Declutter Your Bedroom Once and For All
Lauren JaquesTake a look around your bedroom. What do you see? For many, there’s probably a pile of not-quite-dirty clothing draped over a chair. A clutch of toiletries clamouring for space on your dresser. And a small but growing pile of ‘stuff’ in that corner ‘over there’.
A messy bedroom can be a genuine health risk. Not only are trailing cords and abandoned belongings possible trip hazards but those piles of unworn clothes and other forgotten items are real dust magnets. And what does dust mean? Allergies and mites. Bleurgh.
According to experts, an untidy home may be linked to poor mental health too (1). Research shows that not only does living in disarray impact our ‘mental hygiene’, it can also lead to disordered thinking and even unhealthy eating.
Improving our bedroom environment can be as simple as installing better bedroom shoe storage or clearing out an existing storage wardrobe. It could also mean a complete bedroom refit. Whichever route you choose to take, read on for handy tips to help you on your way to becoming an accomplished bedroom organiser.
Streamline your storage: bedroom clutter busting
Nowhere in our home do things get more personal than the bedroom. It’s where we sleep, where we dress and where we keep our most intimate personal possessions. It’s where we put on our make up and brush our hair and where we relax in our pyjamas at the end of the day. So it’s little wonder that our bedrooms accumulate so much stuff. And that stuff includes a lot of belongings that we can’t or don’t want to get rid of.
The solution? Clever storage and a little bit of discipline…
Matching furniture for a smarter bedroom
Here at Bensons for Beds, we love a matching set. Don’t get us wrong, the idea of going all boho chic with mismatched thrifted furniture appeals but in reality … well, it can sometimes looks a bit untidy.
On the other hand, a simple white storage drawer and wardrobe set can give any bedroom a neat, finished look. With mirrored wardrobes to create the illusion of space and chests of drawers in a variety of sizes, a coordinated set not only provides plentiful storage for your belongings but it also brings a room together.
Whether you’re a décor traditionalist or thoroughly modern, a maximalist or a minimalist, there’s almost certainly a matching bedroom furniture suite to suit your room and your lifestyle.
Wardrobes for clothing organisation
Wardrobe fit to burst? It’s probably time for a revamp. Not only is an untidy wardrobe impossible to navigate when you’re in a hurry, it’s also terrible for your clothing. Delicate fabrics are easily creased in a overpacked wardrobe and small items are easily lost and spoiled on a cluttered closet floor. Then we wonder why the clothes munching moths thrive.
A good-sized wardrobe is a must. This maximises hanging space which experts say is the best way to store most clothing (especially if you fold items that are likely to stretch, like t-shirts and jumpers). Not only does hanging keep ironed clothes smooth, it also makes for faster dressing and better clothing rotation.
If you like space-saving wardrobes with sliding mirror doors, you’ll like this Bergen Sliding Wardrobe . Doing away with the need for a full length wall mirror, sliding doors make it easy to see exactly what’s inside your wardrobe without having to dig too deep.
Bergen Sliding Wardrobe
Drawers for organised storage
Are your drawers fit to burst? Overstuffing can damage expensive furniture, spoil clothing and make finding what you’re looking for a challenge.
Choose a sturdy chest of drawers and organise carefully. In-drawer organisers are available fairly cheaply from several online and high street retailers. These can make it easier to keep underwear, make up and toiletries in order and easy to find. In addition, rolling clothes, rather than folding, could change your life in a small but welcome way. For expert tips, simply search online for clothes rolling tutorials.
Seasonal storage: wardrobe wins
Whatever the size of your bedroom, updating your storage seasonally can really help to minimise clutter.
To make seasonal storage work, dedicate one day, twice a year (we suggest April and October) to changing up your storage, packing away out of season belongings and taking the opportunity for a thorough spring – or autumn – clean.
Making your wardrobe work for you
If trying to find a long sleeved sweater in amongst 1000 black vests is getting you down, now’s the time to take action! Packing away out of season clothing can make a huge difference to how your wardrobe and drawers work for you.
