Are hotel rooms ideal clutter-free bedrooms?

Most of the western population have more personal belongings now than at any other moment in history. Modern life has left us with an abundance of possessions and general stuff. Many of us know that we are living a cluttered life, but we are unable to take that leap towards reducing it. We continue to purchase and hold onto multiple items in the hope and belief that they will bring us happiness, when in fact it might be 'space' that would do so.

Think of the ideal living space. Somewhere with just enough items to be comfortable, without being overcrowded. Like for instance: a hotel room! Think about it: when you are in a hotel room, it can have a feeling of relaxation, space, with just the perfect amount of personal belongings. Perhaps one book or magazine rather than many books and unread magazines spread edge-to-edge across the coffee table. One electrical device like a mobile phone, rather than a tablet, laptop, EBook and remote controllers. A wardrobe with clothes in that you can view without having to remove them. Maybe the wardrobe even has space to slide clothes along the rail!

A sense of bedroom calm can never be created with clutter.

Forget the glossy magazines that you see with lovely photography of beautiful spacious front rooms, bright, airy kitchens and clutter-free bathrooms. Your house or flat is most likely never going to look like that. Most people live the type of life and live 'in' the kind of property that would never allow for that kind of space. However - no matter how small their area - everyone can create some calm.

To start decluttering your life work on one room at a time – as we have been talking about a hotel room, let's check out a couple of simple, quick things you can do to declutter your main bedroom.

Open your wardrobe and view the clothes inside - imagine if you were purchasing each item again today. Is there anything that you wouldn't pay money for now? If so, donate the item to your local charity shop or sell it online. The doors to your wardrobe should be able to close shut when you have finished. Do you have clutter on top of the wardrobe? Is yes, then check to see if you need these items or are you able to sell them or gift them to charity? Any things you that want to keep that you don't use every day should be placed into boxes for long-term storage.

Limit your clutter on surfaces: Remove house or car keys, small change and your wallet from the surface – the place for these items is not the bedroom. Your bedside table should have nothing more than perhaps a lamp and one book or magazine. Remove any items from your dressing table surface that you don't use every day – do you need five bottles of perfume or aftershave on display; or just your favourite one?

There is nothing major here – I'm not saying ‘no mobile phones or TVs' in the bedroom (although removing these would help immensely with creating a relaxed atmosphere). These are just a couple of small steps that could turn your main bedroom into the type of clutter-free space a hotel room can sometimes offer.

KC