A messy bedroom makes it hard to find what to wear, and it can even interfere with your sleep.
Your bedroom is a sanctuary, a safe space to go at the end of the day to rest, recharge, and revive yourself. A clean and clutter-free bedroom promotes better focus, increased productivity, and better sleep. A cluttered room is a cluttered mind, and a cluttered mind isn’t going to fall asleep easily.
Here are seven easy steps on how to deep clean your bedroom.
Bedroom cleaning essentials
Cleaning your bedroom without using harmful cleaning products is easy. Here are a few cleaning essentials to get your bedroom clean as a whistle naturally.
Microfiber cloth
Natural laundry detergent
Dryer balls
Baking soda
Vinegar
Natural all-purpose cleaner
Duster
- Tidy up, and dust
Start your bedroom-cleaning odyssey with the very basics. First, gather up all the cups of stale water, half-empty cans of soda, and late-night snack bowls you’ve accumulated, and take them to the kitchen. Toss out your bedroom trash, put your dirty clothes in the laundry bin, and hang anything that’s clean. Put any other items that are out of place back in their spots. Now you’re ready to get down and dirty!
Dusting the stuff that’s easiest first might seem like the path of least resistance, but it actually means that all the dust from your ceiling fan is going to cover the dresser you just wiped down. Start from the top, and work your way down for the best results. Grab your duster, and hit the ceiling fan, ceiling and corners, and light fixtures first, then the windows, nightstand, dresser, and whatever other furniture you have. Don’t forget to dust your (fake?) plants!
- Spray and wipe down surfaces
After you’ve dusted, take a damp microfiber cloth and your all-purpose cleaning spray to surfaces that see a lot of use, like night tables, the dresser, and your bookcases or shelves. Wipe off any spills, stains, or sticky spots the duster didn’t take care of, and scrape off hardened candle wax with a blade. Scrub your door handles and the places on your doors you touch the most — these areas are prone to a build-up of dirt and oils that make them look grimy over time. They’re also probably rife with bacteria. Your baseboards are another place that gathers dirt, dust, and dead skin like no one’s business, so give ‘em a little microfiber love before you move on.
- Wash the sheets, duvet, and pillows
Sheets get mightily gross with all your dead skin and body fluids, so wash your sheets and pillowcases at least every two weeks.
A duvet is bulkier than your bedsheets and takes a bit more finessing to get it really clean. Check the tag for fabric care instructions, then read up on how to wash your duvet for step-by-step directions for getting yours super fresh and cozy again.
Down and feather pillows last longer and are easier to clean than typical poly-fill pillows. Surprisingly, down pillows are generally machine washable and dryable, and also surprisingly, it’s not rocket science. Wash your down pillows every 6 to 12 months.
- Clean your mattress
You’ve probably heard by now that humans spend a third of our lives sleeping, which means you spend about six to ten hours on your mattress every day. That’s a lot of time for sweat, dust, drool, dead skin cells and bacteria to seep into your cushy mattress, where millions of dust mites feed on each night’s bounty.
Clean your mattress every six to twelve months. Vacuum it first, then sprinkle the whole thing liberally with baking soda. Let it sit for a few hours to soak up moisture and odors. Vacuum again, and if it’s time, flip and rotate the mattress
- Vacuum
Now that all the dust from your ceiling fan and the crumbs from your nightstand and bedsheets are on the floor, it’s time to vacuum them up. Don’t just vacuum the floor you can see— suck out all of the dust and detritus that’s accumulated in the nooks and crannies of your bedroom, too, like the insides of your dresser drawers or nightstand, your windows frames, and between the window and the screen. Dust bunnies love to reproduce in small, dark places like under your bed, dresser, and bookcase, so scoot your furniture out of the way, and give those oft-neglected areas some attention, too. Then, attach the upholstery brush and vacuum your curtains.
- Remake the bed
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as hopping into a bed with clean sheets. After you’re done cleaning your bedroom, grab your freshly laundered bedding, and make
the bed. Pro tip: It’s always a good idea to have a backup set of bed linens for those days when you’re doing a deep clean and your regular set of sheets or comforter aren’t out of the dryer by the time you’re ready to hit the sack.
- Clean the closet
You only have to go as crazy here as you want to. If your closet is in pretty good shape, just make sure your clothes are hanging properly in the right place and in the right direction. Organize your shoes, and straighten up anything that’s gone topsy-turvy.
If your closet is a disaster in need of an overhaul, fear not. We’ll do this gently. First, get a couple of boxes or a roll of trash bags, and sort your clothes into three piles: donate/sell, recycle, and keep. Put the donate/sell items in one container and the ones you’ll recycle in another (you may need to take them to a facility that accepts textiles.) Hang up the items you’re keeping. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t worn it in at least three months, you probably don’t need it.