It can be all too easy to get into the habit of using your bedroom as additional storage space.
As it's our personal space where not many visitors go into, it's the easiest place to dump the stuff that you want out of sight.
Many bedrooms that I see when working with clients are overwhelmed with stuff, and most of it doesn't belong in their bedroom.
Plus, your bedroom ends up accumulating all sorts of extra items at the end of the day that we promise we'll put away in the morning but never do. And then more when we leave the house in a rush in the mornings - leaving a trail of clothes, toiletries, shoes and accessories behind us.
After a little while, it all adds up and can become overwhelming, unless you take some time to keep it in check.
BEDSIDE TABLE CLUTTER
It's so easy for that little bedside table to end up covered in stuff - empty glasses, hairbands, cosmetics, books, jewellery... But, If you're having problems sleeping, the clutter surrounding your bed could be partly to blame.
This is one of the last things you see before you go to sleep and the first thing you see when you wake in the morning, so a calm, clutter-free space will help set the tone for a peaceful nights sleep and a good start to your mornings.
Keep out only the essentials and contain them by displaying in a pretty tray, and be strict in clearing anything else that lands there each day.
According to sleep studies, one thing you should definitely not have on your bedside table is your mobile phone...
TECHNOLOGY AND GADGETS
Try and make your bedroom a technology-free zone. They emit blue light and EMF's that stimulate our brain and prevent us from sleeping properly. In some cases, these magnetic fields (and the electronic devices that they come from) have been shown to reduce our melatonin levels. They have also been linked to stress, anxiety and a lowered immune system.
If you don't think that's possible altogether, at least give it a try for a week to see how it makes you feel. Read a book or spend some quality time with your partner instead.
If you really can't keep them out of your room, give yourself a switch off curfew an hour before you go to sleep and then turn them off, or put them on airplane mode.
If you use your phone as an alarm clock, place it as far as away as possible from your bed. If you're prone to oversleeping and snoozing this will also force you to get out of bed!
Do you have a TV in your Bedroom?
0%YES - For movie nights, family snuggles and binge watching.
0%NO - For more sleep, intimacy and less distraction.
ANYTHING WORK OR LIFE ADMIN RELATED
To make your bedroom your safe haven to retreat to, and relax in at the end of the day, keep anything work or life admin related out. (Paperwork, bills, laptops...).
They should be confined to your workspace, which really shouldn't be in your bedroom. If you do you have a desk in your bedroom, try and look at moving it elsewhere if at possible. Bedrooms are not the place for work of any kind!
PILES OF CLOTHES
Put clean clothes away each day, and dirty ones straight in the laundry basket. You can keep out a few clean ones if you must, but make sure that they are neatly placed on a chair or hook. Definitely not on the floor!
You'll feel much calmer in the mornings if everything is put away, and you have chosen your outfit and accessories the night before.
PILES OF BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
Other than the one or two that you are currently reading, the rest should be on your bookshelves. Not putting them back on the bookshelf (or giving them away) after you've finished them quickly leads to them piling up and gathering dust.
Curling up in bed with your favourite magazine is a treat - looking at a teetering pile of old magazines on your bedside table is not.
DIRTY PLATES, DISHES AND GLASSES + FOOD
One clean glass for your water is fine, but if your bedside table and dresser tops are disappearing under a collection of used cups, dishes and glasses, it's time to confine eating to the kitchen or dining room.
Take all of your plates and cups to the sink or dishwasher immediately, and transport any snacks back to your food cupboard. By making your bedroom a food-free zone, you'll keep crumbs out of your sheets and bugs away, you'll also cut down on your late-night snacking.
TOXIC DETERGENTS
Lots of commercial detergents and fabric softeners contain chemicals and have found to be potential allergens, hormone disrupters, and even carcinogens. Switching to a biodegradable, non-toxic detergent for your sheets is a big positive move for your health and the health of the planet.
OLD LUMPY PILLOWS
Pillows don't last forever. As they age, they tend to get lumpy and uncomfortable.
Plus, if you haven't been washing your pillows regularly, and are sleeping on a broken down pillow, you are also exposing yourself to an overgrowth of dust mites, bacteria, fungus and other unpleasant allergens.
Studies show that after two years of use, as much as one third the weight of your pillow could actually be dust mites - both living and dead 🤢.
If you place your pillow over your arm and it bends in half, if you fold your pillow, and it doesn't return to its original shape; it's lumpy it smells, or it is heavily stained - treat yourself to a new one and enjoy a good nights sleep.
As a general rule, your pillows should be replaced once a year, especially if they can't be washed in hot water. Write the date that you purchased your new pillows in Sharpie on the care label for future reference.
OLD OR SPARE BED LINEN YOU NEVER USE
For each bed in your home, you should only need to keep a maximum of three sets. So that, in theory, you could have one set on the bed, one set in the wash and one set waiting.
Take an inventory of your sheet collection and recycle any that have holes, are torn, or stained. If you have more than three sets that are in good condition - choose your favourites and consider donating the extras.
UNWANTED COSMETICS AND TOILETRIES
We all have our favourite makeup and cosmetics that we regularly use (daily or weekly) plus a few for special occasions, but the rest is just clutter that spreads out in our bathrooms and bedrooms.
Go through all of the products, and if you don't use it, let it go.
COLLECTIBLES AND DECOR YOU DON'T LOVE
Be selective when it comes to the stuff on display (this applies to your whole house). Keep the surfaces clear and be intentional about what you choose to display.
Those ornaments that you received from well-meaning relatives at Christmas that weren't really to your taste, or memorabilia from years ago that doesn't really need to be out on show anymore.
Bedrooms should only be home to those items you really love, so, if yours is harbouring collectables that are past their glory days or never were favourites, to begin with, it's time to let go of them.
EXCESS FURNITURE
If you have lots of furniture in your bedroom, you're likely to fill it with stuff. If you can live without it - let it go.
Even if you have a large bedroom, try and avoid the temptation to fill it with furniture.
There's a free bedroom edit workbook in the resources area - click on the button below to visit the page and download your copy.
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