As I’ve talked about in a previous post, spring cleaning can be a lot to attempt at once. Taking it room by room is better, but you may not know where to start every time. I find that for the bedroom, things you need to clean can even blend into the background as having “always been there.” You use your bedroom everyday, so it’s important to take a closer look at what’s messy-looking, and what’s actually messy.
Reorganize and Refold Your Wardrobe
Clothes can make the biggest mess if not properly stored, but there are a lot of reasons clothes might not always be perfectly put away. Part of that is the neverending cycle of washing, drying, and folding. Even regular wearing and re-wearing can easily result in a perma not-quite-dirty pile on a chair in the corner of your bedroom. But better storage can help. If you can’t keep your entire wardrobe in one place, try to spread it throughout your bedroom thoughtfully. Separating your clothes into garment types and dedicating each drawer to one or two will make it easier to make sure everything is put away as soon as the laundry is done. Even if you don’t have much space and have to pile items on top of each other, it’s better to have a sense of where to look than just hanging everything so it’s visible but disorganized. If you’re feeling ambitious, make yourself re-fold your whole wardrobe when reorganizing your drawers in order to find forgotten garments.
Make Sections in Your Closet With Colorful Hangers
You can even go one step further and color coordinate your hangers to improve your closet storage. How you use different colors is up to you, like for each season, occasion, or washing needs. This becomes an easy shortcut to tell which kind of clothes you are and aren’t wearing. Variety can also help you tell at a glance between two similar pieces in the same closet. If you happen to be colorblind, you can still do this trick but with different patterns instead of solid colors. Best of all, hangers don’t cost very much for all the cool ways you can organize with them.
Switch Out Your Seasonal Sheets
It’s also time change out your sheets to a lighter fabric in preparation for warmer weather. If you can, switch to a lighter weight comforter and more breathable sheets to reduce sweating. You should be washing your sheets regularly throughout the year, and that can wear them out. Look for any irreparable rips, holes, or stains when putting away your old ones for the new. Throwing away damaged sheets can feel wasteful if they technically still do the job (thought not well), so find a way to recycle or upcycle them if you can. Salvage the good parts for cleaning rags and craft projects like quilt squares or fabric coasters. If you’re less interested in the creating aspect of recycling, check your local area for fabric-specific disposal so it at least gets a good home instead of going to the landfill.
Protect Your Mattress
Speaking of your bed, when was the last time you washed your mattress pad? While not requiring care as often as your bed sheets, they still need to be laundered occasionally. Start your spring off right by making sure your entire bed is fresh. If you don’t own a mattress pad, you should consider investing in one this season. Your mattress is a big expense, and you want it to be in good condition for the full duration of its natural lifetime. A mattress pad can protect it from natural discoloration and damage for longer than just a fitted sheet, with the extra boost of adding a comfy top layer to soften even the firmest mattresses (to an extent).
Finally Replace Your Favorite Pillows
You may have noticed the trend towards bed wear and tear and are dreading the next question: is it time to replace your pillows? Everyone has at least one pillow that has been perfectly broken in and can’t be easily replaced. This spring, finally do it. Old pillows aren’t just ugly, they can seriously hurt your neck or back if you continue to use them. It’ll feel different and wrong at first, but the sooner you start breaking in a new pillow the sooner you’ll stop ruining your sleep for no reason.
A lot of spring cleaning is actually creating better practices to avoid the same messes from building back up next year. Replacing and reorganizing your bedroom necessities can be tedious, but think of it as an investment in not having to spring clean next year.
