How to Declutter Your Bedroom in Six Easy Steps
Inside: Learn how to declutter your bedroom quickly so that you can create a relaxing space you love.
Your bedroom is supposed to be your sanctuary. It should be a place that inspires relaxation and encourages rest. It should be a place you want to spend time in.
But for some of us?
That isn’t the case.
A clutter-filled bedroom is far from uncommon. It’s actually one of the easiest places in your home for clutter to accumulate.
When you need to get things put away when friends and family come to visit, it’s a safe spot to stash any stuff you’d rather not leave out – but instead of actually revisiting that mess later on, many of us end up living with it for longer than we’d like to admit.
If you’re ready to learn how to declutter your bedroom and create a more peaceful space, I can help. By following these step-by-step instructions, you can transform your bedroom into a tranquil oasis and say goodbye to clutter for good.
How to Declutter Your Bedroom
The thought of decluttering your bedroom might be a little overwhelming. If it’s been a while since you’ve rolled up your sleeves and sifted through all the stuff that’s gathered there, it can be hard to know where you should even begin.
Here are a few steps you can take, starting today, to get the clutter out of your bedroom and create the peaceful bedroom you’ve been craving.
1. Get rid of obvious trash.
One of the first steps you should take when figuring out how to declutter your bedroom involves getting rid of anything that’s simply trash. This could include…
- Old receipts and shopping bags
- Snack wrappers and empty bottles
- Clothing that is stained, torn, or overly worn
- Broken closet hangers
Be thorough – don’t just look in the obvious spots. Check behind your dresser, under the bed, and any other corners of your room that often go untouched.
It’s amazing how much trash can accumulate in our bedrooms despite being a place for us to sleep and rest. Don’t feel bad about it – just grab a trash bag and get to work.
2. Have bags, baskets, or boxes for items you want to donate, sell, or that belong in another room.
As you declutter your bedroom, chances are you’re going to find quite a few things that you can part with, like…
- Clothes you bought but don’t really wear – some of which might still have the tags attached.
- Shoes that never really seem to match any of your outfits – or are just straight-up uncomfortable.
- Books you’ve already read that you don’t feel the need to keep.
- Furniture that’s taking up too much space and only serves to collect dust and clutter.
As you come across items that you no longer want consider if you will donate or sell them. There’s nothing wrong with trying to recoup some cash, but it’s a good idea to set a deadline for selling items so that they don’t linger around your home for too long.
During the decluttering process you may also come across items that you don’t want to get rid of but that don’t belong in your bedroom. Have a separate container for those things and once you’re done decluttering go ahead and put those items where they should go.
3. Focus on flat surfaces and nightstands.
Now that you’ve removed the obvious trash and have your boxes ready for unwanted items, it’s time to get to work on the flat surfaces in your room.
Those areas include the tops of dressers, nightstands, or any other furniture pieces in your room. Remove any items that don’t belong and consider limiting the number of decor items that you leave sitting out.
If you’re unsure how you’d feel with less stuff, just test it out. You don’t have to get rid of those items immediately, but see how you feel in the space when you simplify the decorations.
The next step is to declutter inside your nightstand. If your nightstand has drawers or a cabinet, odds are good some assorted items have collected there.
Take everything out and sort the items. Throw out any trash, put unwanted items in the sell or donate baskets, and set aside anything that you want to keep but belongs in another space. Once you’ve completed decluttering the nightstands, move on to step four.
4. Tackle your dresser drawers.
The next step in decluttering your bedroom involves tackling your dresser. Say goodbye to overstuffed, disorganized drawers – and hello to a streamlined, simple way to keep your clothes in order.
The first step to decluttering your dresser is to take everything out one drawer at a time. It’s helpful to focus on categories so if you have short-sleeved shirts in two drawers, take them both out at once. That way you can see how much you have of each category.
You might find some clothes you thought you’d lost that you’d love to wear – as well as some that you haven’t touched in years for a reason.
Evaluate everything you took out and decide if it all really belongs there and if you want to keep it or not. Check out this post for some helpful guidelines as you decide what clothes to get rid of.
Before you put things back into your drawers, you should do two things. First, determine which drawers will hold what. This will depend on what you’re storing, how many drawers your dresser has, and how big each drawer is.
Be realistic about how much can fit into each drawer. You aren’t trying to stuff them to the brim – you need to be able to see what’s inside without unfolding everything.
Then, you’ll want to figure out how you’d like to put things into those drawers. Some prefer to simply fold and stow away their clothes, but others can benefit from drawer dividers or organizers to optimize the space.
