How to Organize a Small Bedroom on a Budget

Are you tired of tripping over things when you wake up in the mornings? Are you losing sleep due to a cluttered room? Then you need to read this guide on how to organize a small bedroom!

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How to Organize a Small Bedroom on a Budget

Before any room organizing project, it’s best to give the space a thorough declutter and deep cleaning. And the bedroom is no different. Keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be done all in one day. To keep the stress of cleaning and decluttering at a minimum, stretch the steps out over a weekend or even a few weekends if you have a lot of clutter. For example, start with closets and drawers one weekend and move on to the next section next weekend. Do whatever works best for you.

Before you start, gather three boxes and label them “donate”, “keep”, and “storage”. You may also want to have a basket to toss things in that belong elsewhere in the house.  Also, have a trash bag nearby for trash.

Then, follow the steps below to organize a small bedroom.

Step 1: Declutter and clean as you go.

Start with the closets and drawers.
Go through your clothes and get rid of anything that no longer fits or you haven’t worn in quite some time. Be honest with yourself about your clothes. If you think you “might get back into those jeans one day”, are you really going to want to wear them if you do reach that goal? Too much clothes clutter can result in “decision fatigue”. Donate clothes in good condition to a local charity or toss any that are in poor condition. (Or rip them up into rags to be used later.)

Don’t forget to declutter your sock and underwear drawers, too. Those holey socks and underwear with stretched-out elastic can go.

Pack away out-of-season clothing and store them. Use vacuum storage bags to store sweaters and coats under the bed or wherever you have extra space.

While you have everything out of the closet, wipe down shelves and walls and vacuum before replacing items. Do the same thing with your drawers. And while you’re at it, why not add some pretty contact paper to line your drawers?

After decluttering and cleaning, start putting items back in the closet in a system that makes sense to you. Here are some small closet organizing tips that work for me:

• Keep like items together: Place jeans together, t-shirts together, button-up shirts together, dresses together, etc.
• Use pants hangers to save space
• Hang ties and scarves on side walls or on the back of the door
• Use an over-the-door shoe rack
• Use stackable bins on shelves to store out-of-season items such as gloves and hats
• Hang command hooks on closet walls to hang necklaces, belts, and hats

Related articles:

• Getting Rid of Dresser Drawer Clutter
• Organizing a Small Closet on a Budget

Declutter bedside tables.
Take everything off of your bedside tables and out of the drawers if you have any, and wipe the tables clean. Go through the items you took off the tables and out of the drawers. Get rid of any trash or broken items and donate anything you no longer need or use. Sleep expert Dave Gibson says, “Having a lot of clutter stacked up on our bedside table can prevent us switching off as it often reminds us of unfinished business and tasks left uncompleted from the day, leading to an increase in stress and anxiety and therefore stopping us getting to sleep easily.”

The only things you need on your bedside table are a book, an alarm, a table lamp, and a glass of water if you wake up thirsty at night. Dave recommends keeping your cell phone away from the bed at night to avoid the temptation to check emails, text, or look at social media late at night. He also suggests not using your phone as an alarm because using the snooze function can “disrupt a healthy sleep routine”.

Go through your shoe pile.
If you have shoes that no longer fit, consider donating them. And if you have shoes that are so worn out that they can’t be donated, it’s probably time to throw them away. Also, consider donating shoes that you haven’t worn in a year or longer, or shoes that you know you will never wear again.

Declutter your accessories.
Start with your jewelry. Get rid of jewelry that you never wear or haven’t worn in some time. If you have costume jewelry that has turned colors and can’t be repaired, throw it out. Wipe off your jewelry pieces as you go. Use a jewelry organizer for rings and bracelets and consider hanging necklaces on hooks so they don’t get tangled.

Next, go through belts, scarves, hats, gloves, etc. Get rid of anything you no longer wear and toss anything that’s in poor condition. Place out-of-season accessories in bins and store them under your bed or on the top shelf in the closet. Belts, scarves, and purses can be hung on hooks behind the closet door or along closet walls.

Don’t forget to declutter your bags and purses, too. I’m a bag hoarder so I have to be careful not to overdo it and to get rid of a few once in a while.

Pull everything out from under your bed.
If you have items stored under your bed, pull everything out. Take the time to go through everything and get rid of anything that’s broken and donate anything you haven’t used in a year or longer.

While there is nothing left under the bed, vacuum up the dust if you have carpet or a rug. If you don’t have carpet, sweep or vacuum the floor and then mop.

Under-the-bed storage bins with lids are perfect for storing items such as wrapping paper and gift bags, craft supplies, out-of-season clothes, linens, and more!

Related article:

• How to Maximize the Storage Space Under Your Bed

Declutter your decor.
Take a look around at the decorations you have as well as throw pillows and blankets. If you have broken decor pieces, throw them away. Keep in mind that too many knick-knacks make a room feel cluttered so consider placing decor pieces in other rooms. Donate anything you no longer want to keep or pass items along to family members. If you have a lot of books in your bedroom, donate the ones you no longer want to the local library.

