How to declutter your bedroom: 8 simple tips

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How do you feel when you walk into your bedroom?

Is it a space that feels welcoming and comfortable?

Or is it overwhelming and stressful?

Chances are pretty high that, if you have a lot of clutter in your bedroom, walking into your room doesn’t feel like a peaceful escape.

When you’re new to decluttering, walking into a cluttered bedroom can feel overwhelming and it can be difficult to know where to start. Because your bedroom should be a relaxing space.

But that’s where the post can offer some guidance.

You don’t need to be an interior designer (you don’t even need to hire an interior designer — or get rid of all your decorative pillows!) in order to make your space feel beautiful, serene, and welcoming.

Here are 8 simple, actionable tips to manage your cluttered bedroom.

Clean your surfaces

Let’s start simple. Your flat surfaces are some of the first things you see when you walk into your bedroom.

Keep your surfaces rather empty.

For example, do you really need a stack of books, a water bottle, a lamp, box of tissues, framed picture frame, etc. on your nightstand?

Chances are, you could find a better home for a lot of those things. You can still have what you need accessible, but you can also walk into your bedroom and feel like it’s a peaceful retreat.

So find ways to clean off your surfaces. And here’s the trickier part: make sure that the things you remove have a home so they don’t end up cluttering your surfaces again.

If everything has a designated home, then it becomes much easier to keep this standard “dumping ground” clutter free.

Clear your floor

You can’t have a decluttered bedroom without a clear floor.

If you’re prone to tossing dirty clothes on the floor, a laundry basket can work wonders for your space.

Evaluate what is taking up your floor space.

Is your furniture enveloping the entire space?

Do you have an area rug that adds to the calming vibe in your room? Or does it just made your room feel more overwhelmed?

Are there items on your floor that really don’t need to be there?

Evaluate your space and take stock of what’s on your floor. Anything that can be removed (either to a more suitable home, thrown away, or donated) should be.

You’ll be amazed at how much more welcoming your room will feel.

Who knows — it may even lower your stress levels and help you fall asleep better!

Revaluate your room for unnecessary furniture

Depending on where your are on your minimalist journey (or if you’re not on a minimalist journey and are simply looking to decrease your clutter), you may or may not be ready to remove any of your furniture from your bedroom.

That’s perfectly ok.

But chances are pretty good that your furniture is taking up a decent amount of space in your bedroom.

And that’s ok — normal, in fact.

If you need your furniture because you’re not quite ready to pare down your clothes, then you can skip this step. But you should at least keep it in mind in case you end up in a position to remove a piece or two.

Many people who are able to get rid of some of their clothes (for example, if they begin a capsule wardrobe), find it helpful to ditch the dresser in favor of their closet.

Another piece of furniture that you may want to consider ditching (or switching) is your nightstand. Are you someone who stuffs the drawers of your nightstand with items that go too long without being thought of? Perhaps getting rid of your nightstand for a simple table stand will help get rid of the clutter accumulated in your drawers.

Maybe your bed is ready to be replaced — maybe consider a storage bed with built in drawers. A storage bed may give you the flexibility to get rid of a dresser. Adding more storage space in your room without unnecessary furniture.

Whatever you decide to do — all of the furniture in your space should serve a purpose and contribute to your goal of a decluttered bedroom. If certain items are clutter magnets or tend to be where clean laundry, dirty laundry, random papers, etc. go to accumulate untouched, then it may be worthwhile to consider if that piece of furniture is truly serving the purpose you want or need it to serve in your space.

Make use of storage space

This goes back to the storage bed, or the laundry basket.

Take a look around your bedroom.

What things do you need to (or want to) keep but that don’t need to be out in the open every single day.

For example, do you have out of season clothes taking up closet space? Maybe you retire them to a box for the season and place them in an attic or basement until you need them again.

Perhaps you want to keep your nightstand with a drawer, along with your box of tissues, lotion, and a good book — but keeping them out on the flat surface of your nightstand just doesn’t make sense. Consider clearing out the drawer of the items you don’t need or want and then place items you want to have on hand (but don’t want adding to your visual clutter) into that drawer.

When you do this, be very aware of your intention, though. You don’t want to stuff items into a drawer just so your surfaces are clear, suddenly your drawer has become an overwhelming catch-all of miscellaneous items.

If you’re going to use storage to help you to declutter your bedroom, you have to be mindful your available space as well as the new habits you’re trying to form.

Your bedroom should be peaceful and well organized, so if you find yourself stuffing items in your storage spots, it may be time to step back and reexamine your purpose.

Do you want your master bedroom to just look like a calm and relaxing space, or do you want it to actually be a calm and relaxing space?

If you’re shooting for the latter, then you need to be mindful that everything in your space should have its own designated place that makes sense.

Purge or pack away unused clothes

Do your clothes tend to leak out of your drawers and closet? Do they tend to spill out onto your floor, a chair, or other surfaces within your room?

If so, then you may want to spend some time sorting through your clothes and determining if everything a) is something you fit into currently/wear currently and b) is in season. If the answer to one or both of these is no, then you may want to either donate the items or put them in storage until they’re able to be a regular part of your wardrobe.

Even if you can easily shove all of your clean clothes into the closet and close the closet door, this still defeats the goal of having a peaceful and clutter free space. Make sure everything has a place so that your master bedroom isn’t overrun by clutter and clothing.

Embrace empty space

A lot of people become uneasy when they encounter blank space in their home.

We’re so trained to fill spaces in our homes, that even when someone’s goal is to minimize the stuff in their home (or declutter their bedroom) the empty space can seem — unusual.

But once you’ve cleared a space, try to live with it for a couple of days at least.

If you still feel like it needs something, then you can reorganize and make its little less empty.

But one of the things you should really consider before filling an blank space is this — does is it more calming this way? If so, then you may want to seriously consider embracing it!

Having less stuff means less to clean, a calmer space, and less overwhelm.

Limit decor

Decorative pillows, wall decor, and miscellaneous decorations can all have their place.

There is no need to get rid of everything you’re using to decorate your and make it feel like home. Many people love having throw pillows as accents on their bed, for example.

But your master bedroom may feel cluttered and overwhelmed if you have too much bedroom decor.

There is such a thing called visual clutter, though. And too many items out in one space in an effort to design your space can counteract the goal of a peaceful and calm bedroom (or any room, for that matter).

Look around and determine — what brings you peace and joy when you look at it? If everything brings you happiness, then maybe you evaluate if anything is off season. Can things be packed away, or rotated? Off season items can be put away until the appropriate time.

You don’t need to be an interior designer to make your room comfortable and inviting.

Toss or donate items

This one goes without saying, but I’ll say it nonetheless. As you work your way through your bedroom, keep an eye out for things you don’t want or need anymore. Anything that no longer serves a purpose in your home can be discarded in an effort to maintain a clutter free sleeping space.

Things like too many throw pillows in good condition, all the clothes you no longer want, all the furniture you no longer need can be either thrown away or donated (depending on their condition).

Broken items can be tossed in an effort to keep your bedroom free from junk.

You’re on your way to a more comfortable, clutter free bedroom!

When you’re trying to figure out how to declutter your bedroom, start with the most manageable items and work your way up.

When your space is clutter free, its easier (and quicker) to give your space a deep clean and a bedroom refresh can help revitalize you for other new habits.

Most bedrooms probably have too much stuff, but if you follow these helpful tips to get rid of some of your clutter, chances are high that you’ll walk into your room and feel calm, sleep better, and enjoy your space a lot more.