Cleaning & Organizing Tip: Start with the Bedroom

This weekend, we spent some time cleaning up our embarrassingly disheveled apartment. We usually start with the living room or kitchen when we're binge cleaning, saving the bedroom for last and doing a half-hearted job in our personal space. This time, we began with the bedroom and noticed a marked improvement in our home...

By starting with the bedroom, we were able to devote more energy to the space that most directly supports us. We washed all of our sheets and blankets, organized the clothes closet and dresser, swept the dust bunnies out from under our bed, and cleaned the floors throughout. That energy flowed into the rest of our home, and the job of cleaning our whole apartment seemed easier knowing that our personal space was ready for us at the end of the day.

The room felt so good that our dog (who doesn't sleep with us and hardly ever enters our bedroom) decided to take it over for himself. Although he likes to think that everything we do for our home is really for him, we did end up shooing him off our nice clean blankets. (He has his own comfy bed to retreat to.)

Comments (25)

i really need one of those jewelery tree things.

Where did you get that print of the cameras hanging on your wall?

Yes, that branch is beautiful! Where is it from?

I love the old cameras' poster. Is it vintage? I would like one for my home.

Urban Outfitters has a similar jewelry tree:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=10&startValue=21&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=13213251&parentid=A_FURN_PRETTY_JEWELRY&sortProperties= product.marketingPriority,-product.startDate&navCount=9&navAction=poppush&color=&pushId=A_FURN_PRETTY_JEWELRY&popId=A_FURN_PRETTY&prepushId=

For a not quite so pretty, but oh so much cheaper option Ikea has these in white or black for $4.99 ea:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90135491

Is Otto a former racing rescue? Love his soulful face.

The cameras print is by The Post Family.

http://shop.thepostfamily.com/collections/prints/products/camera-poster-2

I'm actually mistaken - it's not by The Post Family, but they make one that sure looks similar!

I think the camera print poster is by Rod Hunting of the Post Family. (Super nice guy, too!)

http://shop.thepostfamily.com/collections/prints

Love the big old puppy! If you're really serious about organizing, try skimming through the book "Organizing from the Inside Out" by Julie Morgenstern (I think). Her basic message is that if you take the time to reorganize things in a way that works for *you* (instead of trying to make everything fit "where it should be") then it will basically maintain itself.

~Amanda
http://onehappypanda.blogspot.com

i always make the mistake of cleaning/organizing the entire apartment and all the leftovers/stuff gets put in my bedroom...which means at the end of a long day of organizing i'm stuck in a hectic room fulla crap. my two favorite things about cleaning: sleeping in a beautifully organized and laundered room, and showering in a spotless bathroom. there's just nothin' like it.

you have a lovely room :)

I cleaned mine yesterday! I even ironed my sheets and installed a new humidifier. Aaaaah, cozy and healthy!

Regarding the jewellery tree could you not find a branch that suits, coat in plaster of paris and then colour it with a few coats of spray paint? Add a wood base to finish it off.

Where are the white boxes (next to the jewelry tree) from? I really need one in the larger size.

What a great idea! I always feel like I'm cleaning and tidying my living room and the rest of the house comes second. I'll try doing it the other way round next :p
http://www.notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

where can i buy one of those poster hanger thingies?

That's definitely Rod Hunting's poster for The Post Family. I'm looking at mine right now. He did two of these, this is the first one.

The MOMA store has the poster hangers - http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Poster%20Hangers_10451_10001_53808

LOVE.your.dog.

I agree with this idea so much that I already did it this last weekend.

I pulled out old clothes, decided what to keep, what I don't wear, and found those gems I forgot I had. I took 3 bags to Goodwill. I also got a hamper that has a divider to keep my darks and whites separate.

I also hung some new photos, swept, and rearranged some wall hangings I already had.

And you are so right, its like a breath of fresh air.

What is the name of that nightstand storage tower again? I know it's quite popular and could swear I just bookmarked sources but can't find them and am blanking on the name...

Thanks for the comments. Here are the answers to source questions:

The jewelry tree is from Urban Outfitters, the print is by Rod Hunting of the Post Family. CMcB is right - it's the first version of 2 similar camera prints that he designed. The bedside table is the Componibili. The boxes are CB2's Osaka boxes. The curtains and pillow covers are handmade.

Oh, and Otto is a retired racer who we adopted through Greyhounds Only. He's a very sweet and soulful (if sometimes entitled) dog.

Otto's a fortunate boy to have you as his adoptive parents.

And he lives in a tres tasteful home.