Keeping your room tidy might be the last thing on your mind when you’re busy with work, school, family, and other obligations. In this blog, we’ll explore tips and tricks for keeping your bedroom clean and tidy, even when life gets a little too hectic. With these tips, you can build habits that ensure an organized space, no matter what life throws at you.
Make Your Bed Every Morning for Instant Tidiness
When you wake up each morning, spending a few minutes to make your bed can make all the difference in your day. Not only does it help your brain transition from nighttime to daytime, but it also makes your bed a welcoming place to retire to at the end of a long day, without the hassle of having to straighten out your bedding and fluff your pillows before bed.
Making your bed first thing in the morning (rather than scrolling on your phone) can ensure more productive mornings while instilling a daily habit that will become second nature.
Use Storage Bins and Baskets to Keep Clutter Out of Sight
One of the best ways to keep your space from getting cluttered is to invest in storage bins and baskets. You can find inexpensive containers at online retailers like Amazon, and you can find baskets second hand at thrift stores.
Find a variety of different size containers that fit in places like your closets, shelves, and under your bed. Use baskets for things like extra linens and blankets, personal care products, and miscellaneous items. Organize items in containers and baskets by category and make a habit of putting items back in their designated containers to maintain a clutter-free space.
Declutter in 10 Minutes a Day: A Simple Routine
Even the most organized people have days when their space gets a bit more cluttered than usual. Spend ten minutes each day to look around your room and put away anything that’s not in its place: i.e. putting stray socks in your hamper, garbage in a bin, etc. You can take the time to declutter your room as part of your morning routine, or as soon as you get home from work, leaving your evening free for relaxing and unwinding.
If you make this a daily habit, you can keep clutter at bay before it gets to a point where organizing your room takes a half hour or more. However, by following the other tips in this blog, you may only need to do this once a week.
Maximize Under-Bed Storage for Extra Space
Invest in under-the-bed bins and organizers. If you have a lot of clothes, this can be a great place to store extra clothes that don’t fit in your closet or dresser drawers, or clothes that are out of season can be stored under your bed.
Alternatively, you can use under-the-bed organizers for items that you don’t use regularly, such as extra cords for your electronics, extra books that you don’t have shelf-space for, and memorabilia or sentimental items that you want to hold onto. Taking advantage of the space under your bed can free up space on your bedroom floor and bedroom furniture.
Create a “Drop Zone” for Keys, Wallet, and Daily Essentials
One challenge many people have is losing track of your wallet, keys, and the daily essentials you need to grab before you leave the door each day. By having a drop zone for these essentials, ideally near the front door of your apartment or home, you can prevent frantic mornings rummaging through your room to look for your wallet or keys.
Add a set of Command hooks on the wall, or add a small table, near your front door to drop off your keys, wallet, etc., when you get home and to grab and go when you leave for work. This simple change can shave off time and stress from your daily routine.
Sort Laundry Regularly to Prevent Piles from Taking Over
It’s easy to let dirty laundry pile up until you’re out of things to wear. But, it’s not so easy to have to run several loads of laundry through the washer, creating a heap of clothing on your bed to fold at the end of it. Instead of dealing with this daunting task, make laundry a weekly, or bi-weekly habit.
Invest in a small basket or hamper to encourage you to start a load of laundry every time it fills up, and don’t let it overflow with dirty clothes. This way, you just have to do one load of laundry at a time, and folding laundry shrinks from a one-to-two-hour task every other week to a 15-minute task once or twice a week.
Utilize Over-the-Door Organizers for Shoes, Accessories, and More
Taking advantage of vertical space in your bedroom can be a game changer. Use over-the-door organizers on your closet or bedroom doors for things that pile up such as shoes, accessories, or personal care items. Plus having your items displayed and easily accessible at the back of your door can save time and effort looking for that perfect pair of shoes or accessory to complete your outfit.
Stick to the One-Minute Rule: Handle Small Messes Immediately
The one-minute rule is a simple organization tip that suggests that if a task takes less than a minute to complete, do it immediately, instead of putting it off.
For example, put your dirty clothes in your hamper, instead of tossing them to the floor or a chair. Throw away trash instead of leaving it on your desk. Hang up your jacket in your closet instead of draping it over a chair. By following this rule and making it a habit, you prevent small messes from piling up, making it easier to keep your room organized.
Use Drawer Dividers to Keep Clothes and Accessories in Order
When your dresser drawers are untidy, it can be easy to keep lose track of T-shirts, socks, and other clothing items, and it can limit space in your drawers that could be used for extra clothes. Drawer dividers, which can be found at most home good shops and online retailers, or DIY’d with cardboard, can separate items in your drawers such as your socks from your undergarments.
Bonus tip: to save extra room in your drawers and to keep your clothes tidy, stack folded clothes vertically, rather than horizontally. This prevents piles of clothes from tipping over in your drawers and allows you to see all of the clothes in your drawers, saving time as you get dressed and effort later on.
Set a Weekly Reset Day to Keep Your Room Fresh and Organized
Every week, it’s important to take the time to reset your room for freshness and organization. Complete unfinished tasks like laundry, wipe down surfaces of dust, and put items away that may have lost their designated spots. Washing your bedding and lighting a candle can make your room feel fresh and reset you for the week to come.
With these tips, you can create a home that you can look forward to coming home to after a busy day. Building habits now can save time and effort in the future. Plus, keeping a tidy space is great for mental health, productivity, and overall happiness.