Once you have that figured out, it’s time to put everything away.
5. Declutter & organize your closet.
When it comes to clutter in the bedroom, our closets are often a prime culprit. Closets are an incredibly easy place for clutter to accumulate – after all, they tend to have shelves and places to tuck stuff away, and you can simply close the door and forget it’s even there instead of having to deal with the mess.
Again you will focus on one category at a time here. Take everything out of that category (i.e. long-sleeved shirts, short-sleeved shirts, tank tops, pants, dresses, etc.). Put it in a place where you can see it, like on your bed.
Then, evaluate each item you pulled out of that closet. Get ruthless as you decide which clothing items can stay and what needs to go.
If it’s something you no longer need, is it going to be donated, sold, or recycled? And if it’s something you want to keep, ask yourself if the closet is truly the right space for it to be stored.
Once you complete one category, move on to the next one until you’ve decluttered every type of item in your closet. Once you’re done, do a thorough cleaning – dust those shelves, vacuum the floor, and wipe down door handles.
In the end, you should be left with a tidy closet that’s significantly less crowded than it was before. You should be able to easily assess what’s in there and find what you need.
6. Use baskets, trays, and other storage solutions to keep clutter at bay.
Now that you have learned how to declutter your bedroom by systematically sorting through each area, determine what (if any) storage solutions may be helpful to keep clutter from collecting going forward.
Evaluate what’s left in your space and figure out how you can keep it more orderly. This might involve buying a decorative tray to hold random odds and ends that end up on your dresser, a small bowl for your nightstand to hold your rings and jewelry, or an ottoman with hidden storage so you can stow away extra throw pillows and blankets.
Just make sure to be intentional with any storage purchases so that you aren’t recreating clutter in your home.
You can also make decluttering easier going forward by having an easy-access receptacle for any items you come across later that you want to declutter.
Bonus tip: declutter technology for better sleep
Recent studies have shown that using your phone or looking at screens in bed negatively impacts your sleep.
The easiest way to avoid this is by keeping smartphones and digital devices out of the bedroom. Opt to go old school and use an inexpensive alarm clock instead.
By shutting off devices an hour before going to bed and avoiding the temptation to look at them again by not having them in your room, you’ll be more likely to sleep well.
What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to decluttering your bedroom? Leave a comment and let me know!
Sign up on the form below to get weekly decluttering and simplifying inspiration sent straight to your inbox! You’ll also get the free Declutter Plan of Attack Worksheet to help you customize your own decluttering plan for your home.
My challenge is letting go of things. I think there may be a use for them down the road.
Hanging on to things is definitely a challenge. i retired 3 years ago and went through EVERYTHING in our bedroom…only to be told by the hubby….DONT TOUCH MY STUFF. That was the end of that.
Dee,
Are you married to my hubby,😜
that’s another challenge, the wife wants to get rid of everything not needed, but the husband refuses to let go…
Not ‘the wife’ she’s not an object
My husband loves to wear his clothes more than one day. He won’t put them in the hamper and he won’t hang them in a designated not laundered area of the closet. He likes the bench or the floor. Ideas?
Hi Teresa. If there is wall space near where he dresses and undresses in the bedroom, try putting up a small 4 or 5 hanger coat/wall rack. I too wear my after work comfies a couple of days before they go the hamper and this has been a tremendous help. I now hang my robe and night gown on it. It’s a great space saver and ends the need to place them anywhere else. I hope it can work for you. Good luck.
I use an over the door rack with hooks on the bedroom side of the door. The closet has bi-fold doors or I would use the rack on the closet door. On the bathroom door, I have a rack for nighties and robes.
I gave my husband a clothes tree he hangs them on. always needs to have pants ready for an emergency. it’s helps and they are neater hanging. good luck
me as well 🤦🏾♀️😄
same here, I have a carry-on suitcase that I keep stuff since 2016. Souvenirs, shampoo….that I “think” will come to use ‘one of these days’…
same. if you have the space I suggest a great storage organization where seasonal items can be stored away and switched out. I have to do this with my sports team stuff, pjs (winter/summer), coats, sweaters, etc. and I have a travel bin for my travel stuff .
That holds back many of us but the likelihood of ever actually needing it are small. Get rid of it and rent or borrow IF you need it down the road.
This is a great tip! I always say that my room should looks like a 5 star hotel suite! But, my challenge is the time I spend at home, I am a single mom of two girls, running in and out to school, volleyball practices, games, club practices, games in and out state, so we almost never stay at home for the entire day, specially on my days off, Sat and Sun, so yeah what we need is time to work in decluttering and stay organized. This article was helpful for me! Sure I will work on those steps, Thanks!
