How to declutter your nightstand in 5 easy steps

Inside: a step-by-step guide to take your nightstand from cluttered to clutter-free

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Is clutter preventing you from sleeping well? It might be time to declutter your nightstand. Lately, there’s been a lot of talk in the media about clutter-free spaces being a way to reduce stress. Nowhere is this more important than in the bedroom – the place where you’re supposed to sleep, recharge, and reset so you can be your best self the next day.

Obviously, decluttering your whole bedroom is the way to go. But if you only have time to declutter one small area, start with the nightstand. Here’s how you can clear out bedside clutter in five easy steps:

1. empty out the whole nightstand
2. consider your needs
3. get rid of anything that doesn’t belong
4. group and organize remaining items
5. add something pretty and enjoy

1. Empty out the whole nightstand

The best way to declutter your nightstand is to start with a clean slate. When you start with the nightstand empty, you get the benefit of bringing in only items that help you and improve your life in some way. And you’re not getting distracted by all the other things that have been living there.

So clear off the top surface and empty all shelves and drawers. It’s likely that even as you’re moving things from the nightstand to your staging area (the bed, in many cases), you’ll be thinking about when and how you use each one. This is good. Hold on to those thoughts.

2. Consider your needs

Now think about what you need and use every night. What things do you use every morning? Which ones do you only need on some nights or mornings? And which ones do you use only rarely? These are the things you’ll pull out of the big pile and set aside. Your breakdown may look similar to the following:

Daily

• lamp
• lip balm and lotion
• alarm clock
• water
• the book you’re reading

Most days

• heating pad
• blood pressure monitor
• tissues
• journal and pen

Rarely

• white noise machine
• earplugs
• back scratcher
• flashlight

Or it may look very different. That’s okay. The important thing here is that your nightstand should work for you.

3. Get rid of anything that doesn’t belong

As you declutter your nightstand, find a new home for things you need to keep, donate what you don’t need but is still useful, and put the rest in recycling or trash. Let’s look at what’s left in your pile. 

Old nail polish, broken headband, the candle holder you didn’t know where to put last year – all of them need to go. The nail polish and headband straight in the trash, the candle holder somewhere where you’ll use it. Or if you won’t use it, donate it. Clearing out bedside clutter is the name of the game here.

The eyeshades from that long flight two years ago that you never used since? Trash. The old VHS wedding tape that you can’t even watch because your VCR bit the dust years ago? If it’s super important to you (and is it really?), you can use one of those services to get it converted to a modern format; otherwise, it’s trash.

4. Group and organize items

Now it’s time to put back the things you’re keeping. But not just in any order. Think back to step 2, where you focused on your needs.

Group things by frequency of use

Anything you use daily should be easily accessible. That typically means the top of the nightstand so that it’s within easy reach from your bed. Things you use on most days can go in the top drawer or shelf, and the ones you use only rarely can go in the bottom drawer. 

Organize things by function

You may want to use small baskets or organizers to keep things organized in the nightstand drawers and shelves. Think heating pad and blood pressure monitor in one basket, journal and pen in another. This will keep everything from becoming a jumbled mess inside the drawer or on the shelf, and you’ll be able to find what you need quickly.

5. Add something pretty and enjoy

If you like flowers or have a favorite small art piece, now is the time to find a spot for them, if the size of your nightstand allows. Or maybe you’ll add a decorative dish to hold your jewelry. Or perhaps you don’t want to add anything at this point, and that’s okay too. Enjoy your newly clutter-free nightstand.

Final thoughts

Did you follow all five steps? Congratulations, you now have a fabulous clutter-free nightstand that serves your needs. Now just keep it neat and organized, and sleep well.