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Posted on Friday, 24th May 2024 | Posted in Help Guides , self storage , Decluttering , Organising , Tidying
As well as making your space feel fresher, a clean and tidy room is scientifically proven to help you get a better night’s kip, feel more zen and procrastinate less.
We’re all guilty of having the chair that’s more clothes than chair, but you don’t need a full day to fix it. With our step-by-step method, you can transform your room in 30 minutes or less and restore some calm to your bedroom.
If your space needs decluttering as well as a deep clean, explore our short-term storage and long-term storage options for some extra breathing space.
A quick tidy once a week is enough to stop things getting out of hand. We’re a big fan of a Sunday reset – when you make it part of your routine, rather than just reacting to mess, the less of a chore it will feel.
If you have the time, doing one or two small tasks every day, like a small nightly reset, will also make it easier to keep on top of things. Sometimes it’s the small habits that make the biggest difference.
Before you start, take a second to grab the gear to help you get the job done. For a quick clean, you’ll need:
Start by assessing the damage: with half an hour on the clock, you’ll need to prioritise the areas that need the most attention. To get yourself in the mood, try putting on some upbeat music or your favourite podcast in the background to keep you company while you’re tidying.
Why not try opening the windows too and get some fresh air circulating in your room to get your energy up? A cup of tea on the sofa, or another nice reward for finishing, can also help you stay on task.
Start with your bedding – it is your bedroom after all! Strip your sheets and put them straight into the washing machine so you’re not adding to the clutter. Now you can pop on some nice clean sheets for a fresh reset.
If you’ve got some more time spare and the hoover out, why not give your mattress a quick refresh? For an even deeper clean, sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda onto the bare mattress and leave it for a few hours – this will absorb any pesky odours clinging to the mattress.
Your bed is naturally the centrepiece in your room, and a tidy made bed can make a huge difference to how calm your room feels. For a luxurious, hotel feel, try pulling your sheets tight across the mattress and plumping your pillows, stacking cushions by size.
The next step to make your space feel fresher is to clear out any rubbish. Collect up any old mugs, glasses and dishes and take them into the kitchen. Grab a bin bag and empty your bin if you have one, as well as any empty bottles and recycling. Once your room is clutter-free, it’ll instantly look much tidier.
Our in-house storage expert, Vlatka Lake, says: "The single biggest barrier to a tidy room isn't time, it's not having a home for everything. Once people solve their storage problem, keeping on top of tidying becomes much easier."
Now that your bedroom is rubbish-free, it's time to put away the other items that are out and making it feel messy. Fold and put away any clean clothes, gather up any dirty clothes and pop them in your laundry basket for the next time you put a wash on. Do another quick once-over and return anything else to its home.
Using a microfibre cloth, dust any surfaces like drawers, bedside tables, shelves or windowsills, as well as any picture frames and decorations. Then, with some glass cleaner, spritz your windows and mirrors, buffing them in circular motions for that extra sparkle.
You’re nearly there! Now you can move on to the last step in your tidy-up: tackling the floor. If you’ve got wooden flooring, give it a good hoover or sweep, followed by a quick mop. If you’ve got carpets or rugs in your bedroom, make sure to hoover them too.
The best way to deep clean a bedroom is to go from top to bottom. Start by dusting ceiling corners, light fittings and shelves before working down to wiping surfaces and furniture. Then you can get to your bed – wash your bedding on a hot cycle, freshen your mattress and then flip it. Finally tackle the floors, hoovering and mopping hard floors or shampooing if you have carpets.
A good playlist goes a long way, but if you need a bit more of a boost, try the timer trick. Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and challenge yourself to get as much done as you can before it goes off.
Knowing there’s an endpoint makes it feel far less daunting, and you’ll surprise yourself with how much you can actually get through. Even if you don’t finish everything, you’ve still made progress.
Start a declutter with any broken items and anything you haven’t touched in over a year. Clothes are usually the biggest culprit here, so focus on three piles: recycle, donate and items for storage. Easy wins like these can give you the momentum you need to tackle the rest of the declutter.