We recommend investing in lidded plastic boxes or vacuum bags to make the most of your available space. Take those clothes that aren’t going to get worn for several months and simply pack them away. We’re talking heavy coats, bulky jumpers, woolly hats and scarves or bikinis, sandals, strappy dresses and shorts.
Before waving tata for now, ensure everything is washed and well dried. Chuck in lavender bags or cedar balls to keep things fresh and moth-free, and place on a high shelf or under the bed.
The magic of blanket boxes
People have been using blanket boxes for hundreds of years. Your great great grandma knew what she was doing. These simple boxes make for great storage.
From plush, upholstered ottomans these boxes are an efficient solution for any bedroom. Perfect for storing sheets and towels, they also make great toy boxes for busy kids’ rooms. rooms.
Additionally, blanket boxes are a real boon for seasonal de-clutterers. Deep and spacious, they provide the space you’ll need for bulky winter duvets, blankets and knitwear. Shoes can be placed into the bottom of the box with bags of clothing on top. Small bags or boxes containing out of season accessories can be dropped into gaps or even kept inside shoes. And never forget – rolling is almost always more space efficient than folding.
Don’t sweat the small stuff – store it!
Swapping out coats for light jackets is an obvious hack, but how about all those little bits and bobs? Perhaps you have earrings that you only wear with summer dresses, ties that look wrong with a winter suit or lipsticks that just aren’t right for Christmas season.
Clearing away the loose pieces of your life can make a massive difference. Check toiletries for use by dates and throw out anything that won’t last right now. You might be tempted to hold on to that self-tan or deep winter moisturiser but many toiletries recommend using within six to twelve months of opening (this is especially important for sun protection products). If it’ll last, tape up the lid and pack away in a storage box.
Meanwhile, jewellery, belts, ties and other small items can be carefully placed in small bags or boxes and put at the back of a drawer or inside the folds of clothing.
Hidden bedroom storage: ottoman beds and more
Most bedrooms, once furnished, offer little usable space. This is especially true for those of us whose bedrooms double as home offices or gyms. With so little room available, surfaces and floors quickly get cluttered. So what’s the solution? Secret storage!
Under bed storage
If you have a bed with legs, like our wooden bedframes, you could be sleeping on a storage gold mine. A wide range of shallow storage boxes are available which are ideal for sliding underneath your bed. Some even have wheels for easy rolling in and out.
This space is ideal for storing shoes, toys and exercise equipment, such as yoga mats and dumbbells.
If you’re in the market for a new bed, a divan with drawers can provide you with lots of hidden storage. Ideal for bedding, clothes or those hard to stash items, like rolls of wrapping paper or board games, a divan like this Staples and Co double drawer bed can help you to keep your room organised and clutter-free.
Staples and Co Artisan Deluxe Divan Bed Set On Glides
Ottoman beds for concealed storage
With a hollow base revealed by lifting the bed base, an ottoman bed is the emperor of bedroom storage. With no drawer mechanism to take up space, the storage in an ottoman bed is ideal for all those larger items that you don’t need to access regularly – spare bedding or holiday suitcases for example. In fact, a king size bed ottoman cavity, measuring up to 200 x 150cm could help make short work of that seasonal shake-up.
Being so cavernous, it’s easy for an ottoman bed to become a cluttered mess all of its own. Boxes and drawer dividers, however, can help to section the space, allowing you to better organise items into categories.
High level storage
Seeking even more storage? Look up. Many wardrobes contain a high level shelf ideal for packing away those items you don’t need easy access to.
Wardrobes with upper storage can be particularly useful for children’s rooms, keeping items you’d rather they don’t get hold of out of sight and out of mind. A sturdy high shelf could hold your Christmas decorations, old photo albums, suitcases or camping gear; all those things that you need to get hold of, but not right now. Neatly and securely packed into boxes, items stored in your wardrobe will remain free from dust and won’t prove as interesting to small explorers who can spot a rogue string of tinsel from 50ft.
