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Decluttering Cure

A Cleaner, More Peaceful Bedroom is Just 20 Minutes Away

Taryn Williford
Taryn Williford
Taryn is a writer, editor, content strategist, and homebody from Atlanta. I might have helped you declutter your apartment through the magic of a well-paced email newsletter. Or maybe you know me from The Pickle Factory Loft on Instagram.
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published Sep 28, 2021
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Credit: Diana Paulson

Apartment Therapy’s Decluttering Cure is a free two-week decluttering program, guaranteed to leave you with a lighter, leaner home. Sign up here and get all 14 assignments delivered to your inbox.

The environment you fall asleep in certainly has an impact on the quality of the rest you get. And who couldn’t use a better night’s sleep?

The hard part is finding the right routine, the most comfortable temperature, the best lighting, and a perfectly soft (or firm) mattress. The easy part — comparatively — is just making sure that your bedroom’s surfaces aren’t cluttered with things that stress you out or distract you from getting some much-needed rest.

So today, we’ll practice our 20-minute room sweep in the bedroom…

Credit: Cathy Pyle

Day 9: Declutter the bedroom for 20 minutes.

We’ve done this a few times now, so you know what to do: Set a 20-minute timer and do as much as you can to get errant effects out of the bedroom before the clock runs out. It’s like your own little game show, and the prize is a less-cluttered bedroom.

Where to Look:

  • side tables and nightstands
  • nightstand drawers
  • the dresser top and other surfaces
  • consoles and armoires
  • closets and drawers where you keep linens or other non-clothing
  • hooks and storage racks
  • vanity tables
  • open shelves
  • under the bed
  • on and inside a storage ottoman or bench
  • the purgatory clothes chair

What to look for:

  1. Books and magazines
  2. Drinking glasses and mugs
  3. Remote controls
  4. Electronics
  5. Phone chargers and cords that aren’t being used
  6. Random objects and decor
  7. Dingy or very old sheets and linens
  8. Clothing tags and other trash
  9. Hangers or sleeves to take back to the dry cleaners
  10. Safety pins and bobby pins
  11. Out-of-place grooming supplies or makeup
  12. Jewelry out of its place
  13. Clothes piled and draped where they shouldn’t be
  14. Socks—so many socks
  15. Shoes, handbags and accessories where they don’t belong

When time is up, stop decluttering. Everything you picked up during your 20-minute declutter should be taken out of the room and either returned to where it belongs, or sorted out of the house (into the trash or into your “sell” and “donate” boxes).

More Ways to Participate in the Decluttering Cure:

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