by Roxanna Ward
Tips to getting your bedroom organized and maintaining it.
How hard can it be to organize a bedroom you ask? All you need in that room are your bed and a place to keep your clothes. What you may not realize is that many bedrooms become a catch all for clutter. It is the least often room viewed by guests, so why does it need to be organized. For two simple reasons. At the end of the day, your bedroom is your haven. If your bedroom, or any other room, is organized you will have more efficient use of your space. It is amazing at all the hidden spaces you have in your bedroom. Let's find them together.
Once you have found a "home" for each piece of your bedroom furniture, start assessing that furniture's uses. The bed is the most obvious. It is used to sleep on. Well, yes it is used for other things as well. But generally speaking it is used for sleeping. The underneath of your bed should be used for more than a home to your dust bunnies. This is a great place to store shoes, out of season clothing, or just about anything. As long as it is organized and not just shoved under the bed out of sight. Many companies make plastic storage containers specifically for under the bed. You can always go the frugal route and use sturdy cardboard boxes. Another great frugal idea is to use an old dresser. Pull out the drawers and use them to store all kinds of items under your bed. Paint them to match your decor. Wheels can also be added for even easier access to these storage bins.
What about the rest of the dresser you say? Use it in your closet for shoes, gift wrapping supplies or folded clothes. Simply cut inexpensive plywood to fit in the "shelves" where the drawers use to be. If you can't use it in your closet, use it elsewhere for your crafts or in your laundry area. In the top of your closet, keep things that are only used a few times a year, but more often than once a year. You can stack your shoe boxes in the top of your closet. Make sure you label each box to minimize your time in locating that just right pair. Hang all your like clothes together. Example: all pants together, all shirts, etc. This not only helps save you time when looking for an item, but it looks neater and more organized. Heck, g pothe extra mile and hang like colors together too.
When organizing your bedroom, think of the things you need on the table beside your bed and place them in a small basket. If they are contained in a basket or other object, the room will appear more organized without you loosing the accessibility of your needed items. You can take a large book and cut out the center of the book to place your bedside items inside. Close the book when you are not using them. You can also use the drawers on your night stand to organize your "unmentionables". Or if you have a simple table with no drawers, cover the table with a matching tablecloth and place baskets underneath to organize even more items.
Last but not least is a book shelf or reading area in your bedroom. Make sure you put books up after reading. If it is the current book that you are reading on, then try a hanging bag (you know the kind they use on the side of recliners to store the remote) on the side of your bed or reading chair. Out of site is better than sightfull clutter.
The main key to organizing any room, especially a bedroom, is to have all items in their "home". Keep them in their home. Before you leave your bedroom each morning, do a two minute scan of the area and make sure no items are visibly out of place. Soon enough it will be easier to keep it organized, once you get into the habit.
About the Author
Roxanna Ward, Community leader and staff writer for http://www.BabyUniversity.com, lives in Georgia with her husband, Stan and her three children, Kirstie-Raie, Chase and Kale. As a published freelance writer and breastfeeding advocate, the focus of her writing is concentrated on sharing household tips, her experience with her frugal lifestyle which is compensated by being able to afford to be a stay-at-home mom, as well as the phenomenal process of breastfeeding, child rearing related issues and romantic relationships. She is also currently the Editor of three newsletters: What's New at BabyU?, Intimate Encounters and At Home with Baby University. Roxanna can be contacted at Roxanna30135@aol.com
