How To Clean Out Your Bedroom
This week, The Big Declutter Challenge is all about the bedroom.
Running throughout the month of March, our campaign is encouraging you to take control of your home by showing you the best ways to organise, clean and store, focusing on a different room of the house every week.
We've already seen decluttering guides for the hallway, kitchen, and living room, and now the room you sleep in is in the spotlight, with advice to help you achieve a clean, clutter-free and organised bedroom.
To get involved with the #HBBigDeclutter and continue on your path to creating a decluttered home, follow this comprehensive decluttering guide for the bedroom, with helpful tips and advice from organisational and storage experts...
Declutter time!
'It's common for the bedroom to become a dumping ground for laundry, unpacked bags and miscellaneous items,' says Kate Ibbotson, professional declutter expert at A Tidy Mind and board member of the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO).
'It's generally not a place visitors see, so it may be the last place you tidy and declutter. But in fact, it's the last place you should let clutter accumulate.
'It should be a peaceful retreat. Its functions are simple – sleep and relaxation. The number of possessions stored there should be low in volume.'
Oak Furniture Land
Follow these decluttering steps to get started...
Step 1: Sort your items into three piles
'Use the three-box method to help you decide what items to keep, get rid of or put into storage,' says Harsha Rathnayake, CEO of London Junk. 'For any items in the keep box, work out where you are going to put them. These should be stored neatly in a draw or container.
'For storage, categorise and label all containers as you fill them. Then neatly place them in your storage area.
'When getting rid of your items, sort through the box and work out what you can donate, sell or throw away to the junk collectors.'
Step 2: Tackle the wardrobe and chest of drawers
'Go through your clothes and be ruthless about what you don't wear,' says Kate Ibbotson. 'Most people wear 20 per cent of their clothes 80 per cent of the time but too much clothes clutter can result in "decision fatigue" every time you open the wardrobe.'
Any clothes that no longer fit or haven't been worn in the past year can go, which will help free up more space in the bedroom. Either donate to charity if in good condition, or throw away if in poor condition.
Step 3: Organise your clothes
'An organised wardrobe is key to getting out the door quickly in the morning,' says Vicky Silverthorn, professional organiser at You Need A Vicky.
'If you put your washing away, put short sleeve items with other short sleeve items, long sleeve with long sleeve and skirts with skirts, etc. Before long, your wardrobe will become more streamlined, making it easier and quicker for you to choose an outfit for work.'
Make a point to declutter your underwear and sock drawers – odd or holey socks and never-worn underwear can definitely go.
Step 4: Pack away out-of-season clothes
For the clothes and accessories that are out of season you can 'find a home for them on top of the wardrobe or under the bed,' says Kate. 'If you're not going to use something for months, there is no point in it being in circulation.'
Oak Furniture Land
Step 5: Make a habit of putting clothes away
'Get into good habits such as putting clothes away each night and laying out the next day's clothes,' says Kate. 'It can make a huge difference to how you start the day in the morning.'
Step 6: Declutter your bedside table and cabinets
The table and cabinets beside your bed need to be decluttered. Read our full guide on how to do this here.
Step 7: Get rid of certain shoes
If you have shoes that don't fit, are too worn or you just never wear them, then it's time they were chucked or donated.
Step 8: Don't have too many accessories
'Invest in decent ben linen and furnishings to give your bedroom a luxury feel but ensure your bed is simple to make – too many cushions or throws mean they will likely end up on the floor,' says Kate.
Step 9: Get rid of broken items
Go through books, ornaments and other items – get rid of anything that is broken or donate items you no longer want to keep.
Step 10: Remove any unnecessary furniture
'To make your home look as clutter-free as possible, take a look at what unnecessary furniture you have and decide if you really need it,' says Andy Briggs, head creative and interior designer at Spaceslide. 'Freeing up floor space is a great way to make a room look and feel bigger.'
Start cleaning
Now that your bedroom is all decluttered, you've got to get everything sparkling clean. To do so, complete this checklist:
1. Clean all the surfaces in the bedroom, including out-of-reach places, such as the tops of shelves and wardrobes. Remember to clean any TVs and mirrors you have in the room too.
2. Empty and clean inside your wardrobe, dresser, all drawers, and storage units. Once clean, place items back inside and neatly organise them.
