Top Five Tips to Kick Start Your Spring Cleaning - The Bedroom

As we spend one third of our lives in bed, it is really important to make the bedroom a comfortable, relaxing and charming space. However, busy lifestyles and a shortage of time means this can be tricky in practice, especially when you have a busy household. If your bedroom suffers from the normal grievances of overflowing laundry, clothes and unwanted toiletries, it could be time for a good old spring clean! If you want to re-claim your room, here are five top tips on how to re-organize, clean and de-clutter.

1. Wardrobe

Clothes are real villains when it comes to making a mess in the bedroom. It’s advisable to go through your wardrobe every three to four months and clear out clothes you haven’t worn for more than two years. Organising your wardrobe by season is also an idea, as you can put away your winter clothes during summer and vice versa to create more space. The bedroom usually gets out of hand when clothes are thrown all over the floor/bed so get into the habit of hanging, folding and putting away in the laundry basket to prevent mounted up piles.

2. Bed

We all love our and there’s nothing better than fresh linen to snuggle into at the end of a long day. Although bedding is probably changed regularly, it is just as important to ensure your mattress, bedframe and protective covers are given equal attention:
Mattress: Remove your mattress from the bed and take it outside to air out while cleaning. Every month, turn the mattress over and around end to end to ensure even wear.
Protective Covers: Mattress protectors are a useful way to increase your bed’s softness, protect you from allergy causing dust mites and protect your bed from dust and damage. A high quality cover will last for many years and can be washed along with your bedding.
Bedframe: Your bedframe can tend to collect dust quickly so to keep on top of things, remove surface dirt with a damp flannel cloth on a regular basis. While airing your mattress, go round the corners with a vacuum to reach the areas hard to get. Wooden frames are more likely to attract dust mites so whenever you can, dismantle your bed and wash all the parts with a product like Murphy Oil Soap.

3. Floor

Bedroom floors are notorious for being the official ‘dumping ground’ for everything: dirty washing, old magazines, rubbish, left-over snacks, dirty mugs and all sorts! Your floor should be properly cleaned on a regular basis to deter droves of dust mites coming in. The longer you leave dust building on your floor (especially under the bed), the more it accumulates. This means great news for mites and bad news for your allergies. Carpets should be professionally cleaned at least once a year as cleaners use steam and special chemicals which remove a lot more dirt, dust, pollen, and pet hair. It’s also important vacuum weekly to keep on top of things and stop dust from building. If you have any type of Wood Flooring , try mopping it with hot water, a touch of dish soap and a drop of lavender oil. You will want to follow the manufacturer's instructions for your floor, but this method usually gets it clean and makes your room smell nice.

4. Dressing Table

Dressing tables can quickly get crowded with unwanted makeup, toiletries, jewellery and hair products. It’s always a good idea to have a regular clear out so you create more space and know where everything is. Discard old tubes of makeup, brushes and items that have never been used or rarely used, and throw out anything that is broken beyond repair. Find a few baskets/plastic containers to organise your make-up, hair products, face and body care products and jewellery. Clean your dressing table surface and makeup brushes regularly to prevent bacteria building.

5. Clutter

The biggest culprit for keeping your bedroom untidy is clutter. When you’re having a spring clean, be ruthless and clear out everything that doesn’t need to be there. If you have a pile of clothes you know you will never wear, stick them in a bag and take them to a charity store. Old Magazines, newspapers and letters have no place in the bedroom so put them in a recycle bin or shred them. Furniture you don’t use or need (e.g. old chairs, tables and shelves) should be moved into storage or thrown out! Getting rid of a whole load of clutter will not only create more space, it will also make your room look bigger and cleaner!

Once your room has been cleaned and re-organised, get in the habit of tidying up as you go so your room doesn’t go back to old habits.