Tidying Made Easy: Your Ultimate 10-Step Bedroom Cleaning Checklist

Your bed is likely the largest piece of furniture in your room, the first thing your eyes go to when you enter your space. That’s why your bed should be the first thing in your room that gets some TLC on cleaning day (and ideally every day). Strip your old bedding and toss it in the laundry pile, ensure your mattress is clean, layer on new bedding of your choice including new pillowcases and arrange just how you like it. Making your bed also ensures you give yourself a large, clean, flat surface to work on for tasks such as laundry.

Ah, the dreaded laundry. Yes, we’re talking about that ever-growing pile of clothes (or two) hanging out on your office chair or in an overflowing laundry basket. Put on an audiobook or some music and tackle this task head on. Pick up every clothing item and sort into piles for washing, putting away or discarding. Then, follow through! Fold the clothes you’ll be putting away and put like items together into their own piles. That way, when you’re done folding all of one type of clothing, such as pants for example, you can pick up the whole pile and tidily put them away in a single storage area.

We often delay taking out the trash in our bedrooms because these bins don’t fill up as quickly or get as gnarly as the bathroom or kitchen bins. But this integral step cannot be missed if you want a truly fresh and clean bedroom! Plus, you’ll need clean bins with new, empty liners before moving onto the next step.

We’re talking about your bedside table, desk, dresser and any other large, flat surface prone to accumulating clutter. Firstly, remove everything entirely. Then, with a wet rag and all-purpose cleaner, wipe down the surfaces. Once the tabletops are clean, start putting items back in a neat and organized manner. Give each item a designated spot so they always have a home to return to when things get cluttered. Any garbage lying around? Toss it. This is why we cleared the trash in our previous step.

Now that we’ve cleared the tabletop clutter scattered throughout our room, it’s time to address any another random areas of clutter. This can include piles you have sitting on the floor, random junk atop your windowsill or things tucked away in corners to be put away “later.” Well, “later” is now. So, take everything that doesn’t belong in the space it’s in and put it away in its designated home.

Remove everything from the floor – including items that belong on the floor, like a pet bowl or floor lam. Try moving everything into the hallway or into a different room. Your goal is to completely clear your floor so you have an unobstructed surface to clean in the next steps.

Before cleaning floors, always begin by dusting. With a microfiber cloth or a long-handled duster like a Swiffer duster, gently dust all the surfaces in your room prone to accumulating dust. This includes your walls and baseboards!

Now that all your dusty surfaces have been cleaned off, this means all the dust has fallen to the floor. Now is the time to begin cleaning the floor of your room. This task is made much easier thanks to Step Six, where we cleared the entire floor. Go in with a broom or vacuum, and then finish off by mopping.

While your floor dries, take a microfiber cloth and some glass cleaner and begin cleaning all the glass in your room. This primarily includes mirrors – a dirty mirror can upset the vibe of a whole room that is otherwise clean! After mirrors, move onto windows and glass top tables.

To celebrate your hard word, strike up a match and light a scented candle. This step will not only make your room smell like a dream, it signifies the end of a hard job finished and done well. Treat yourself to a Zen moment by kicking up your feet in your freshly cleaned room and taking some R&R.