Clutter is a menace. It piles up quickly and once it does, it can rapidly turn into a monstrosity. Nowhere is it more evident than your bedroom. Hidden from the eyes of visitors, it often becomes a convenient place to dump all knick-knacks, your dirty clothes, dry cleaning, shopping and just about anything.
If the sight of books and clothes strewn about the room makes your blood boil every time you enter your bedroom, it is time to tackle the mess for once and for all. Easier said than done, right? Well, with the right décor, accessories and some organization skills, it is doable and easy.
Organize the Room
The key to a neat bedroom is to use furniture and accessories for properly storing your things. Depending on your requirements, budget, room size and décor, you can invest in storage items to make cleaning tasks easier for you. When you have a proper place to store your things, it is easier to keep them organized rather than just putting them in the corner.
- When ordering or buying furniture, plan well. Ensure plenty of shelf space in the cabinets and buy your bed and settees with storage space.
- Get a few accessories like colorful bins, baskets, trays and small hanging structures to organize everything in your bedroom. Use trays and ceramic bowls on the dresser or inside your wardrobe to store small cosmetics and jewellery.
- Divide your drawers into sections using rolled-up cotton napkins or thick paper sheets. Use each section for different things so that you can find your items easily. This is especially useful if you have limited number of drawers in your wardrobe.
Schedule Regular Cleanup
Neglect cleaning your room for just one week and you can notice the mess piling up. Even if you can’t clean your room thoroughly every week, a little tidying up goes a long way to keep mess away.
- If you clean the room yourself, make plans for vigorous monthly cleanups. Remove dust from your books, the inside of your wardrobe, the lights, ceiling fans and wall art and any decorative items in the room. In short, dust everything. Vacuum all the upholsteries and the mattress. Wash the curtains. Remove cobwebs from room and bathroom ceilings, if any. Wash the floors and air the room well.
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- Every week, change the bed sheets; sooner if necessary. Dust every piece of furniture and fixture. Invest in quality cleaning products – a dustpan, small broom, dusting clothes, cleaning solutions for floors and mirrors and a basket to store all items. Keep some natural fragrance products handy to use after every cleanup.
- Each day, keep things where they belong. Dirty clothes in the laundry hamper; washed clothes stored away for ironing. Your footwear at the right place; the same with your bags and jewellery. Don’t sweep things under the carpet (so to speak) or hide them in a corner. With mere five minutes of efforts each day, you get access to a clutter-free room at all hours of the day. Even if you are tired after a day’s work, take a few breathing moments but don’t put off things for the morning when you have to rush to work again or ready your kids for school.
A laundry basket helps in reducing the mess of the room.
Minimize the Mess
To ensure a clutter-free bedroom, it helps to keep things simple. Furnish your room well but with practicality in mind. You want the room to look pretty but with all the practical frills.
- Fill your room with practical items – a sofa that offers storage space, bed with shelves, a bedside table with multiple drawers, a fancy yet useful table for the room, etc. Ensure that there is enough space in the bedroom for the free flow of energy.
- Use hooks wherever you can as these come in handy for your bags, scarves, chains, jackets, etc. Use shelves above desks and in the corners. Line up bins in the room. Place small bins by your bed and reading desk; in the closet and inside the bathroom.
- At least twice a year, empty out your entire closet and evaluate what you need and what you don’t use anymore. This applies to your clothing, accessories and cosmetics. Donate items you don’t need. Repair, repurpose and recycle. Repair all broken buttons, hooks and sleeves for clothes you are going to use. Repurpose that old jeans or t-shirt with some embroidery or print. Or else, recycle what you can and don’t want anymore. Store away seasonal items after washing or dry cleaning them.
You can easily make neatness a way of life. You don’t have to do all the cleaning tasks at the same time. Depending on your cleaning needs and availability of time, take small steps every day to keep mess out of your place of rest.