How to Declutter your Bedroom: Simple Tips for a Tidy Space
Learn how to declutter your bedroom so that it stays neat and tidy. Afterall, your bedroom is the place that you begin and end each day. If it is disorganized and full of clutter you will have a difficult time getting the rest and relaxation you need.
Steps to Declutter Your Bedroom: Happy Simple Home Series
Welcome to Day 1 of the Happy Simple Home Series to help moms learn how to declutter and simplify in order to enjoy motherhood more.
For the next 5 days I will be sharing my best tips to help you control the major causes of clutter in your home and life. Each post is full of practical tips to make mom life easier.
Day 2: How to Declutter your Clothes Closet; For Real This Time!
Day 3: How to Declutter your Kitchen Like a Minimalist Mom
Day 4: How to Declutter Kids Toys and not Destroy Their Childhood
Benefits of a Clutter-Free Bedroom
Have you ever noticed how relaxed you feel when you come home to a clean house?
Well, there’s a reason for that.
When you look around and see a visual to-do list of items that need to be folded, picked up and put away it’s difficult to relax.
And guess what, decluttering your bedroom has a lot of benefits beyond just making it look nice.
- Punctuality – When your room is clean and organized you will be able to find everything quickly. Consequently you will be able to get ready and head out the door on time.
- Better mood – Waking up to a neat and tidy bedroom will help you to start off your day on the right foot.
- Productivity – In his book, “The Power of Habit” the author shares that, “An organized environment creates a feeling of preparedness and control.” These feelings increase your ability to face the day with optimism and face daily tasks head on.
- Increased joy – It may sound silly, but keeping your bedroom clean and organized can have a major impact on happiness. When researchers tracked the most impactful habits related to happiness – bed making was one that was consistently mentioned.
As you can see, a clutter-free bedroom is well worth the few minutes a day that it takes to maintain.
Tips on Decluttering your Bedroom
Before you begin…
Pause and take a moment to assess the current state of your bedroom.
This will allow you to note where you struggle with bedroom clutter the most, and help you to prevent yourself from repeating the same patterns in the future.
Stand at the doorway and do a quick scan, maybe even snap a few photos with your phone. (This will also make a fun before and after possible).
As you look around be sure to jot down your most troublesome areas:
- Is there a laundry pile on the floor?
- Perhaps the nightstand is a disaster.
- Do you have clothes from last week that still need to be hung in your closet?
- Does the furniture create an open and airy feeling , or is it chunky and stifling?
- Do you have items in your bedroom that don’t even belong in there?
Now that you know your personal pitfalls, keep them in mind while you move forward through the decluttering process. Look for specific solutions in this article that address your exact needs.
How do you declutter your bedroom?
Grab my Bedroom Declutter Checklist HERE
Related Post: How to Create a Cozy Minimalist Bedroom
1) Store Off-Season Clothes
It’s no secret that clothes are the #1 cause of clutter in most bedrooms. The solution is simple; only keep the clothes that you wear frequently and love. But that’s easier said than done. To simplify the process of decluttering your closet, I recommend tackling one season at a time.
Take all of your off-season clothes and store them away for now. These under the bed storage bags work great. Then go through your remaining clothes for the current season and decide what you still want to keep.
It’s time to say goodbye when an article of clothing:
- doesn’t fit
- needs to be altered or mended
- isn’t flattering
2) Shoes
Start by trying on your shoes, making sure they fit and inspecting them for wear and tear. If they aren’t comfortable, don’t fit or have holes then it’s time for them to be donated or tossed. Any remaining shoes should be put into a shoe organizing system to ensure a clear and organized place they are not being worn.
3) Remove unnecessary furniture and decor
Close your eyes and imagine your dream bedroom.
Most likely, it’s not packed with bulky dressers, nightstands and cluttered with decorative items. Huge progress can be made when you take a practical look at the furniture in your bedroom and remove anything that is not essential.
Clearing and creating space is an imperative step in making a room look and feel clean and clutter-free. Same goes for the walls and items on top of flat surfaces. Pretend that your bedroom is an Ikea inspiration room (Do you love those as much as I do?). Take a look around as if you were shopping.
- Which items do you love so much that you would choose to purchase them again today?
Anything that doesn’t pass this test should be donated or sold.
4) Edit your accessories
I have to admit, even as a minimalist scarves, jewelry and handbags are very tempting. But the reality is they can quickly take over a closet…and even the rest of your room if you’re not careful.
To start, quickly go through and remove any that you haven’t worn in a year or that you have duplicates of.Moving forward, use the one-in, one-out rule. This means that if you buy a new bag or scarf then one that your currently own needs to go.
5) Commit to Keep the Floor Clear
If there is one hard and fast rule to follow, it’s to make sure you don’t allow anything to pile up on the floor.
When you set this expectation for yourself you will find that taking a few moments to put items where they belong (instead of dropping them on the floor) saves you a ton of time and the stress in the long run.
6) Use drawer dividers
We have all heard that people who are tidy have a designated space for each item in their home.
Initially, I thought this was why we all have a junk drawer. At least that was my designated place for any random items I needed to put away. Right?!!?
Then, I discovered drawer dividers. They are perfect for keeping bras, underwear and socks organized in the drawers. As well as, pens, paper, batteries and glasses inside your nightstand. Voila’ no more junk drawer and now everything has a designated place.
7) Utilize the space under the bed
Off season clothes, extra blankets and winter gear aren’t things that you want to get rid of. Instead of allowing them to create visual clutter in your closet, place them in low-profile storage bins and slide them under the bed.
8) Clear your nightstand
Promise yourself that you won’t allow anything to be set on top of your nightstand.
The perfect nightstand that has space on top for a lamp and a drawer underneath store books, lip balm and a flashlight. Keeping your nightstand and the top of your dressers clear of clutter will help your room look neat and tidy at all times.
9) Be consistent
Please don’t spend an entire weekend (or longer) decluttering your bedroom only to allow it all to creep back in.
Set aside 10 minutes each day to scan and pick up anything that has been left out while you are establishing your new “clutter-free” habits.Eventually these habits will become second nature won’t require any effort.
There you have it! Tons of practical tips to help you learn how to declutter your bedroom and keep it that way!
Grab your free Bedroom Declutter Checklist in our Printables Library!
First of all, thank you so much for the advice given to declutter a bedroom. It was mostly easy to do. My problem is getting overwhelmed by the clutter as a whole. I have ADD and I’m serious, I give up before I even start. I have PTSD, Anxiety issues, I look at the project and I panic. I don’t know how to organize anything. Where do I start? I really want to do this.
W B
Hi! My best advice when you are easily overwhelmed and likely to give up is to begin with “one area” instead of “one room”. Grab a piece of paper and go into the room that you need to declutter. Make a list of “areas” in the room – each dresser draw, counter, nightstand etc gets broken up into it’s own area. Then just tackle one area at a time. Breaking the project into bite size pieces tends to really help.