1. Your phone.
Especially if you don’t trust yourself not to scroll mindlessly. It’s a well-known fact that screen time isn’t conducive to a healthy sleep routine and the temptation to check for messages or updates is just too much for many. If you need to be contactable in an emergency, leave the phone where you can hear it and let the family know to call rather than message if it’s urgent they reach you. And if the phone isn’t by your bed, you avoid messy charger cables too.
2. Stacks of books and magazines.
One of each is fine, as is your kindle but otherwise they are dust magnets best kept in another room.
3. Outdoor coats and footwear.
Both are in contact with seats and streets which are not a good mix in the privacy of your bedroom. If you don’t have the option to keep them anywhere else, find space in a wardrobe rather than on the floor or a chair.
4. Work related papers or equipment.
In an ideal world, keep anything to do with work completely out of the bedroom. If that’s impossible, either remove what you can overnight to another room, use a basket or bag to pack everything away for the night or at the very least, clear and clean your workspace so it looks calm and organised. If you work from home, it’s hard to separate those two worlds. So anything you can do to avoid those 3 am wide awake world and work problem sorting times, is worth a little effort.
5. Pets.
A controversial view but unless you’re a very heavy sleeper, chances are you’ll be nudging each other awake several times during the night. And if pets sleep in your bedroom or bed even, you’ll need to vacuum and change bed linen much more frequently for hygiene reasons.
6. Laundry, dust, and clutter.
Nothing nags more than clutter gathering dust and a pile of dirty clothes. All you see as you try to relax is everything you haven’t done, a physical To Do list.
Laundry and clutter also contribute to a stale musty bedroom smell. Set time aside for a thorough declutter, a deep clean, change bedlinen and wash all soft furnishings. Open the curtains and the windows. You’ll guaranteed sleep better with fresh air and clean room.
7. Gifts, artwork, ornaments that you don’t love or particularly like.
Treat your bedroom as your sanctuary, a peaceful place where you can deeply relax and get a good night’s sleep.
House Beautiful shared some of these and additional tips from my colleagues in this article:
https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/storage/a40642342/how-to-declutter-bedroom/
