories, magazines, extra bed linen… the list goes on. And they make tidying up quick and easy too. Would you rather see a corner in your room with three or four baskets or see all that stuff lying on the floor?
6. Keeping your bedroom clutter free
This is the part where most of us trip up including me. I am pretty good at de-cluttering when I decide to do it but maintaining the clutter-free look is where things tend to go haywire. So what’s the best way to keep your recently decluttered bedroom looking calm and cosy and clutter free?
The answer is a small amount of consistent effort every week. And I do mean small. 15 minutes a week or 2-3 minutes a day will be enough to keep your clutter-free bedroom looking that way. That and a bit of discipline in not buying more than you need. If every morning, after you’ve taken 10 seconds to make your bed, you spend an extra 2 minutes scanning the room and making sure everything is where it belongs and there is no clutter creeping in, you’ll be able to maintain your clutter-free bedroom easily.
Do you need to declutter your bedroom? Any tips? Leave me a comment and let me know.
image credits: 1 & 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 – source unknown | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Love these tips and your bedrooms are just TOO beautiful! I am a neat freak but live with a hoarder so I’m constantly sorting. I can’t relax if my surroundings are messy! x