Day Four Challenge Continued - Create A Serene Bedroom (COMPLETE)

Today we are continuing our quest to create a serene master bedroom by clearing out all the extra "stuff" and leaving only what is necessary for sleeping, relaxing and dressing.

See the previous post here for what we have already completed in this room...now let's press on...
to the next items mentioned in 30 Days to a Simpler Lifeand Organize Now!: A Week-by-Week Guide to Simplify Your Space and Your Life.

1)  Berry, in Organize Now!: A Week-by-Week Guide to Simplify Your Space and Your Life
says, "Eliminate excessive throw pillows unless they are really worth the effort of taking off and putting on the bed twice a day."

Another note, throw pillows are a great place for dust mites to congregate.  If you are a sufferer from allergies you may want to reconsider the necessity of extra pillows in your room.  If you can not part with them, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, "...wash...weekly in hot water. Temperatures of at least 130 degrees F are needed to kill dust mites". 

2)  Clear off the top of your dresser.  Keep your favorite few pictures or decorations.  Make sure you are putting your clean clothes in the dresser and not just sitting them on top.

If you have a small master bedroom consider eliminating your dresser. A few years ago, I decided to re-purpose our dresser.  I took everything out of the dresser and realized we had not worn at least half the items in years.  I find that because items in a dresser are hard to see, they are forgotten.  I moved my dresser items to the master closet.  The socks, underwear and lingerie are now in clear Rubbermaid boxes and one small drawer set in the closet.  The contents are conveniently located with all my other clothes.

I also relocated our sweaters, which were formerly in our dresser, into our master closet.  They are on shelves in our closet.  We happily gave away several of them, mostly wool sweaters which neither of us wore.  Our master bedroom now feels more spacious without the dresser.  Just an idea to consider.

This is our dresser now re-purposed in our dining room as a sideboard.

3)  If you are keeping your dresser, organize in the following manner...

       " Empty each dresser drawer one at a time.
             Sort and toss:
            -Socks without a match
           -Worn-out underwear and bras
           -Clothes that are the wrong size or you no longer wear
           -Bathing suits that you never wear
      Put back just those items that you love and wear.

4)  And finally, according to Cox and Evatt, their "For Serious Simplifers Only!" Challenge.

"Create a tranquil bedroom.  First, remove the television.  Next remove excess furniture and everything under the bed.  Redesign your closet sot it can hold clothing that was stored in your dresser.  Put a large plant where your dresser used to be .  Finally, empty the walls of everything except one serene print or painting.  Without busy art and bulky furniture, your bedroom will have a spacious, airy feeling."

Once you finish the Master Bedroom...hold on to your hats because tomorrow we will tackle our master closets!!

Day Four Challenge - Create a Serene Bedroom

The challenge in 30 Days to a Simpler Lifeis to edit your sheets and pillowcases.  The authors recommend that you only need two sets of sheets and pillowcases for each bed in your house.  I have to confess that I long for 2 sets of sheets and pillowcases for all of my beds.  We strip our beds, wash the sheets and remake our beds.  One day, when I am am a "big kid", I'll have extra sheet sets for all of our beds

The authors offer some other tips to make your Master Bedroom a serene bedroom, which I am going to implement.  I also gleaned a few tips from another book, Organize Now!: A Week-by-Week Guide to Simplify Your Space and Your Life by Jennifer Ford Berry.

This room will take a few days.

1)  Take a basket or box and take everything out of the master bedroom that does not belong there. 

I cleared out multiple childrens' items that migrated into our master bedroom... hair bows, miscellaneous socks, toys.  Just put them all in a basket to be carried out at one time and taken back to their "home."

I also cleared out DVD's that we borrowed.  They are all being returned to their rightful owners this week.

Clothes that belong in the master closet, dirty clothes, etc. are no longer in the master bedroom.

2) Cox and Evans remind me..."Don't make your bedroom into a library." 

Ouch, this one hurt.  I had a large stack of books on the bedside table and overflowing on the floor by the bed.  I am a bit of a frenetic reader.  Usually I am in the middle of 3-5 books at a time.  Plus I have a stack of books that are in my "must read" pile.  All of those books are now downstairs back on my library shelves. Now, I have one book, besides my Bible, on my bedside table.

3)  Organize your bedside dresser drawers. 

Berry, in Organize Now!, says "If your table has drawers, use them to store amenities such as lotions and sleep masks so the top can be clutter' free."

I cleaned out my bedside table drawer.  It now has a few cough drops, a pen, highlighter and lotion. 

4)  Next, I cleared out everything from under my bed. 

I had a Rubbermaid box of outgrown clothes that I will resale or store in the laundry room.
Tomorrow I will sweep and swiffel under the bed.  I decided, for our family, it is better for our allergies not to have items stored under the bed.

5)  Cox and Evan also state: "Keep your office out of your bedroom."

I instated this policy several years ago, when I moved my desk out of our bedroom.  That was the best decision I have ever made.  I work out of my home and seeing a stack of "To Do" items from work sitting on my desk or a stack of personal bills to pay, at bedtime, did nothing for my quality of sleep.

Consider relocating your desk if it is still your master bedroom.  Be creative if you have limited space.  One creative option is re-purposing a closet somewhere.  Remove the door, remove the shelves and replace them with a laminate desk top. Add a tension rod with a hanging curtain to block the office from view and you have an instant office.

Berry states "Resting is much more difficult when you are surrounded by clutter..."

I must admit I felt more relaxed last night without the extraneous items strewn around the room.

Tomorrow we'll continue work on making our bedroom an organized room.