The kitchen is spotless, the dining room is tidy, your living room and family room have been decluttered, and your bathrooms are shining. The only room left to deep clean is your bedroom.
A clean and organized bedroom can help you ramp down each night to get a better night's sleep. It also helps you find what you need and make mornings smoother. The bedroom may not get a ton of traffic, but it's a very important room to keep clean and organized.
Laundry
Start by gathering all the dirty clothes in the hamper, on dressers, or on the floor and put them in the laundry room to be washed. Hang up or fold any clean clothes that may have been discarded during a frantic morning "what to wear" session. Strip the mattress and take all the sheets, pillowcases, and blankets to the laundry room to be washed.
Mattress
Next, clean your mattress. Many of us change our sheets regularly, but forget to deep clean the mattress.
- Start by vacuuming the mattress with the upholstery attachment on your vacuum. Vacuum from the top of the mattress to the bottom in overlapping stripes.
- Spot clean any spots you find with a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Do not douse your mattress, but work out the stain with scrub brush. Let it air dry.
- Next sprinkle baking soda on the mattress and work the baking soda in with a scrub brush. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
- Finally, vacuum your mattress again.
Most modern mattress aren't designed to be flipped, but if yours can be flipped then get somebody to help you and flip it over. Then repeat the steps above on the other side.
Even if your mattress isn't meant to be flipped, you probably want to at least rotate the mattress to keep it firm.
Clothes
While you're waiting for the baking soda to set into your mattress and remove odors, start going your clothes. Make a pile of items that no longer fit or you no longer wear. Then box them up to take to charity. Throw any items that are ripped or stained into a garbage sack. If you have any broken hangers, add those to your trash bag. Take the trash bag out to go to the curb on trash day.
Decide what you are going to hang and what needs to be folded and put away in dresser drawers or storage bins.
Hang your clothes up by season with out-of-season items in the back of the closet. Use different colored hangers for each season. Then you can easily rotate these items as the seasons change.
Out-of-season articles of clothing can go into clear storage bins you can fit under your bed or on the top shelf in your closet. Be sure to label your bins so you can easily identify what is in each bin. Tape index cards listing all contents on the side. Update as needed. Make sure the card is facing outward when the container is stored, so you can easily tell what’s inside.
Set a clutter rule: If you bring in two pairs of new shoes, you have to get rid of at least one old pair. Or if you buy a new t-shirt, you have to part with an old one. Decide on a clutter rule that works best for you and your needs, but really challenge yourself to stick with your rule and keep your closets and dressers organized.
Nightstand & Dressers
With all your clothes put away, start working on the surface areas. Use your favorite streak-free window or all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth to clean your mirrors.
Now declutter the tops of your dressers and nightstand. These spaces tend to get cluttered with stuff when we change or clothes before bed each night so get everything off and put into a designated storage spot. If you have books, DVDs, or CDs stacked on your dresser, pick just one or two to leave and put the rest away in their storage spots in the living room or family room. If there are random receipts on the dresser, get them filed away in your file cabinet for taxes or toss them. Is there a pile of change on your nightstand? Put it in a baggie to take to the bank and deposit in your bank account.
Next, grab your dusting glove or microfiber cloth and dust each dresser and nightstand. Don't forget to get the sides too. Scrub any stubborn spots with your favorite all-purpose cleaner and cloth.
Put photos or mementos on the bedside table to “fill” the surface so you won’t stack things and add clutter.
Finishing Touches
Finally, finish up the last touches on the room. Vacuum the carpet and any rugs you have in the room. Sweep the floor if you have hardwood floors or tile.
The last step is to make your bed. Grab your warm sheets and blankets out of the dryer and dress up your bed.
Going Forward
Daily: Make your bed. Throw dirty clothes in the hamper.
Weekly: Take dirty clothes to the laundry room. Wash your sheets. Declutter, if needed. Clean your mirrors and dust surface areas. Vacuum or sweep the floors.
Every 3 Months: Sprinkle on a little baking soda and vacuum each side of the mattress. Rotate or flip your mattress.
Seasonal: Go through clothes and take items to charity that no longer fit, are out of style, or you just don't wear. Toss any ripped or stained items.
Good work! Now that your entire house is clean, it's time to take a break. Grab a glass of wine, a bottle of beer, or whatever beverage relaxes you and enjoy your clean home. But the work isn't done. Make sure you create a schedule to stay on top of your cleaning. Following the "going forward" suggestions in each deep cleaning post to keep your house in tip top shape.
Read the entire Deep Cleaning Guide here.
Storage & organization can be tricky but it doesn't have to be with Storage Theory!