You might be tempted to pile belongings on top of a wardrobe too. We prefer not to do this – boxes stored here quickly gather dust and can look messy. But if the top of your wardrobe is your only option, why not choose coordinated hat boxes to fill that space? Just don’t forget to take your long handled duster to them every so often.
Storage for small bedrooms and small things
Dressing tables, the tops of chests of drawers, bedside tables. All those open surfaces in your bedrooms make it all too easy to create annoying little piles of stuff. From half-read books (you’ll finish them one of these days) to hairbands, mugs and scraps of paper (important scraps mind you), it all adds up to one heck of a mess.
Displaying and storing jewellery and toiletries
Probably the biggest clutterers of all, our accessories are often dropped onto a top as we get ready for bed. We have every intention of clearing them away in the morning but, you know, we’re just so busy.
This is where that old adage ‘everything in its place’ comes in. Ensuring your most regularly used items have their homes is vital to keeping you on that clutter-free track.
When it comes to jewellery, make up, toiletries and other such knick-knacks, it can help to pick out those that you use every day and separate them from the pack. Keep once in a while items stored in drawers or cupboards and put your daily faves in clear display boxes, on mirrored trays or hang them on a jewellery tree. Giving your most used items a special spot doesn’t just look good, it encourages you to return them once used. It also makes them easier to find when you’re in a hurry.
Bedside tables for books, gadgets
How does your bedside table look right now? We’re willing to bet that there’s at least two items that you don’t really need on there. The last dumping ground before sleep, your bedside table can quickly accrue those little bits that you barely think about.
Let’s be honest, having so much mess so close to your head while you drop off can’t be good for you. And last night’s nonsense being the first thing you see when you open your eyes? That’s really not the best way to start your day.
Choose a bedside table with a drawer to give yourself a little more peace at night. Those simple drawers provide just enough storage for your mobile phone (if you insist on keeping it nearby), your current book and a few must-have toiletries, like a hand cream and lip balm. Everything else? It’s gotta go.
Packing away cables and tech items
From mobile phones to tablets, e-readers and laptops to hair straighteners, nasal trimmers and clothes steamers, we can’t resist a personal gadget. The problem is, with so many electronics in our lives our bedrooms can start to feel totally wired.
To lessen the impact of electronics on your oasis of calm, try making space in drawers for electronics and their related chargers. Cable tidies can help neaten the appearance of trailing wires that can’t be packed away, while padded mats and styling docks give styling tools a dedicated home and protect the surfaces of expensive furniture.
Decluttering your bedroom with Bensons for Beds
Let’s finish with a summary of our top tips for a clutter-free bedroom:
- Choose smart furniture: opt for ottoman beds for deep storage, blanket boxes for easy tidying and wardrobes that incorporate shelves for extra space
- Coordinate your pieces: furniture sets are the neatest option for bedrooms, helping even the busiest room to look streamlined
- Find a space for everything: even your smallest items should have a home to avoid accumulated clutter
- Do the seasonal swap: if you’re unlikely to use something during the coming months find it a temporary home
- Organisation is key: whether it’s on display or packed away, keep your belongings tidy. In-drawer organisers and neat clothing and accessory storage can help make life easier.
Choosing the right furniture
Whether it’s a sleek coordinated bedroom set, mix and match separates, a bed with built-in storage or an individual piece of furniture, our team can help you to find the ideal storage solution for your bedroom. Start with our handy home measuring guide, before browsing online or popping into your local store. We’ll assist you in picking out pieces and get you set up with home delivery, taking the hassle out of your bedroom revamp.
Our bedroom furniture comes complete with a minimum five year guarantee too, giving you peace of mind that everything from your closet, bedside table and ottoman is built to last.
We’re here to help
Is your nearest store just out of reach? Give us a call on 0808 144 6160 with your queries. As well as aiding you in choosing the perfect furnishings for your bedroom, we can also guide you through our range of beds, which includes adjustable beds, and even help you to place your order.
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