Things to Get Rid of in Your Bedroom
If your bedroom has started to feel crowded, stressful, or harder to keep clean, you’re probably wondering what things to get rid of in your bedroom first. The good news is you don’t have to empty every drawer or spend an entire weekend sorting through everything you own. Sometimes removing just a few unnecessary items can completely change how your bedroom looks and feels.
If you’re looking for even more help as you declutter your bedroom, be sure to check out my free guide before you get started.
After downsizing more than 60% of what I owned, I’ve learned that creating a peaceful bedroom isn’t about getting rid of everything. It’s about keeping the things that fit the life you’re living today. In this guide, I’ll walk you through 10 things to get rid of in your bedroom and share simple tips to help you decide what deserves the space and what doesn’t.
Quick Answer: Things to Get Rid of in Your Bedroom
The easiest way to decide what things to get rid of in your bedroom is to start with anything you no longer use, wear, or enjoy. Clothes that no longer fit, broken or unused items, piles of books and magazines, extra furniture, worn out bedding, and cluttered nightstands can all make your bedroom feel smaller and more stressful than it really is.
As you work through your bedroom, ask yourself one simple question:
Does this still fit the life I’m living today?
If the answer is no, it may be time to donate it, toss it, or move it to a better location. The goal isn’t to create a picture perfect bedroom. It’s to create a space that feels peaceful, functions well, and is easy to maintain.
Your Bedroom Should be a Haven
When my boys were little and my life was busy, my bedroom was my haven. My escape from the day to day chaos of kids, work, and life. Now that I’m older, I realize just how important that still is.
Even without kids at home, my days are still busy and full, and I still need a spot to retreat to so I can rest before diving into another day. That’s actually how this list came about. I needed a plan to help me see the things that truly belonged in my bedroom so I could more easily recognize what could go.
Now my room is simple, calm, and inviting…just what I need. It’s become one of my favorite rooms in our home.
If that’s the kind of bedroom you’re hoping for too, let me show you where I’d start.
10 Things to Get Rid of in Your Bedroom
If your goal is to create a bedroom that feels calm, cozy, and easy to maintain, here are the first things I’d look at. As you read through the list, don’t just ask yourself, “Can I get rid of this?” Instead ask, “Is this helping my bedroom do the job I need it to do?”
1. Clothes that you no longer wear
We’ve all done it.
We keep clothes that don’t fit, don’t feel good, or belong to a different season of our lives because maybe someday we’ll wear them again.
The problem is, every time you open your closet or dresser, those clothes make it harder to find the ones you actually love wearing.
Ask yourself: Does this still fit the life I’m living today?
If the answer is no, it may be time to donate it and make room for the clothes you reach for every week.
The clothes you wear should be the easiest ones to find.
2. Books, Magazines, and Papers You’ve Already Finished
There’s nothing I enjoy more than climbing into bed with a good book at the end of the day.
The problem is, one book has a funny way of turning into a stack of magazines, yesterday’s mail, old bank statements, and papers that have nothing to do with getting a good night’s sleep.
Keep the things you want to read in your bedroom and move the things you have to read to an office or another workspace where you can give them your full attention.
Save your bedroom for reading that helps you unwind, and your workspace for reading that requires your attention.
3. Bags, Boxes, and Overflow Storage
Have you ever carried something into your bedroom thinking, “I’ll deal with this later”?
Me too.
The problem is, “later” has a way of turning into weeks…or even months.
If your bedroom has become the temporary holding place for shopping bags, donation piles, or random boxes, it may be time to move them along.
Your bedroom should be your retreat, not your storage room.
4. Trash, Broken Items, and Things Past Their Prime
Oh yes, I am so guilty of this one!
I’ll be walking an empty lotion bottle to the trash, but before I get there, I’ll stop to make the bed or put something away. So I set the bottle down “just for a second.”
You already know what happens next, don’t you?
That “just for a second” turns into a few days…or sometimes even a few weeks.
Before you leave your bedroom, just take one quick look around.
You might be surprised by what you notice when you’re actually looking for things that can go in the trash.
An empty lotion bottle. A broken charger. Makeup you stopped using months ago. A receipt that somehow landed on your dresser.
Those little things have a way of sneaking in one at a time until one day you’re wondering, “How did all this stuff get here?”
