How To Declutter The Bedroom And Make It Your Sanctuary

Declutter the bedroom

The starting point for your bedroom haven is to declutter the bedroom. These are a few practical ideas to clear out your bedroom.

Start with a closet declutter

Now, decluttering your closet could be a very daunting task for some. If that’s indeed the case, you are probably long overdue for a big reorganization of your wardrobe, which might take a couple of hours.

Take out all of the stuff in your closet and decide whether you will keep it or donate/sell it, or worst case, throw it away.

Anything that has unremovable stains or tears/holes or has lost its stretch, for example, can be thrown away. Be realistic: you will not wear those items ever again. Not even as lounge-wear.

Whatever doesn’t fit you anymore, or you haven’t worn in a year, or doesn’t match with anything else: you can donate or sell those. They only take up your space, and you will make someone else very happy with it!

Create an organization system for all your remaining stuff. Refold everything and hang clothes in a way that works for you. For example, from long to short, sorted on color or sorted on the type of garment.

Clear off the flat surfaces

One of the most obvious places to get messy are flat surfaces. In your bedroom, these could be your nightstands, your dressers and chest of drawers.

Anything that should not be there all the time should be cleared off. Perhaps there’s a stack of paper or magazines, scattered jewelry, or any other items.

Lamps, plants (I’ll get back to that one!), picture frames and other decorative items can stay. These will actually make your space feel more personal.

The floor is also a ‘flat surface’ so pick up anything from the floor and put it in its proper spot.

Assess the amount of furniture

My own bedroom is pretty small and doesn’t allow us to have a lot of furniture. We have a king-size bed, 1 nightstand, a wardrobe and a hamper. That’s all.

But I know from previous places I’ve lived, that you can pretty quickly put too much furniture in your bedroom.

This could be a desk, a dresser full of junk, exercise equipment, or the most common of all: a chair.

Chairs in bedrooms are notoriously used to throw clothes on – I think you can immediately agree with that!

Now, if you do have such a ‘clothes-chair’, I want you to assess if you really need it. Why was that chair put there in the first place? Get rid of the chair if it’s mainly used to hold your clothes. It will force you to store your clothes properly instead of being this eyesore in your bedroom.

Do the same for any other furniture you have. Assess whether you need the items or if it serves some sort of (useful!) purpose.

If you can move them elsewhere or perhaps get rid of it (donate or sell), do it. Try to have only bedroom-related furniture in your bedroom.

Organize to keep your bedroom clean

After getting rid of the mess, it’s time to organize to keep your bedroom as clean and tidy as possible.

Keep a hamper in your room

If you have a room full of clothes lying everywhere, you need to keep a hamper in your bedroom.

I’m always about making things easier for yourself. You might know that you have to put your clothes in a hamper.

But if you find yourself not doing it because it takes too much of an effort to walk to another room: move the hamper to your bedroom!

This will also help you with your laundry planning. If your clothes are scattered around, you have no idea how much laundry there actually is. With a hamper, you know when you need to do the laundry.

Take the extra few seconds after taking your clothes off, to put them in the hamper. Your floor or ‘clothes-chair’ will be happy.

Get a jewelry and accessories organizer

Jewelry and other accessories are so easy to lay around as they are usually very small. But that’s also exactly the problem and will cause a messy look.

You need to have a place for these items. Not only to put them back there but also to always be able to find them 😉

I have an accessories pull-out tray in my Ikea PAX wardrobe, with a divider and felt bottom. As each necklace, earring, bracelet, etc. has its own spot in this drawer, it’s effortless to put them back where they belong.

Having a fixed place for any item makes it easier for yourself to put stuff back, as you don’t have to think about where to store it.

The nightstand – your buddy right beside you

A nightstand gives you space to put some of your bedside essentials close to you. Keep your nightstand surface free of clutter (also one of the flat surfaces mentioned above!), especially as this is literally next to you when you’re in bed trying to fall asleep.

I think it’s quite unrealistic to expect ourselves to always keep a tidy nightstand surface. That’s why I recommend a nightstand with a drawer or a little cabinet door. That way, you can hide some stuff.

Obviously, you’ll need to declutter the drawer or cabinet from time to time, but at least you won’t have the mess in your sight daily.

