In our ‘De-Cluttering for Busy People’ series, we help you take on the most commonly cluttered areas of your home using simple organisation techniques. Our tips are designed to help save you time and effort when it comes to de-cluttering. We want to make a clutter free home something that’s not only achievable, but easy to maintain, no matter how hectic life gets.
Last time, we gave you tips on tackling kitchen clutter, this time we’re going to help you keep your bedroom tidy and organised, even when you’re busy.
1. Save time on wardrobe clearouts by Using the ‘one in, one Out’ wardrobe system
If your wardrobe seems to be ever expanding, this tip is for you. Each time you buy a new clothing item, take five minutes to scan through your wardrobe and donate or sell something you no longer wear. Keep a small basket in the bottom of your wardrobe to quickly throw in items you plan to get rid of. Once the basket is full, you can make plans to sell or give away all of the items in it. This method will help you save time on seasonal or yearly wardrobe clearouts as well as help you make the most of precious horizontal space. However, it’s important to remember that the smaller the basket, the more frequently you will need to empty it. So if you’re the kind of person that likes to let things pile up, don’t allow yourself the liberty, choose a smaller basket instead.
2. Use a bedside table organiser
Because it is so convenient, the bedside table can easily become a clutter hotspot if you allow it. Our bedside tables serve as a sort of ‘catch all’ for all the things we need to grab quickly while we’re relaxing in bed. Reading glasses, water glasses, tissues, skincare items, books, medication, watches, loose change…these are just a few examples of the type of clutter that tends to accumulate on the typical night stand. Our number one tip to keep your bedside table clutter free is to use an organiser. As this is a tip for busy folks, we don’t want to recommend you regularly clear your table to put everything in its rightful place. Instead we suggest you give your most commonly reached-for items a new home on your bedside table. You can use anything you like to sort your items and keep them neat and tidy, whether that’s a specifically designed bedside organiser or a simple storage tray. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s just large enough for the select few items you want to keep on your bedside. Try to stick to five/six items maximum as this will make it less tempting to add more.
3. Get rid of ‘the chair’
Many of us are familiar with ‘the chair’ – a single chair or surface in your bedroom where piles and piles of clothes just seem to accumulate. It might not be a chair per say, but that old exercise bike, that ottoman, that footstool, they all count too! Wherever you like to pile up your clothes, it’s time to make a change. If you are throwing clean washing onto the figurative ‘chair’, either because you don’t have time to sort and put it away or you just loathe doing it, the best thing to do to break this habit is to remove the ‘chair’ altogether. You aren’t getting any use out of it if it is piled up with clothes anyway! The next best thing to do if getting rid of the ‘chair’ isn’t an option is to make it really difficult for yourself to placed things on it. For example, it’s going to be harder to throw your laundry onto your ottoman if the space is already occupied. Add a decorative piece to the top of your ottoman or a lavish throw to the back of your chair. These will not only take up space, but act as visual cues that remind you not to spoil the well-presented look you have created.