Those little things may not seem like much on their own, but removing them regularly can make a huge difference in how your bedroom looks and feels.
The quickest way to make your bedroom feel calmer is to remove the little things that no longer belong there.
5. Knickknacks and Decorations You No Longer Love
I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I’ve looked around my bedroom and thought, When did I stop even noticing this stuff?
Some decorations become part of the background. They’ve been sitting in the same spot for so many years that you walk right past them without giving them a second thought.
The next time you’re dusting or straightening up your bedroom, pick up each decorative item for just a second and ask yourself, Do I still love this?
If the answer is yes, give it a place where you can actually enjoy seeing it.
If the answer is no, it may be time to let someone else enjoy it instead.
The best decorations aren’t the ones you’ve owned the longest. They’re the ones that still make you smile every time you see them.
6. Furniture That No Longer Fits Your Life
Can I confess something?
For years, I had a chair in my bedroom that almost never got used for sitting.
You can probably guess what it did get used for.
Yesterday’s clothes. A sweatshirt I might wear again. The jeans that weren’t dirty enough for the laundry but weren’t clean enough to put back in the closet.
The funny thing is, once the chair was gone, the pile disappeared too.
Take a look around your bedroom. Is every piece of furniture helping your room function better, or is it just giving clutter another place to land?
Sometimes removing one piece of furniture creates more peace than buying another storage basket ever could.
Every piece of furniture should earn the space it takes up in your bedroom.
7. Exercise Equipment You Never Use
Can I ask you a question?
Is your exercise equipment helping you get healthier…or is it just taking up space in your bedroom?
I know that’s not always an easy question to answer.
Maybe you bought that treadmill or exercise bike with every intention of using it. Maybe you still hope you’ll get back to it someday.
But if every time you walk into your bedroom it reminds you of something you haven’t done, it’s probably not helping you feel very relaxed.
Your bedroom shouldn’t be a place where guilt greets you every morning.
If you still love using your equipment, that’s wonderful. Keep it and enjoy it. But if it’s become more of a clothes rack than a workout station, it may be time to find it a better home…or let it go altogether.
Your bedroom should remind you to rest, not remind you of goals you’ve already moved on from.
Your bedroom shouldn’t be another thing on your to do list. It should be the place where you finally get to rest.
8. Extra Bedding and Decorative Pillows
I absolutely love the look of a beautifully made bed.
But there was a time when making mine felt more like a workout than a morning routine.
I’d take a pile of pillows off the bed just so I could get in it at night…then put them all back again the next morning.
After a while, I had to ask myself, Who am I doing this for?
If you love decorative pillows and they make you happy every time you walk into your bedroom, keep them!
But if they’re starting to feel like one more chore on your to do list, it might be time to simplify.
The same goes for extra blankets and bedding. Keep what you use, what you love, and what comfortably fits in your storage space. You don’t need to keep every set you’ve ever owned.
Your bed should be inviting to climb into, not exhausting to make.
9. Nightstand Clutter
I don’t know how it happens, but nightstands seem to attract clutter.
One day there’s a lamp and a good book. A few weeks later, there are old receipts, loose change, charging cords, tissues, lip balm, yesterday’s coffee mug, and somehow…three pens.
The next time you walk by your nightstand, take a good look at what’s sitting there.
Does everything on it actually help you wind down at the end of the day or make your mornings a little easier?
If not, it probably belongs somewhere else.
The less you have to shuffle around every night just to set down your book or your glasses, the more peaceful your bedtime routine becomes.
Your nightstand should hold the things you reach for every night, not the things you forgot to put away.
To help to keep things neater, you can use small bins to hold items so you can more quickly put things away each morning before you leave the room.
Bedside Organizer Tray, Desktop Storage Tray for Jewelry, Sunglass, Phone, Watch, Perfume,Lipstick, Nightstand Desk-top Catchall Tray, Multi-use Holder Tray for Desk Drawer (Beige 3Grid)
EcoLeafy Dot Nightstand Organizer- Rustic Bedside Organizer Makes for Dad Who Wants Nothing – Unique Birthday Gifts for Men to Organize His Bedside Table for Cellphone & AccessoriesBamboo Tissue Box Holder & Tablet Stand Organizer for Bedroom & Desktop; compartments Hold iPad Phones Remote Controls Reading Glasses Notepads & Pens
10. Anything That Makes You Feel Stressed
Let’s end with something a little different.
