Deep Cleaning: Master Bedroom

I talked yesterday about how I would normally start deep cleaning in the kitchen. But my kitchen is currently in a state of disarray and its contents are scattered into the living room, so I’m going to start with the most neglected room for most people – the bedroom, specifically the master bedroom (or the one you use, if you don’t consider it the master bedroom).

Because it’s the room that most other people don’t go into (and therefore it’s easy to use for emergency stashing) and because most of us don’t spend a ton of time in the bedroom (and therefore it doesn’t reach the point where it’s nagging at us – at least for me), most of the time this is the last room we think about working on and cleaning up. Sleep is important, though, and I know I seem to sleep better and wake up more relaxed when our room is clean and decluttered.

If your master bedroom is cluttered, like mine is, review last week’s steps on decluttering. Hopefully that part won’t take too long. Having the flat surfaces in your bedroom as clear as possible makes the cleaning part easier.

I do think that cleaning top to bottom makes the most sense. If you have a ceiling fan, go ahead and dust it. A vacuum cleaner could keep the dust from going every where, but if that’s harder for you, spread a towel out over your bed if its underneath and wipe off the blades with a duster or towel.

Bonus project: Take down your curtains and either wash them or dry clean them.

Strip the sheets, blankets, and mattress pad off your bed and wash them. Dust and clean your bed frame. If you haven’t flipped your mattress in a while and you can get it off and back on again, go ahead and give it a turn or a flip.

Gather up any items that need to be taken to a different room. Gather up trash and put it in a bag or waste basket. Take them to the room where they belong. If you have items that will be remaining on the surfaces of your room, go ahead and clear them off. I use a melamine tray that I bought at Target to corral these things temporarily.

Dust high objects (mirrors, pictures, tops of bookcases, window frames and sills, etc.) Dust furniture and low objects. Clean lampshades.

Put back the items that will remain on the surfaces in your room.

If you have a wood floor, I recommend using a Webster duster* for under the bed rather than trying to get underneath with a vacuum cleaner. I find that it works a lot more quickly, and I usually dust one half, then vacuum the dust off, then go back and finish the other half of under the bed. It depends on how long it’s been since you’ve been under there. Use a Swiffer, vacuum cleaner, or broom (depending on your flooring type) to clean the floors.

Hang up your curtains if you took them down. Make your bed with clean sheets and blankets.

This may take a little longer than expected the first time, especially if you have to clear off the surfaces in your bedroom before you can get started. Don’t give up! Split it up over more than one day if you need to.

If you have other bedrooms in your house, you can repeat the same process there as well.

Here’s a quick recap:

• Clean ceiling fan.
• Take down curtains and clean them.
• Strip sheets, blankets and mattress pad from your bed and wash them.
• Remove items that need to go to another room. Throw away trash.
• Clear items from the flat surfaces.
• Dust high objects.
• Dust furniture and low objects.
• Clean under your bed.
• Clean your floors.
• Hang curtains.
• Make bed.

Finally, enjoy a good night’s sleep tonight!

31 Days 2016 - Reset Your Home

This post is a part of the series 31 Days to Reset Your Home, part of the 31 Days challenge. Please join me during the month of October. Each day I’ll be posting what I’m working on, challenges so you can join in, and update my progress (and hopefully hear about yours!). The 31 Days challenge is a writing challenge to pick a topic and write a post on it every day in October.

• 31 Days to Reset Your Home
• Resetting Your Morning Routine
• Resetting Your Evening Routine
• Resetting your Weekly Routine
• Declutter Week: Paper
• Declutter Week: The Left Behinds
• Declutter Week: The On Purpose
• Declutter Week: The Kitchen Pantry
• Declutter Week: Your Schedule
• Lovely Links – Oct 10
• In Other News – Kitchen Renovation Progress
• Deep Cleaning: Master Bedroom
• Deep Cleaning: Bathrooms
• Deep Cleaning: Living Room
• Deep Cleaning: The Kitchen
• After the Deep Clean
• A Good Sleep
• Another Kitchen Update
• Maintaining – How to Create a Habit
• The Art of Stress Free Productivity
• Resetting Your Email