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Welcome to Day 4 of 7 Days To A Dramatically Decluttered Home.
Today’s task will take about 1 hour. How long you spend depends on what you want to achieve.
As we did on Day #2 for your kitchen, today we’ll clarify the role of your bedroom in your home and your life (we’ll um, try to stay G-rated). Then we’ll declutter your bedroom.
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Yes, this is helpful to determine the real purpose of our bedroom!
I can’t get over the mindset change – I thought I was pretty good at letting things go but I still found stuff that had not been touched, clothes that hadn’t been worn for ages, boxes of unfinished projects that can be donated to someone elses good intentions.
Wow, there must be heaps of people in my area doing this … council household pick-up is booked out for the next two months !!!
My bedroom is a quiet room. No computers, no phones. Just a little pile of books on my night stand for reading to unwind at the end of the day. And a little journal where I write down all the funny or insightful things my children say. 🙂
Would you like your bedroom to be a place where: Your cat cuddles up with me; We write in our journal; you have a nice clean place to sleep; You catch up on your computer work; You can have an exercise bike in your bedroom; You can use your sanctuary for quiet time; You meditate & rejuvenate read your bible; daily devotions; meditate or pray; & You sleep well? Yes
Once you decide how you want your bedroom to function in your home, you can see what doesn’t belong there. For instance: If you want your bedroom to be your escape from work/daily pressures, then consider making it a computer/technology-free zone or living room to relax from daily pressures/stress; If you want your bedroom to also be your creative place, then consider setting up a creative zone for your novel-writing/art-making/creative activity this is a good idea but our bedrooms are too small to adapt to creativity
Grab your bag(s) or boxes & quickly make your way around the bedroom looking for things to get rid of. Toss in things that: You haven’t used in the last year replace worn out dish rags or necessary items; Are broken & won’t get fixed trash/recycle it the proper way; Are multiples keep two alarm clocks one being used as a backup when the other alarm clock quits working. Donate to Good Will, etc. Don’t fit your bedroom values from Step 1 What are your values: Cozy & simple; don’t fit comfortably in the available space you want your space to reflect your personality
Bedroom theme: 1960’s: Stereo record system for music of Elvis, The Beatles, The Temptations, The Beach Boys; Barbie dolls introduced in 1959; comic books; Mickey Mouse Club; Jukeboxes; go-go boots; bell bottoms pants; bouffant hairstyles; TV Shows: Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan’s Island, The Flying Nun, The Flintstones, I Dream of Jeannie, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Marcus Welby, I Love Lucy, Gomer Pyle USMC, Hawaii Five-0, Bewitched, The Big Valley, and Route 66. This list will help you create a 1960’s bedroom going to flea markets or yard sales. Search your computer and print photos of the 60’s and frame or do a collage of the 60’s then frame. EBay for inexpensive items from the 1960’s!
This time be on the lookout for things you want to keep, but that don’t belong in your bedroom, especially if they undermine your sleep, health, or relationship. Look out for: Computers, printers = keep; TV keep; Computer Paperwork; Cell phones keep; Games keep; Laundry hamper keep in bathroom; Under-bed storage keep; Too many books one book to read; Too many magazines one magazine to read; Basic furniture: Bed, dresser, night stand or chair, dresser mirror & Excess clothes Sort your clothes into stacks: keep, donate clean clothes or trash.
Get in the habit of making your bed every morning. Check your pillows periodically replace when they get soiled or tattered. If there still good give them a fluff once in awhile.
A couple of days ago, I discovered a forgotten box in my bedroom. A quick look inside resulted in my finding an item I had planned to replace and now won’t have to 🙂 Today I decluttered some of the contents of that box. I also downsized the number of boxes I’m using to store things by combining the contents until I have a chance to declutter them.
You mention taking your things to the ‘tip’. What is the tip?
I tossed cosmetics and skincare stuff from my makeup table and a box where I had put some products ‘temporarily’ (about 9 months ago!). I spent about 3x the amount of time I had planned because everywhere I looked, I kept finding more lipsticks, powders, creams, etc. A lot of stuff went into the trash but there`s more I need to toss. It really opened my eyes to how ridiculous it is for me to have all that stuff when I actually don`t wear very much makeup, and have very specific needs when it comes to skincare. Today`s decluttering session was a real eye-opener.
i missed yesterday as I slept off a fever in my bedroom. Which is pretty uncluttered in the scheme of things. in the midst of trying to stay awake to put my little ones to bed, my tired son got mad at his iPad game and punished it by pulling out all his drawers and half his sisters (they are plastic not wood) and flinging clothing everywhere. So the kids’ bedroom needs to be the project instead it looks like. I’ll try and get some help with that tomorrow. Moving to the closet challenge for now, just figured I’d be accountable for my illness, I’m the 3rd one in the family to have it but the bad part doesn’t last more than a couple days. My living room, kitchen and bathroom are soooo inspiring!!
I tossed out some clothing I should have gotten rid of months ago, added a few things to the donation box, and put a bunch of things back where they belonged. I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t get to spend as much time on today’s task as planned, but I decluttered enough to see – and feel – a difference.. Hopefully that will encourage me to continue until my bedroom is the sanctuary I want it to be.
I like this one in particular because I have retired since the last time I did any serious organizing in this category. I also looked ahead to Day 5 – Closet – since my closet is an integral part of my bedroom because of size. This gave me permission to purge the “work” clothes (skirts, slacks, suits, low heeled shoes) and donate to women in need who are still in the work force. I kept my “official” retirement outfit (jeans, polo shirt, sweaters and light jackets with sneakers or flats) while keeping a couple of simple column shift dresses that can be dressed up with a belt and/or jacket. Only kept two pair of dress shoes (light and dark). My shoe cubby became so empty, I am using the space for shoe-box size plastic containers for storage. My closet is so much emptier, I removed the sliding doors and moved my dresser inside the closet with a mirror mounted on the back wall above the dresser. Since I’m renting, I stored the disconnected doors between the wall and the dresser. Wow, the difference is amazing!
My pride and joy is the bed I purchased to replace my old one. It is a platform bed with drawers on three sides. I use the drawers for linen, bedding and misc. storage. I even turned one drawer into a gift center to store those items year-round that I happen upon that would make the perfect gift for a particular person. I no longer forget where I hid them and that’s a big deal for me. If the item is bigger than the drawer, I write a note where I stored it and throw the note in the drawer as a reminder. I also purchase folded gift wrap because it fits in the drawer and am in the process of using up the rolls for the holidays. My apartment is small and I appreciate any extra room that presents itself.
Again, easy and simple. I expect a much more restful sleep tonight. Thanks again; this is going very well for me.
I spent 104 minutes (the time my washer takes to prewash and wash a load of towels) cleaning off my bed and one bedside table. I still have more to do. Tomorrow I am out of town so I’ll double up on Saturday.