Not everything in your bedroom is clutter.
Sometimes it’s a basket of laundry you’ve been meaning to fold. Sometimes it’s paperwork you brought in “just for a minute.” Sometimes it’s supplies for a project you keep telling yourself you’ll get to next weekend.
None of those things are necessarily bad.
But every time you walk into your bedroom, they quietly remind you of one more thing you need to do.
Your bedroom should be the one room in your home that lets you take a break from all of that.
Take a look around and ask yourself, Is there anything in here that’s making it harder for me to relax? If there is, see if it belongs somewhere else.
The more your bedroom is filled with peace instead of reminders, the easier it becomes to truly rest.
How to Create a Bedroom That’s Easier to Sleep In
If you’ve made it this far, take a minute and look around your bedroom.
Doesn’t it already feel a little lighter?
The wonderful thing about removing the things you no longer need is that you don’t have to rush out and fill that empty space with something else.
Sometimes less really does feel better.
Here are a few simple ways to enjoy the bedroom you’ve worked so hard to create.
Make Your Bed…But Don’t Stress About It
I’m not talking about hospital corners or perfectly fluffed pillows.
Just straighten the covers.
It’s amazing how much more peaceful a room feels when your bed looks like it’s ready to crawl into later that night.
Besides, after all the work you just put into decluttering your bedroom, why not enjoy it?
Keep Bedtime Simple
Think about the last thing you do before you turn out the light.
Maybe you read a few pages of a book. Put on hand lotion. Plug in your phone. Take off your glasses.
Those are the things that deserve a spot within arm’s reach.
The fewer times you have to get back out of bed because you forgot something, the more relaxing your evening becomes.
Give Yourself Permission to Leave Some Space Empty
This one took me a long time to learn.
For years, I thought every shelf needed something on it.
Every corner needed a chair and every dresser needed decorations.
Now?
One of my favorite parts of my bedroom is the empty space.
It makes the room feel calm. It makes it easier to clean. And somehow it even helps my mind slow down at the end of the day.
Let Your Bedroom Be Your Escape
Life is busy enough.
The dishes will still be there tomorrow and yes that paperwork can wait until morning.
Your bedroom doesn’t need to remind you of everything you haven’t finished.
It should be the one room in your home where you can finally exhale.
The more peaceful your bedroom feels, the easier it becomes to get the rest you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions About Decluttering a Bedroom
No. In fact, I recommend doing the opposite.
Start by removing the things you no longer use, need, or love. Once you’ve created some breathing room, organizing becomes much easier because you’re working with fewer items.
Trying to organize clutter usually leads to buying more bins, baskets, and containers. Decluttering first helps you see how much storage you actually need.
Bedroom zones are simply areas where you keep similar items together based on how you use your room.
For example, keep your bedtime essentials on or near your nightstand, your everyday clothing together in your closet or dresser, and your jewelry or accessories in one designated spot.
You don’t need to create perfect, Pinterest-worthy zones. The goal is simply to make it easy to find what you need and easy to put it away when you’re finished.
The answer is different for everyone because every bedroom serves a different purpose.
For most people, your bed, clothing, nightstand essentials, and a few decorations you truly love are all you need. The goal isn’t to make your bedroom look empty. It’s to keep the things that help you relax, sleep well, and enjoy spending time there.
When you’re unsure about an item, try asking yourself, “Is this helping my bedroom do the job I need it to do?” If the answer is no, it may belong somewhere else in your home.
When my kids were little, my bedroom was my escape from the busy days of raising a family.
Now, years later, it still is.
Yes, today my life looks different, but I still love having a place where I can slow down, breathe, and get ready for another day.
I hope this list inspires you to look around your own bedroom with fresh eyes. Keep the things that help you relax, let go of the things that no longer fit your life, and don’t be afraid to leave a little empty space.
Little by little, you’ll create a bedroom you genuinely look forward to walking into every night. A place where you can close the door, let go of the stress of the day, and feel your shoulders relax.
Because isn’t that what we all want? A home that feels good to live in…and a bedroom that feels even better to come home to.