I like your comment about the hotel look – that would be nice to have.
My biggest challenge is my husband. He’s unwilling to let go of anything. He hangs on to old t-shirts and sweatshirts from “the day”, raggedy jeans etc.
See if you can re- fashion some of those things into something like a quilt, or as “patches” on jeans or a sweatshirt.
Well my husband is like that and when he wasn’t home I got rid of clothes and because he has so many he never noticed. Years later I asked him about a couple pieces of clothing he said they are here somewhere. I said no I got rid of them years ago. Now it’s easy peasy.
Unfortunately, some of the things I’d like to get rid of – my husband knows that they are there and notices if I move them.
some clothes are not suitable enough to donate , but not that bad to discard, what to do with them
I am an organized & neat person while my husband is a pile maker with his stuff. Our bedroom drives me crazy….his nightstand & armoire are full of books, magazines, junk, etc as well which is the exact opposite of mine. I love him dearly but this drives me crazy! Any suggestions?
There are some tips on that topic in this post: https://thesimplicityhabit.com/declutter-spouse-want-to/
I love reading your posts.
I live with my family so have a regular bedroom, with a small closet, and a twin bed. My struggle is arranging this room to hold my TV, and small desk and chair. I have a bookshelf and 4 drawer dresser plus nightstand. The TV is actually on a microwave cart so I can store my cable box, laptop and printer beneath it. There’s a small ottoman that holds a spare blanket and towels.
I have my own rocking chair with glider as well. I don’t like blocking all the windows as it’s my exit in case of fire where I can’t exit my bedroom door. So most things are against the walls. It’s an awkward shaped room too so there are only two full walls. The other has windows and the last wall has the closet door and an angled wall to the door. My grandson likes to come in and play on the floor so I like an open space! Any ideas to make this more cozy? The furniture is super old and a hodge podge of stuff. I have downsized a lot especially on the bookshelf and closet.
Thanks so much!
My husband’s dresser makes me crazy. He never throws away or files paperwork or receipts. I cannot dust for all the drill bits and spark plugs. He writes phone numbers on bits of paper and never puts them in his phone. He has 2 top drawers stuffed with junk. I quit putting his. laundry away for him because his underwear and sock drawers are so stuffed. Help.
Are you married to my husband? I used to put his clothes away. He’s a contractor and most of his clothes are quite stained/ripped. When he gets new clothes the “work clothes” still stick around for months/ years until I sneak them away to the garage can.
And don’t get me started on his hunting clothes and gear, it’s everywhere in every room.
Yup same. My partner hoards everything!! Never puts anything away, never throws anything away!!
my challenge is the clothes that I wore for a few hours, it not dirty enough for the hamper but not clean enough for the closet! So there is always a pile of clothes on the rocking chair.
This article sure has some good ideas though. Thanks!
I have a special place on the shelf in the closet where I put the slightly worn clothes and I use those first when I go in to get dressed.
I have the same issue as above, I will use that one day , but honestly , I DO THINK that by the time I use it it is outdated ! ,, MY house is small no room , yet I love love , purses , shoes boots , coats ,, I like to pick and choice,, wish I could go down to one coat , on pair of boots , it is not me !! but again in all honestly i do want a simple clear life , in my house , a closet is small and I HAVE TO much , I TRIED to put clothes in the basement , but no they get smelly any pointers there ? THANK YOU
My house is small also, I bought an $11 clothes rack at Walmart and took all the dresses and things I didn’t wear very often and put on that rack in our sunroom. Not ideal but it made room in my closet for things I use/wear everyday. Do u have another space to put one? It also has a space at the bottom u could put several shoe boxes or a small basket with purses.
My Closet is my biggest headache. It is such a big job.
These are simple steps to follow. Thank you for the reinforcement. I’ve been working on my bedroom for awhile now. Making time has been my biggest issue. I live with fibromyalgia and syncope. My problem is that I start and then I either get sick or my schedule becomes full with my children’s extracurriculars. I’ve been making good strides so far in 2023, although I’ve had to pause the past 2 weeks because I’ve had to take care of a sick child. Nonetheless, I will use these steps to help me move forward as I give myself some grace along the way. Thank you for this information!
