5 Hacks for a Clean & Inviting Bedroom

Take it from someone who puts her bedroom as last in her list of priorities all too often, these 5 hacks will help you keep your bedroom clean, tidy, and inviting, rather than a source of frustration.

I don’t know about y’all, but my bedroom is the place where stuff gets thrown because guests aren’t in there (obviously).

And it was often the place where clothes spent the better part of their life in a laundry basket rather than in their designated drawer or on their designated hanger.

However, your bedroom should be a place of solace and relaxation. This is where you unwind at the end of the day, and it’s a retreat from the rest of the world, and even the rest of the house.

Five tips to help you keep your bedroom looking like a dream instead of a nightmare:

1. Don’t store anything under the bed.

You might be thinking, “But no one sees under there.” And I agree, BUT when you’re cleaning, having stuff under the bed slows you down, and may even discourage you from thoroughly cleaning under there…And stuff under the bed gets really dusty, really fast. Ask me how I know.

I used to be the queen of under bed storage. As a matter of fact, once upon a time, I considered organization to be a buzz word for how good you were at hiding your junk, basically. And out of the way, out of sight places like under the bed were considered gold mines to me for “storage.” Here’s a confession: I even bought those bed riser feet so I could store a larger under bed storage box under there. As a bonus it was cloth (read: extra dusty) and pretty.

The only thing under my bed now is a box lid that holds the puzzle I’m working on because it’s a good place to slide it out of the way where it won’t get messed up. Not ideal, but a real step up from my days of bed risers. What can I say? I’m a work in progress.

But the truth of the matter is, stuff is not easy to find in these places and is incredibly hard to keep clean. Or I should say, hard to keep clean QUICKLY. I mean, if you love to clean and dust and scrub and move stuff around to vacuum all the live-long day, knock yourself out. I am not a fan of cleaning and I rather loathe a vacuum cleaner.

And then there’s the mental clutter. Because even though you can’t see it, you know there’s a lot of stuff under there that you need to sort or dust or deal with.  

Another thing to consider about under the bed storage is the fact that you are sleeping over top of all that accumulating dust – not good for your health or your sinuses.

2. Dress up the bed so you love it.

Whatever this means for you, do that.

If you love color, make your bed the centerpiece of color and pattern.

If you love a fluffy white bed (me), splurge a little on the fluffiest, whitest comforter you can find.

If you love pillows (also me), collect some that you love.

The bed is usually the biggest piece of furniture in the room and the eye is drawn to it. Especially if it’s beautifully staged. Making the bed an inspiring focal point will draw the eye and leave a desirable impression – even if the rest of the room isn’t perfect.

So dress the bed in the things you love, and make your bed every day!

As a teenager, I thought that was the most ridiculous advice ever. What a waste of time! I was going to get right back in there when nighttime rolls around. And no one sees my bed anyway, so who cares? But I have come to realize that a comfy, neatly made bed makes a room look so much more inviting and welcoming.

And, I don’t know why but it’s true: you will be more likely to want to tidy up the rest of your room when the bed looks good.

You will be surprised at how little time it actually takes to make the bed. The return is worth the few extra minutes it takes to pull the comforter up and throw the pillows at the top of the bed. You don’t have to smooth out every wrinkle – just a little effort goes a long way.

However, if you hate wrinkles, but hate smoothing them out even more, layer a blanket or two across the bed and stand up several pillows at the top of the bed – you won’t even see most of the comforter! Layers actually make a bed look very comfy and inviting.

If you want your bedroom to be a haven of solace and comfort, outfit your bed in appealing comforters and pillows and make it up neatly every day.

3. Have a cleaning station in your room.

Keep the cleaning supplies you need for a quick clean within easy reach.

This is for convenience because I’m naturally a messy person, which means I’m not going to go out of my way to get a dust cloth for a few specks of something and I’m not going to hunt down the fabric refresher just for the fun of it.

If you don’t have an extra drawer or cabinet to hide cleaning supplies (because not only do we want this room to be clean, but we want it to be attractive), use a basket or caddy that you love and that goes with your décor to hide the cleaning supplies. Then you can ‘hide’ your cleaning station in plain sight – on a dresser or nightstand. You could also opt to put one of those over the door shoe organizers on the back of a closet or master bath door- then you could store cleaning supplies for the bedroom and bath. If you buy an organizer with fabric pockets, the supplies will be neatly hidden out of sight, but easily accessible.

