Last Updated on April 20, 2021 by Katie Barton
Do you have trouble keeping your bedroom clean and organized?
If so, you’re not alone.
If you’re a mom, the bedroom is typically the one room you can escape to for a bit of solitude. Pair this with the fact that the bedroom houses everything you need to get ready for the day, and you can end up with a lot of clutter.
Unfortunately, clutter can majorly affect your sleep hygiene and your mood in the morning. Wouldn’t it be so much better to go to sleep and wake up in a room that is clean and organized?
If your answer is “yes,” here’s how to declutter a bedroom.
How to Declutter a Bedroom: Step by Step System
If you’re ready to declutter your bedroom quickly, we are going to go step by step. Dedicate an hour (more or less, depending on the level of clutter) and follow these steps.
Step 1: Pick up All Dirty Clothes
Grab a laundry basket and pick up all dirty clothes in your bedroom and master bathroom (if you have one.) Carry the dirty clothes down to your laundry room.
Step 2: Put Away All Clean Clothes
Any clean clothes that are sitting on your dresser or floor need to be put away. Do that now.
Step 3: Put Away All Shoes
Any shoes that are lying around should be put away. Consider lining them in your closet or using a hanging shoe organizer.
Step 4: Pickup All Trash
Take a small trash bag, go around the room and pick up every bit of trash.
Step 5: Return Items that Belong in Different Rooms
Grab your laundry basket and place all items that belong in different rooms in it. Once that’s complete, walk around the house and put those things back where they belong. (DO NOT leave them in the laundry basket.)
Step 6: Make Your Bed
Your room should be feeling a lot less cluttered now. Make your bed for the final step.
If you want to do a much deeper declutter, follow the steps below.
If you’d like a checklist to keep handy (or to hand out to your kids), you can download this bedroom decluttering checklist here.
How to Do a Deep Declutter in Your Bedroom
The above steps should get you back to a reasonably tidy, liveable bedroom in a short amount of time. However, if you’re looking to REALLY declutter and even go a bit minimalist, here’s what you should do.
Declutter Your Clothes & Shoes
Since clothes and shoes are housed in the bedroom, they usually contribute the most to clutter and mess. (You know, keeping things you don’t like and then throwing them on the floor because they don’t fit well…)🙋♀️
If you haven’t gone through your clothing in a while, you need to do it. There is ZERO point in hanging on to clothes you don’t like and don’t wear. It makes getting dressed harder.
When you declutter your wardrobe and keep only the items that fit and flatter you, you’ll actually enjoy opening your closet doors.
Here are some basic rules to follow when decluttering clothes and shoes:
- You must get rid of all clothing that’s more than one size too big or one size too small.
- Get rid of everything with stains, holes, and an unflattering fit.
- Remove any casual clothes that haven’t been worn more in than six months.
- Get rid of any shoes that you haven’t worn in more than a year, have holes in them, that don’t fit right, and that you bought but hate.
Don’t try to tackle everything all at once. Work in sections.
Start by going through one drawer at a time in your dresser. When that’s done, move on to your closet. Once that’s finished, move on to your shoes.
Unless you have a minimal wardrobe, a good clothing declutter will take a few days to fully complete.
Declutter Your Nightstand
You should use your nightstand to house the things you need to unwind or function. This could be a pad of paper and pen, a book, eyeglasses, medication, or a remote. Your nightstand should not be full of trash.
Go through your nightstand and organize your drawers so that you have everything you need to relax and get a good night’s sleep.
Declutter Extra Bedding
If you have extra bedding in your room, go through it and get rid of the sheets and blankets sets that you know you will never use again. If it’s stained, torn, super outdated, and not sentimental, it needs to go.
Give Your Room a Deep Cleaning
Once you have everything decluttered, give your room a good deep cleaning. I have a step-by-step bedroom deep clean tutorial and free checklist here.
Final Thoughts on Decluttering Your Bedroom
Once you get your bedroom decluttered and clean, it’s much easier to keep it that way. Instead of letting the clutter pile up, make an effort to put things back where they belong each day.
And if you want to keep your closet and dressers looking great, stick with the “one in, one out” rule. Each time you buy something new, get rid of something old.
Katie Barton is the owner of Cabin Lane. She's also a home improvement writer for Bob Vila and Homedit. Her cleaning and organizing advice has been featured on Realtor.com, Yahoo News, GoBankingRates, and more. In her spare time, you can find her with a paintbrush in hand, searching for her next project.