In part 3 of the Spring cleaning series, we are focusing on the bedroom. And while some of these tips may seem obvious, not all are. As I was doing research, it made me look at some areas in my bedroom differently. We will start with the star of the show: The bed.

The bed

Sheets

When we sleep, our bodies are growing, healing, and repairing. Part of the regeneration process includes our skin. According to this article, we lose about 200,000,000 skin cells an hour. That is a whole lot of dead skin on your sheets and pillowcases. Also, if you sweat in your sleep or during vigorous activities in your bed, that makes a pretty interesting mixture of bodily fluids and dead skin. Yuck.  You should wash your sheets a minimum of once a week.  

Headboard

A lot of times, we don’t consider wiping down the headboard. But the headboard is a place where dust can accumulate, and dust is primarily composed of,  you guessed it, dead skin cells. They gotta go somewhere. 

1. Move the mattress a foot away from the headboard; you don’t want to wipe dust onto your bed.
2. Spay an absorbent cloth with an all-purpose cleaner and wipe it down. You can also use a small vacuum or clean vacuum attachment to vacuum up the dust. 

Check out our headboards that can really add some style to your bedroom.

Mattress

If you don’t wash your sheets regularly, again, no judgment here, all of that sweat, bodily fluids, and millions of dead skin cells will eventually make their way down to your mattress. The accumulation of millions of dead skin cells, sweat, and bodily fluids could cause odor, and it is also just pretty gross, primarily when we associate our bed with comfort. It’s pretty hard to get comfortable knowing that you are nestled in dead skin and sweat. Now and again, it’s a good idea to deodorize and clean the mattress.  Some suggest spritzing the mattress with a vinegar and water solution. However, adding more moisture to the bed may become a complicated matter because the mattress doesn’t have a lot of space for airflow, and the added moisture may lead to mold, and nobody wants that. 

1. So first, uncover your mattress, open a window, and allow your mattress to breathe. Fresh air is always an excellent deodorizer. 
2. After that, sprinkle some baking soda on the mattress. You can use a sifter to distribute the baking soda evenly. 
3. Allow the baking soda to sit for at least 30 minutes.
4.  Then, with a clean vacuum attachment, vacuum the mattress and the baking soda with it. 
5. For bed bugs removal and steaming, our advice is to leave that to the professionals. 

Under the bed

If you keep storage under the bed, don’t forget to dust containers. Use a long skinny vacuum to vacuum the dust bunnies under the bed. 

Nightstand

The nightstand is supposed to be the place that helps us stay organized. We can keep the novel that has got us reading way past our bedtime, a bottle of water when we feel thirsty in the middle of the night, journals and pens, all the things that we want easy access to before we go to sleep and when we wake up. But more often than not, it becomes a dumping ground for miscellaneous items and can become cluttered and disorganized.  Clutter detracts from helping us feel rested and at ease. So it is super important to keep your nightstand and dresser and all of your horizontal surfaces clean and clutter-free. 

1.  Empty all of the contents from on top and from inside the nightstand.
2.  Go through each item and make sure that everything has a home.
3.  Wipe down the nightstand, lamps, clocks, trays, and whatever else you store on the nightstand and place neatly back.
4.  Wipe out the drawers.
5.  Use drawer organizers so that everything has a place and doesn’t become just one big pile of randomness. 

Dresser

The dresser’s top is another horizontal area that can get cluttered if you’re not intentional with keeping it clean. It’s so easy to just throw things on there, trust me, I struggle with this a lot.  But keeping the top of the dresser clear and clutter-free makes a world of difference in creating a relaxing environment in your home. And if you’re supposed to be able to relax anywhere, it’s your bedroom.  

1. So again, remove everything from the top of your dresser.
2.  Give a good wipe down with an all-purpose cleaner and an absorbent cloth. 
3. Throw away all of the random letters, papers, and things that you aren’t using. 
4. Wipe down all the things that are going back on your dresser. 
5. For your clothes, take out all of the clothes - yes, all. In your dresser and begin to sort. I love Marie Kondo’s method; if the item no longer sparks joy, get rid of it. 
6. Fold your clothes neatly. I also really like her method of folding clothes. The process allows for you to see your clothes as soon as you open the drawer, so you don’t have to rummage through the dresser to find your one favorite purple shirt with the gold hearts. 
7. Put the clothes back neatly in your dresser. 

Floor

We’ve discussed how many skin cells we shed in an hour. So cleaning the floor is going to be necessary. 

1. Vacuum the floor.
2. Shift the furniture to clean behind it.
3. Rent a steamer or hire a professional to clean your floor. 

How do you thoroughly clean your bedroom?