What to keep on your nightstand? You don’t need much; a bedside lamp, an alarm clock, a decoration item or plant and anything else you personally need (for me it’s my glasses; it’s the first thing I put on in the morning and the last thing to put down before sleeping).

Most people keep their phone next to them at night. This is not a good idea sleep-wise because you will most likely look at it before you’re going to sleep. Staring at screens an hour before going to bed, will mess with your sleep quality.

So keep your phone (and other electronics like tablets) away from your nightstand, ideally not even in the bedroom, and get an alarm clock. If you have any worries about receiving emergency calls at night, put your phone somewhere out of reach from the bed.

I challenge you to not keep a phone charger on your nightstand! I want to hear from you if you took the challenge!

The space under your bed

Some people say that you have to completely clear the space under your bed. I don’t agree.

I think it’s a smart space for storage, for example, for seasonal items. BUT you have to do it organized.

Don’t just throw anything under the bed, but use storage boxes – ideally ones that have wheels and can be completely closed off so they can’t collect dust.

Maximize your space available by using almost the full height under the bed. If you plan to store small items, put those in smaller boxes within large boxes.

IKEA has some nice under bed storage boxes, or go for a clear storage bin.

Decorate your bedroom sanctuary

You have now decluttered and organized your bedroom; time to decorate the space in a way that makes you feel good and relaxed.

Bed linen actually impact your sleep quality

How many sets of bed linen do you have? Bed linens take up a lot of space in closets. And actually, you could get by with just one set – which would save you storage space.

However, for practicality reasons, you can get a second set. But that’s all, you really only need 2 bed linen sets tops.

The quality of your bed sheets has a huge impact on your sleep and especially the fabric.

Some fabrics feel ‘cooler’ than others, which is an especially important consideration when you often feel hot at night.

Comfort is another point to think about. Soft sheets allow for less friction when moving and will feel gentler on your skin.

About 2 years ago, we decided to invest in some quality bed linen. After doing some research, we took the plunge and followed many others in getting the Brooklinen sheets.

We got the Luxe Hardcore Sheet Bundle (and also their laundry detergent and softener, and pillows!) and wow, we are still very happy with our purchase.

The sheets remain soft, they don’t pill, they don’t trap heat and they still look good after many, many washes.

We only got one set and we can get by with that, as we wash them in the mornings and hang them all day to dry. It was expensive (even though we got it with a discount during Black Friday) but well worth it. And they offer a lifetime warranty with amazing customer service!

Don’t go overboard with bedroom decoration

Personally, I have never had any bed decoration as in throw pillows or blankets – I like the clean look of the bed sheets by themselves when the bed’s made.

If you do want to have some bed decoration, don’t go overboard with rows and rows of throw pillows. Frankly, that looks overwhelming instead of relaxing.

Keep to a maximum of 2-3 throw pillows and perhaps a lovely bedspread. It will give a classy look without having too many items.

Other decorations you can add that could help give your bedroom a more relaxed vibe are:

• wall art
• candles
• essential oil humidifier
• plants – which bring me to my next point below

Add some greenery for improved sleep quality

Your environment affects your health and mood. Plants have several health benefits, such as purifying the air and providing oxygen.

Having the right houseplant in your bedroom can positively impact your stress levels, mood, sleep quality, and even breathing.

There are a few houseplants that improve the quality of indoor air, like Golden Pothos, Boston Fern, and Peace Lily. However, specifically for the bedroom, you should consider getting a Snake Plant.

Snake plants convert CO2 into oxygen at night, so it improves the air quality surrounding you while you’re sleeping! They’re also easy to maintain.

Let’s get started to declutter the bedroom

There you have it; the steps to declutter the bedroom, organize and decorate it, and make your bedroom a sanctuary of sleep.

So quick recap:

• declutter your closet and re-organize it
• clear off the flat surfaces and be intentional about what to put back on
• assess the amount of furniture in your bedroom
• keep a hamper in your room, to prevent clothes from laying around
• get a jewelry and accessories organizer, so you have a dedicated and tidy spot for them
• get a nightstand where you can store stuff out of sight
• use the space under your bed as organized storage space
• treat yourself on quality bed linen
• don’t go overboard with bedroom decoration
• add houseplants for good indoor air quality and reducing stress levels

I want to hear from you if you put these steps into practice! How has it impacted your sleep and relaxation?