When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, your bedroom should not stand in your way. While you may not be ready to transform your bedroom into a totally sleep-optimized sanctuary, keeping it clean and organized can prevent you from adding stress, anxiety, and chaos to a space that should feel like a Shangri-La for sleep.
If clutter and disorganization are keeping you awake, it’s time to tackle your bedroom’s disarray. And it may not be as difficult a task to get done as you think. Jamie and Fillip Hord, founders of the New York-based professional organizing service Horderly, developed a signature 11-step process to help their clients bring order to all the layers of chaos that can accumulate in our homes. From kids’ bedrooms to home offices, they tackle all home spaces, creating a workable system that allows you stay organized.
We talked to the the Hords to get a few expert tips on keeping a clean, clear sleep space.
What is the biggest struggle people face when dealing with clean bedrooms?
Over the years, “stuff” tends to just pile up at home, and bedrooms are no exception! Many of our clients find that their rooms are turning into “drop zones” and that their accumulation of stuff keeps them from having clean bedrooms.
What is the first thing to tackle?
The goal when organizing a bedroom is to figure out functional systems that work with your daily routines and lifestyles. The first step to accomplishing that goal is to declutter! Decluttering is important to ensure that your room is only stocked with items you use and love!
To declutter, first, you’ll take all items out and separate them into piles by category. Then, you’ll work pile by pile, item by item, to determine which items to keep, toss, or donate. Once you decide which items to keep, then you’ll strategize functional storage solutions and start setting up your new (tidy) space!
What’s your top piece of advice for keeping a bedroom organized?
Our best advice for keeping your bedroom tidy is to make your bed when you wake up, and never go to bed with a messy room. Spending a few minutes each day to make sure all items are in their proper place before you start and end your day will save you so much time cleaning in the long run, and help restore peace and tranquility in your bedroom. Waking up or going to bed with a tidy space is so relaxing!
How often do you clean / organize your bedroom?
It’s always super helpful to work quick cleanups into your daily routine! When everything is organized and has a proper home, this makes cleanups quick and easy. Beyond that, vacuum a few times a week, schedule time to clean your bed sheets weekly, and do a deep clean at least once per month.
Any tips for organizing bedding?
There are a few ways to organize your bedding depending on what types of storage space you have. Here are a few of our favorite ideas:
- Linen Closet – If you have a linen closet, file-fold and bundle sheets together into packages for each sheet set. Use baskets on shelves in your linen closet to contain the sheet sets.
- End of Bed Storage Bench – If you have a bench at the end of your bed, use this to store extra linens and pillows.
- Under Bed – While we try to limit storing items under the bed, if space is limited, under the bed bins are a great option to sneak in some functional storage for items you’re not accessing regularly. Make sure to get a lidded bin so your sheets don’t get dusty! Built in drawers are ideal for storing under the bed.
What are people doing wrong?
It’s not so much that people are doing things “wrong” — they just don’t know where to start to set up functional organizing systems! At Horderly, we make a point to educate our clients on why we suggest certain organizational systems, and we teach our clients how to maintain these systems after we leave. We also often see clients purchasing products and jumping straight to trying to implement a solution when they have yet to declutter and go through the process, so they don’t know how much they actually need to store.
What’s one small habit people can take on to build a foundation of a cleaner sleep space?
If you can take a few minutes each day to make your space tidy (like clear off the nightstand or tops of dressers, and put clothes away or in a hamper), you’ll see that other parts of your life will start to get tidier, too! It all starts by building little healthy habits!
Will you link to the items you shared in the video – the under-bed storage, the hangers, the dividers, the box?
- Long Under The Bed Box With Wheels
- Gray Montauk Underbed Storage Bins
- Bigso Charcoal Herringbone Rolling Under Bed Storage Box
- Expandable Drawer Dividers
- Single Drawer Dividers
- Black Felt Hangers
- Command Hooks
- Valet Trays
- Underwear Organizer
- Cablebox
- White Bin Clip Labels
- Kiva Baskets
- Over the Door Shoe Bag
- Cord Ties