Remove unnecessary furniture.
Having too much unnecessary furniture can make a room feel cluttered and much smaller. When it comes to small bedroom organization, you want to have as few furniture pieces as possible. The more floor space you have the bigger the room will feel. If you have extra furniture taking up space in your small bedroom, consider moving it to other rooms in the house. Or donate it if you no longer use it or need it.

Step 2: Deep clean the entire room.

Now that you’re done decluttering, the next step in your small bedroom organization project is to deep clean. Here’s a checklist to follow:

1. Clean off all the surfaces in your bedroom. This includes tops of shelves and wardrobes and TVs and mirrors.
2. Clean the ceiling fan. If your ceiling fan has a lot of dust collected on top of the blades, place a pillowcase over each blade and pull gently. This allows the dust to collect in the pillowcase instead of flying all over your bedroom. Then wipe off each blade with a microfiber cloth. Clean off the glass globes and wipe off the lightbulbs.
3. Wash your bedding. Bed sheets and pillowcases should be washed weekly. Pillows and duvets can be dry cleaned or washed at home if your washing machine drum is large enough. Duvets should be cleaned at least once a year.
4. Clean your mattress. While your bedding is being cleaned, clean your mattress. To learn more about how to clean your mattress thoroughly, read my mattress cleaning guide here. If you’ve had your mattress for 8 years or longer, it may be time to replace it.
5. Wash your curtains. Once your bedding is out of the washer, toss in your curtains to give them a quick clean and refresh. Curtains should be washed every 3-6 months.
6. Clean your blinds. An easy hack for cleaning your blinds uses a microfiber cloth, a dryer sheet, and a pair of tongs. Cut the microfiber cloth in half and wrap each half around the tong ends. Next, cut the dryer sheet in half and wrap the halves around the cloth ends and secure with a rubber band. Then wipe your blinds clean! Here’s a video to help explain it better.
7. Wash the windows. My favorite thing to use to wash the windows is an e-cloth. It’s easy to use, leaves no streaks, and is chemical free!
8. Wipe down walls and baseboards. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down all the walls and baseboards to clear away the dust.
9. Vacuum or sweep and mop. Depending on what type of floor you have in your bedroom, finish up your cleaning by vacuuming or sweeping and mopping the entire floor.

Related article:

Deep Clean Your Master Bedroom

Step 3: Organize

Now that your small bedroom is clutter-free and clean, it’s time to organize everything. A quick search for organizing a small bedroom on Pinterest will bring up thousands of ideas. Here are a few of my favorite ideas on how to organize a small bedroom:

Shelving

Using shelves in a small bedroom as a storage solution gets everything off the floor and creates the illusion of a larger room. Purchase sturdy shelves or build your own to store boxes, shoes, books, etc.

Under-the-bed storage bins and boxes

As mentioned above, plastic storage bins that find under the bed are perfect for storing so many items. Plastic shoe boxes work really well at keeping smaller items organized, too.

Bedside tables with drawers.

The more stuff you can keep off the top of your bedside table the better. Bedside tables with drawers allow you to store items out of sight, so your bedroom stays clutter-free.

Decorative baskets

Decorative baskets can be stored on shelves or on top of wardrobes and dressers to hide items it, yet still keep your bedroom stylish. For a cheap basket hack, check local thrift stores for baskets and spray paint them to match your decor.

Stackable bins

Stackable bins are perfect for storing items that you only need once in a while, such as seasonal accessories. They can be stacked vertically on a closet shelf out of the way.

Pegboards

Pegboards are great for holding jewelry. Baskets can be placed on the pegboards for storing bracelets and other small jewelry pieces. Necklaces can hang on the pegs. If you’d rather hang your earrings, grab a cooling rack from the dollar store and attach to the wall or closet door using command hooks. Cheap and easy earring storage!

Small Bedroom Organization Tips

Think like a minimalist.

Small bedrooms don’t need all that extra furniture that furniture stores try to sell you, such as a vanity table and a bench at the end of the bed. Small bedrooms only need the essentials, such as a bed, a bedside table, and a place to store your clothes. Make your dresser double duty by placing it next to the bed to use as a nightstand.

Create a decluttering routine.

The smaller the room, the quicker it becomes messy again. Create a regular decluttering and cleaning routine to stay on top of the mess and keep your small bedroom clutter-free. Put clothes away immediately after doing laundry so they don’t pile up. Keep a hamper in the bathroom for dirty clothes so they’re not laying in your bedroom floor. Do a thorough declutter once a week making sure to throw away any trash that has accumulated.

Go through your closet regularly.

The best way to avoid having too many clothes is to buy less. However, if it’s already too late for that, go through your closet and get rid of clothes that no longer fit or that you no longer wear. If you don’t feel good in an outfit, then it’s probably not right for you. Make it a habit to go through your closet once a month or so to keep the clothes and shoes to a minimum.

What are some of your best small bedroom organization tips and hacks? I’d love to hear how you would organize a small bedroom in the comments below!