I have been decluttering for over 12 years and the house is looking better. My bedroom also. I have just taken out the solid plastic boxes and bought the fold up one’s and I have been able to repack everything in a good way and now I can close the sliding wardrobe door. Everything looks neat. I have taken out what I don’t need or don’t use and there is always room for improvement. I have 2 lovely Tiffany Lamps. Don’t even know they are there so Gifting one to my sister-in-law and will keep one and now the place is going to look more streamlined as I give away pieces to people who can enjoy them also. I have an attachment to 8 Temple jars. Some sit in a Cabinet and I don’t see them so they are the next to go. The secret is being able to detach yourself from your treasures. I have ornaments which are heirlooms. Bird ornaments over 65yrs. in the family. They will eventually go at the right time to the right person or a charity.
Aww my biggest problem is getting rid of paperwork, I keep thinking I might need 4 boxes full!!
I’ve been decluttering my house for two years. It does hurt and is hard to let go of the sentimental items. If they’ve been in boxes for years and I don’t know I have them, I’ve been donating or asking family and friends if they can use. I also think, “what are my family and friends going to do with everything when they clean out my house?” Throw it out. They won’t know if something is valuable. They won’t care if I treasured the item or my thousands of photos were never put in albums. No one has time to go through everything one by one.
I can’t seem to part with old pictures and stuff when I was young and I have a lot. Any helpful ideas?
I have this post with tips on how to decide which sentimental items to keep: https://thesimplicityhabit.com/how-to-decide-what-sentimental-items-to-keep/
go through your pictures. Sort out the duplicates ans offer them to family members. I have pictures in a big under bed tote sorted with index card tabs. I have the occasion or year written on the tab, and they are in chronological order. Get rid of the old envelopes they came in. They will be in order and all in one space. You don’t have to part with them, just organizing and storing them feels better.
I love the pretty boxes but I need to see all my clothes or I don’t wear them! And books! I’ve donated many over the years and I regret it. I love them and have many surfaces to line them up on besides the bookcases that are filled. I am thinking of building a mantle and chimney out of some of them. Sigh…. V
My problem is that I have a great deal of clothes that I WANT to be able to wear, but my current job requires a uniform, therefore much of my nice clothing doesn’t get worn. I find it hard to give away clothes that I really do like and that fit well. Hoping to wear them again in the future. I am trying the “turn the hangers backward trick.“ Although I’m not giving it only six months. We will see what hangers are still hanging backwards at the end of the year. There are certain items that I am not going to be turning the hanger backwards on because they are special occasion, items that I love and will not want to re-purchase, like something to wear to weddings.
My bedroom closet is so small since my house was built in the 40’s. There are no shelves, one pole too high for me to reach (so I bought a tool to do that job) and another pole to hang clothes. I purchased a portable clothes hanger, which I put upstairs in my furnished attic. Two dressers that need to be reduced to one but a couple strong guys are needed to move it out. Any suggestions?
My issue is I all that is left from my deceased parent’s home now in my bedroom, garage and office. In addition, my brother is in an assisted living facility, hence, his stuff is here too.
Hi Christina,
that’s why sometimes, we have clutter, sentimentality. I had to give away all my deceased parents stuff, I kept a pair of glasses or something small the rest I gave to people that could use it. Our parents are not around anymore so don’t feel disloyal by giving their stuff away, they enjoyed their stuff when they were alive, now let someone else enjoy them. Happy decluttering
I have one tiny tiny closet in a small apartment with no other storage space, I have been creative but sometimes the truth is there is just not space available for even the things you really want to keep.
I feel like this is great advice for the person who mostly has things in a home, dressers, storage, nightstand, etc. and you just need to put everything back in it’s home.
my problem is I struggle with creating a home in the first place.
I feel like I can’t quite follow this advice bc nothing “belongs” anywhere.
I know this comes intuitively to others more easily than it does to me. if everything had a home I would have a much easier time putting it back there.
Once I’m there, figuring out the timing that this type of project should take priority is the next hurdle. Thanks for sharing your tips and helping your community. 🙂
I’ve the same issue. I’m now decided to claim the spot where things are currently as the “home” for that stuff. Ive a bunch of assorted kinds of tape, (duct, packing, scotch, electrical, etc) in the corner of my table area / dining room and that’s the home for my tape. Ive tried to move them, but always go back there when I’m needing tape! Maybe some day I’ll have a better spot, but until then, it’s the home for my tape. Sigh !
My issue is that of June. Too little but very neat need more storage solutions. I’ve already decluttered.
Folding clothes – just don’t like to fo it – am hanging up as many items as I have space for
You go, girl!!
I hang everything but socks and underwear. I keep those on a shelf in my closet. I don’t have a dresser since I don’t need one!
