Welcome the New Year with Clutter Control: Simple Ways to Turn Your Natural or Organic Bedroom into a Serene, Organized Haven

For many of us, the beginning of a New Year brings with it a resolve to arrange and clean out the corners of life – from finances to the kitchen pantry to a brand new Day-Timer, we love to welcome the New Year by getting organized. One of my favourite tasks to christen each January is to organize my bedroom. In the stress of today’s harried life, having a quiet, beautiful, wholesome haven to escape from the world is essential for restful nights and peace of mind, so devoting a pocket of time to ensure that your bedroom is well organized is a wise and rewarding investment. Here are a few simple steps that will help you control clutter in your eco-friendly natural or organic bedroom and ensure that it is as serene and organized as it is safe and healthy.

• Before you actually start to sort, tidy, or move furniture, take a few minutes to consider your bedroom and imagine the type of space you’d like it to be. Do you need an oasis of rest and relaxation where you can shut out the rest of the world? Is it a place where you and your partner can cuddle up and catch up on your days? Is it the spot where you curl up with a good book or a favourite craft project? Whatever your bedroom is to you, be sure that anything in your bedroom fits in with this picture. 
• Ruthlessly remove anything that isn’t functional or beautiful. If you’re a bit of a collector, you may find it difficult to part with excess furniture, tchotchkes, or clothing, but keep envisioning your ultimate goal of simplicity and serenity, and don’t be swayed. Instead, recoup part of your initial investment by taking surplus, unnecessary goods to a second-hand shop, or do a good deed for others by donating to a charity shop.
• If your nest is particularly small, learn to think outside the box. If storage space is at a premium, make the most of what’s available. Slide planet-friendly sustainable-wood storage boxes on castors (built by a crafty friend) under your eco-friendly bed or on the closet floor. Head upwards by adding shelving high in your closet for off-season garments and your organic bedding and other linens. And who said that corner caddies were meant only for children’s rooms? Whip one up in a lovely, coordinating organic fabric, and you’ll have a perfect spot to store sweaters, socks, or scarves. Storage opportunities can even appear outside of the bedroom – my girlfriend loves her tiny cottage, but has had to come up with some very creative storage ideas. For example, she rolls her socks and tucks them into a woven basket beneath her couch, alongside a basket of magazines and another holding the organic yarn for her current crocheting or knitting project.
• Simplify your cleaning routine. Rather than using a multitude of noxious cleaners, choose one eco-friendly cleaning product that is safe, toxin-free, long-lasting, and multifunctional, such as MiEnviron’s BioPure or Shaklee’s Basic H2. These all-natural cleaners will clean virtually everything in your bedroom (and the rest of your home, as well) and are so highly concentrated, you’ll be amazed at how long one bottle lasts.

Once your earth-friendly bedroom is organized, it only takes a few minutes each day to keep it that way. First thing in the morning or just before you tuck in for the night, choose two or three items to tidy or put away. Make your bed and plump your pillows each morning. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the difference these small efforts make, and you won’t be faced with an overwhelming cleaning or a mountain of clothing to tackle come the weekend.

Stay tuned for more suggestions for an organized organic bedroom in the next posting. Meanwhile, I always love to hear new organizational tips, and I’m sure our readers do, too! Please share your best and most creative ideas for keeping your family’s bedrooms clean, healthy, and clutter free – we’d love to hear from you!