3. Wash your bedding, including the mattress cover, pillow cases and bed sheets.
'Bed sheets should be washed on a weekly basis at a minimum temperature of 60°C in order to destroy micro-organisms and other nasties that may be living in our linens,' says Jane Robson, founder of The Fine Cotton Company.
4. Get your pillows and duvets dry cleaned – try and do this at least once a year to make sure they are in top condition. If your washing machine drum is large enough, you can wash them at home. Read our guide on washing your bedding here.
5. Clean your mattress or replace it completely. Mould spores and bacteria build up over the years so you should vacuum your mattress regularly, and you can also flip it over now and again. The recommended time to replace your mattress is every eight years.
6. Keep whites white. 'To bring a new lease of life to whites that have lost their sparkle try including half a cup of white wine vinegar in with the wash,' says Jane Robson.
'It's a wonderful cleaning agent as the high acidity levels are naturally anti-bacterial, this neutralises odours and dissolves residual product.'
The Fine Cotton Company
7. Wash the skirting boards.
8. Vacuum your carpet, curtains and rug – include the hidden and forgotten areas, such as under the bed and other pieces of furniture. Read our helpful guide on cleaning your rug here.
9. If you have blinds, give them a deep clean. Follow the full instructions here.
Pick the best storage
'A bedroom should ultimately be a place for relaxation so it's vitally important to plan enough storage space when redesigning the room,' says David Norman, director at Furl.
'If all you can see when you walk in is clutter, clothes, and things that need tidying away, it can be hard to relax and switch off.'
Here are some useful storage solutions for the bedroom, according to the experts...
Ottoman beds
'There's nothing more tranquil than a bedroom with a place for everything,' says Sarah Massouh, founder of Willow & Hall.
Willow & Hall
'Owning an ottoman bed allows you to not only declutter your bedroom, but also to keep all the things you are not quite ready to get rid of by simply hiding them in the dedicated storage space built into the bed base.
'When considering an ottoman bed for your own bedroom, it is quite important to give some thought to the size that will work best for you as you'll have to determine the ideal size according to your needs and storage expectations.'
Hidden storage units
'Invest in quality storage systems,' says Andy Briggs at Spaceslide. 'Whether it's for your bedroom or study, there is nothing worse than big, unsightly plastic boxes on display in your home.
'By ensuring everything is placed neatly away in its designated home, you'll be less likely to keep adding unnecessary items to your collection as the year goes on.'
Sliding wardrobe doors
'Investing in some sliding wardrobe doors for your bedroom is a great way to maximise your space as they can be customised to fit your ever-growing shoe collection,' says Andy. 'But they can also be designed to complement your interiors, so you won't need to redecorate your room.'
Shelving
'When you lift things off the floor and use shelving as a storage solution, you create the illusion of a larger space,' says Peter Erlandsson, co-owner and director of String.
String
Under bed storage bags and boxes
'One of the most practical, but least utilised spaces in the bedroom is under the bed,' says The Holding Company. 'By using under bed storage bags or boxes, you can easily store out-of-season clothing and blankets, or other seldom-used items.'
Stackable shelves
'Most wardrobe spaces are poorly planned, so don't be limited by the standard hanging bar and shelf – install additional rods or purchase stackable shelves,' says The Holding Company.
Bedside tables with drawers
'Bedside tables often have built-in drawers which are a useful double function but don't overfill them – hidden clutter can still impact on wellbeing,' says Kate Ibbotson.
Baskets, boxes and bins
If you need extra storage units but with a more temporary feel, you can use baskets, boxes and bins, which can either be stored out of sight or, if stylish, on display.
Children's bedroom storage
'Children's bedrooms can soon become overwhelmed with toys, clothes and other clutter so it is important to think about helpful storage solutions when furnishing their room,' says David Norman.
'Their bedrooms are often the smallest of the house, maximise available space by choosing furniture that has multi-uses, such as a practical storage bed.'
HB recommends...
String/ Spaceslide/ Willow & Hall
Products in order, from left to right:
1. BUY NOW: String Pocket in Ash-white, £122, Skandium
2. BUY NOW: Signature Sliding Doors in Dark Grey Glass and Satin Stone Grey Doors, from £853.20, Spaceslide
3. BUY NOW: Braydon Ottoman Storage Bed, from £835, Willow & Hall
THE BIG DECLUTTER CHALLENGE > Join the conversation using #HBBigDeclutter
Source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/storage/a19562364/how-to-declutter-bedroom-storage-ideas/
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