10 bedroom cleaning hacks for small rooms
Ten bedroom cleaning hacks that save time: clear the room into one basket first, start the sheets washing before you clean, use a lint roller on lampshades, slide a pillowcase over fan blades, put a sock on your hand for the blinds, sprinkle baking soda on the mattress, vacuum under the bed with a flat tool, use a radiator brush, keep a hamper by the bed, and finish with a five-minute nightly reset.
Small bedrooms show mess fast. They also clean fast, if you work in the right order.
1. Clear the room into one basket
Before you clean anything, walk the room with a laundry basket and pick up everything that's out: clothes, cups, chargers, books. Clean surfaces first, sort the basket after. Cleaning around clutter is slow.
2. Start the sheets first
Strip the bed before you dust and put the sheets in the wash. They're done by the time you finish the room, and dust doesn't land on clean bedding.
3. Lint roller on lampshades
A lint roller picks dust off fabric lampshades without pushing it into the fabric. It works on upholstered headboards and fabric chairs too.
4. A pillowcase for fan blades
Slide an old pillowcase over each blade and pull it back toward you. The dust falls inside the pillowcase, not on the bed. Shake it out outside and wash it.
5. A sock for the blinds
Put an old sock on your hand, dampen it a little, and run each slat between your fingers. Rinse the sock when it's gray.
6. Baking soda on the mattress
Every time you change the sheets, or every few weeks, sprinkle baking soda over the bare mattress, leave it for an hour or more, and vacuum it up slowly with the upholstery tool. Our post on how to deep clean a mattress goes further.
7. A flat tool for under the bed
Under the bed is where dust, socks and pet hair end up. A flat, low-profile vacuum attachment, or the crevice tool, reaches without moving the bed. Keep stored things in lidded bins you can slide out and back.
8. A radiator brush
In a lot of Philadelphia rowhome bedrooms, a cast-iron radiator sits under the window, and dust packs in between the sections. Wait until it's cool, lay a towel underneath, and work a long, thin radiator brush down between them. Vacuum what falls. Our dusting guide covers the rest of the room.
9. A hamper by the bed
The chair that collects clothes is where bedroom mess starts. A hamper right where you get undressed fixes it. A second small basket for clothes you'll wear again keeps them off the chair, too.
10. A five-minute nightly reset
Before bed: clothes in the hamper or the closet, cups to the kitchen, the nightstand cleared. Five minutes a night keeps the weekend clean short. Our guide to organizing a nightstand helps with the spot that collects the most.
What order should you clean a bedroom in?
- Clear the clutter into a basket.
- Strip the bed and start the wash.
- Dust top to bottom: fan, light, door frame, shelves, dresser, nightstands, radiator, window sill.
- Wipe the light switches and the door handle.
- Vacuum the mattress, under the bed and the floor.
- Put the clean sheets on.
- Sort the basket.
For a bigger reset, see how to declutter your bedroom.
Want help keeping up?
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FAQ
How do I clean my bedroom fast? Clear the floor and surfaces into a basket first, strip the bed and start the wash, dust top to bottom, then vacuum. Put the clean sheets on last. With the clutter out of the way, a small bedroom takes about half an hour.
How do you clean ceiling fan blades without making a mess? Slide an old pillowcase over each blade and pull it back toward you, so the dust falls inside the pillowcase instead of on the bed. Shake it out outside and put it in the wash.
How often should you wash bed sheets? Once a week is a good rhythm, or more often if pets sleep on the bed or someone has allergies. Wash pillows and duvets as the care label directs, a few times a year.
How do you clean under a bed? Pull out anything stored there, then use the vacuum's crevice tool or a flat, low-profile attachment along the floor. Lidded bins make it easy to pull everything out and vacuum each time.
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