Even if you have to buy doubles, this is a great cleaning hack for every area of your home.

I’m not naturally a neat freak. Having the supplies I need within easy reach makes all the difference in the world for me. I’m more likely to grab the duster if it’s RIGHT THERE and do a quick once over of the dresser. But if I have to go to the laundry room to get some supplies, I will tell myself that I will do it LATER when I dust everything…..later is a dangerous word for messies like me.

By the time “later” rolls around, I need a whole Saturday, a playlist, a headband, and caffeine in an IV.

Some ideas to put in your cleaning ‘station’: lint roller, fabric refresher (lavender is very relaxing for a bedroom), wipes or rag, duster, a bottle of all-purpose spray cleaner, and anything else you might use to clean your bedroom.

4. A solution to “those” clothes in “that” chair:

I would think I’m the only one, except I see the memes poking fun at “the chair” in everyone’s bedroom.

Insert a sigh of relief. It’s a universal problem and I’m not a lost cause.

To say, just put the clothes away is like telling a drug addict to just say no. Great advice, but unlikely to make much of a difference at this point.

The thing I have found to help eliminate “the” chair (or in my case, the pile draped over the arm of a treadmill) is a sturdy, no frills, over the door hook hanger.

I say sturdy because sometimes there are a ‘fair’ amount of clothes on this thing.

Mine has four hooks – I told my husband he gets two and I get two.

Now when you have that shirt that you wore but it’s not really dirty – but it’s also technically not clean – hang it on a hook and you will remember it’s in limbo status. This is also a great place to hang your bra overnight.

I don’t know why I can’t refold a shirt that’s “not actually dirty” and put it back with the clean shirts, but I act as though the whole drawer will be contaminated or explode on contact. Weirdly true fact about me.

Hanging the clothes up keeps them neat and it keeps them in view.

And it’s so EASY. It takes no effort to drape a t-shirt or throw a pair of leggings over a hook. As a matter of fact, it’s just as easy as throwing clothes over a chair (or treadmill, as the case may be).

It has also helped me to limit the amount of clothes I’m willing to keep in this status. I will choose a t-shirt on the hooks instead of getting another one because I can SEE the shirt. Also, if my hooks are full, I will wear what’s on the hook and I more frequently assess what can be moved on to the laundry basket to be washed.

5. Ideas for the little stuff:

In order to keep your surfaces free of clutter, free up drawer space for your clothes, and make your space easier to clean, you need a place for all the little things that are housed in your bedroom.

I love over the door hangers for just about everything (you may have noticed). They keep things up, easily visible, and not laying around collecting dust or looking like clutter. Some things that live happily ever after on over the door hooks: belts, hats, scarves, and extra purses.

I also love over the door shoe organizers. These are great for small items. Some have cloth pockets (for items you would rather keep out of sight to maintain a neat, orderly appearance) and some have clear pockets (easy to identify what’s stored in there, especially if small, like hair accessories or make up). Some great items to store in these: shoes, hair accessories, make up, cleaning supplies, craft items, deodorant & other toiletries, gloves, sunglasses, ‘odds and ends.’

A bulletin board is a great way to store jewelry if you have several necklaces and bracelets. You can hang a bulletin board in your closet or on your bedroom wall. You can paint it, or cover it in attractive material to complement your décor. Necklaces and bracelets easily hang from fun and pretty push pins. This keeps your necklaces from getting tangled and also makes it quicker and easier to see what you have. It makes your jewelry super accessible, keeps it neat and tidy, but doesn’t add to your bedroom cleaning time.

Try these hacks for a clean, inviting, comfortable bedroom: because your room should be a peaceful retreat.

Hopefully these hacks will help you make your bedroom a cleaner, more inviting, relaxing haven of your home! Not to mention cut down on overall cleaning time, which is always a win.  

You might also like:

• “The One Thing That Helped Organize My Life” is an article about one little thing that revolutionized the organization of my life. And cut down on clutter.
• If you love to find alternate uses for items, here are 14 items that I’ve repurposed around my home.
• If you have pets, here are 5 things you won’t want to be without!
• For a little inspiration to make your “some day” today – because your big dreams and your smaller goals (even cleaning the stuff out from under your bed!) are all important and have the potential to change your life!