I have a husband who won’t throw anything away and knows everything he has hoarded. We now have his Mum’s stuff.
I have 3 indoor cats and decorate for them to use windows, plus litter box in my room and iron board. closet doors are missing so look at that daily as well. single mom renting.
This was just good, simple and very much needed information that I believe we all already know and don’t do. Thank you so kindly for sharing this posting this and detailing this article so that all of us can do better. I can only speak for myself. I truly have emptied my drawers this evening and starting over… Thank you again and again and again!
My grandma had a saying that I live by… “If you haven’t worn it for two seasons get rid of it!”
everything!!!! my husband recently passed away, and I am having a hard time going into our bedroom. I haven’t slept in there since he left. plus I have twin teenage daughters, who miss their father terribly.
please help!!!!
I am so sorry for your loss, Kate. I have this post with tips on decluttering after loss. https://thesimplicityhabit.com/how-to-declutter-personal-belongings-after-death/. My best advice would be to go at whatever pace works for you. You don’t have to rush it. It’s ok to grieve.
Need ideas where to put things like luggage, seasonal clothes, hunting clothes, shoes, comforters, summer/winter, all things stored in one small walk in closet with no other place to go
Biggest challenge: books! I have two overflowing bookcases in the bedroom, and more piled on the bedside table.
I have 11 bookcases and until last week, 1200 books. Last week I removed all the books from their shelves (I created a little system to avoid overwhelm), scrubbed the shelves of years of dust and dirt, and restocked only those books I read and loved, want to read (because I always buy more than I can read in any given month), and art catalogs from the exhibits I’ve visited worldwide. I was left with nearly 200 books that I had no desire to read or reread. I packaged up about 60 and tonight brought them to a friend who drives around town visiting Little Free Libraries for drop offs. Most of the books I unloaded were novels. I rarely read fiction published by American authors so stopped buying it, even if the author is a friend. I recycled the other 140 books.
My point is that you’ll be surprised how differently you’ll view individual books in your collection when you remove them from the shelf, flip through them, and reread a few passages. Some books will no longer speak to you. Some you’ll have outgrown. Some you’ll admit were a waste of $25. Try it. Do a reorg. Take them all from their shelves and organize knowing that the only room you have for books are the existing shelves in your home. See how you prioritize. You’ll find that many don’t make the cut. I say this and I am a writer. Books are sacred. They can also be clutter.
The first book I sent to recycling was Senator Ted Kennedy’s memoir. I only regret having bought it.
My challenge is all my makeup, jewelry & hair products! I don’t have space for it all so it’s on my dresser. I hate how messy it is.
I just moved house and i’m a single mum. I struggle alone 😔
Oh it feels so good to read other people’s comments as I now realise I’m not alone in my need to declutter. Thank you I now feel I can make a start on something I’ve been putting off.
My Mothers’ attitude to decluttering was if I didn’t do it (someone else would have to do it (when she passed away, which she has regrettably done) some people called it minimalist or soleless, but the place was always remarkably tidy and she was proven right
Perfect timing… I spent two years decluttering and organizing when I retired in 2020. I never completely finished… my office still waits! In the meantime, my drawers have become cluttered.. especially my sock drawer. I keep telling myself I’ll declutter it soon… well… today is the day! Thanks for the prompt! Then a little closet declutter, it’s not bad… and then, just maybe, I’ll get started on my office!
I am enjoying your posts. I plan to retire in June 2024. Maybe I can make your tips come into play. I do have one tip to shared. I got it from somebody. Ok, I take all my hanging clothes in the closet and reverse the hook of the hanger to hang up from the back. I call this hanging them backwards. That’s how I started. Then as I wear and wash and rehang them the hanger will go into the closet in the normal way, I call it forward. Then after 6 months you will see what you have not worn and easier to see what to get rid of.
Recently I bought a new bed and nightstand and art from a gallery which precipitated a full clear out and clean. Oh the dust beneath the old bed and the dirty baseboards! Vacuuming and then shampooing the carpet and scrubbed the baseboards led to scrubbing windowsills, dusting blinds, cleaning and polishing furniture, deciding what to place atop the dresser and nightstand, re-shelving books, washing plant leaves, and tidying cubbies. Having a new bed also made me delight in the indulgence of heavy French linen flax sheets and duvet cover. In three new sets of sheets and one duvet cover. Out 5 old sets of sheets and four duvet covers. To be fair, I had the old since 2008 when my mother died so no guilt about upgrading. Voila! Sanctuary that I delight in maintaining with a made bed each morning and a deep clean each Saturday. And I swear I breathe better sans dust.