It doesn’t matter how big or small your bedroom space is, in our experience there seem to be a number of items that find their way into your personal sanctuary that simply don’t belong there. If you’re ready to tackle the clutter and pare down this weekend, we’ve got the guide you’re looking for. Take back your bedroom by bidding adieu to these 7 things to get rid of right now.
1. The Chair
You know the one: it probably found its way into your bedroom by default when there was no fitting place for it in your living space. Or perhaps you thought it would provide a place to rest while putting on your shoes or contemplating the day ahead. In reality, it now serves as your secondary laundry basket and is nothing more than an eye sore. Move it into another space where it can serve its true functional purpose (you know, sitting) or donate or sell it ASAP!
2. The Drawer-Free Bedside Table
Unless you’re one of those impeccably organized and vigilant apartment dwellers (and if you are, PLEASE teach me your ways), a drawerless bedside table inevitably results in an unkempt and over-crowded surface that is neither functional nor fun to look at. If you’re aesthetic draws you to the clean, airy lines of a drawer and shelf-free piece, consider investing in one that has at least one shallow drawer for tucking away your odds and ends (think books, reading glasses, chapstick, tissues, etc.), leaving room on the surface for just the “essentials”, like a water carafe, essential oil diffuser, and a flower vase or trinket dish to catch the strays. Swap your drawer-free table for one elsewhere in your home or wait for a great sale to scoop up a new addition.
3. Whatever Is Lurking Under The Bed
Unless you’ve already taken the steps to create additional functional storage utilizing the space under your bed, chances are there are some surprises waiting for you under there. Take a deep breath then take a peek – you might just re-discover that long-lost pair of yoga pants or the book you meant to finish last Fall. Once the space is cleared and the dust bunnies have been evicted, consider how you might want to use that space to your advantage rather then allowing it to be one more space for clutter to collect.
4. The Bag Of Clothes You Meant To Donate
The wardrobe purge always starts off strong and with the best intentions: clear out the pieces you no longer wear or no longer fit, reorganize taking advantage of the new found space, then donate the cast offs. In reality, we barely make it through the first step, are exhausted by the time all of our clothes are scattered on the bed, and totally over the task when the time comes to donate. This weekend, round up the bags of clothes that someone else could be benefitting from and drop them off at a location nearby.
5. Broken & Mismatched Hangers
Ok, so these are technically supposed to hang out in the closet, but in my household, the misfit hangers have a way of finding their way onto the dresser, behind the nightstand, under the bed…you get the idea. When motivation strikes, collect the strays in a bag and do away with them for good, replacing them with nice, functional uniform hangers. I’ve found that matching hangers are one of the small touches that make me more inclined to keep my closet looking in tip-top shape!
6. The TV
Ok, I know this is a controversial one. I’ve gone through TV and no-TV phases time and time again, and personally, my sleep, attitude, and relationship all improve when the TV is kept out of the bedroom. If you’re disciplined enough to switch the TV off well before bedtime, then kudos. I, however, am a habitual falling-asleep-with-the-tv-on-and-waking-up-at-2am-to-turn-it-off type of person, and I know the restfulness of my sleep is greatly affected by this.
7. Your Cell Phone
The same goes for keeping my cell phone by the bed – if it’s there, I WILL reach for it – when I should be falling asleep, when I wake up in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning when I should be going about my self-nurturing morning routine instead of dragging myself out of bed 5 minutes before I need to leave the apartment. I’m “lucky” enough to have a built-in alarm clock in the form of 2 hungry kitties, but if you don’t, consider investing in a good ol’ fashioned alarm clock – preferably one without a sleep-disrupting light.