To sleep, perchance to dream.
But not just yet! We have important work ahead of us. Welcome to Week 3 of The Deep Clean Challenge! So far, we’ve tackled the kitchen and engaged in a decluttering challenge. Each week, we focus on a different area of the home, providing a solid reset without overwhelming you with lengthy projects. By following the chore schedule (or your own preferred routine), you can maintain a home that is both functional and enjoyable with minimal ongoing effort. And don’t worry; you can always sign up for a refresh at the end of this challenge if you need a new beginning.
Life can be unpredictable, and sometimes we need to clean up the chaos. The bedroom often presents unique challenges, especially for those who are neurodivergent. To assist, we’ve included several diverse strategies at the end of this article, extending beyond our usual recommendations of accountability, body doubling, and utilizing timers and breaks. Remember, neurodivergence exists on a spectrum, and not every strategy will suit everyone. It’s essential to discover the approach that resonates with you. Ultimately, what matters most is that your bedroom is hygienic and comfortable. Clutter only becomes an issue if it disturbs those who use the space. If you share your bedroom, reaching a compromise is vital.
Why are we focusing on cleaning the bedroom this week?
We initiated the Deep Clean Challenge with a general declutter for an immediate visual improvement. Next, we turned our attention to the kitchen to enhance our daily living experience. Now, we shift our focus to the bedroom, a space where most individuals spend approximately one-third of their lives. The only other place you may spend as much time is at your job, assuming you work outside the home. Here at Home-Ec101, we have embraced remote work since the beginning. Heather, for instance, currently operates from the “spare bedroom/office,” and she even penned Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living from the master closet of her previous home.
Given that we spend a significant amount of time in our bedrooms, it’s time to freshen things up, shake off the cobwebs, and invite in some invigorating fresh air and sunlight. However, this might not be the best idea if pollen is rampant in your area. Your experience may vary depending on your location. Please note that exclusions and limitations apply.
To our insomniac friends, we hear you. Your time will come soon. But for now, we’re gearing up to tackle the bathroom next week; we hope that’s a relief!
What areas will we clean in the bedroom?
The extent to which you progress down the list will depend on the initial state of your bedroom. Keep in mind that this challenge isn’t meant to consume your entire day. We have a time limit of two hours for active cleaning. The washer and dryer will play a crucial role in this week’s challenge, so timing may vary. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Fan/light fixture
- Drapes/windows
- Walls
- Switchplates/doorframes
- Shelving
- Dressers
- Chairs
- Exercise Equipment
- Mirror
- Nightstand(s)/lamp(s)
- Bed
- Under the bed
- Baseboards
- Flooring
What is our objective in cleaning the bedroom?
While we are not therapists, and we certainly do not pretend to be, we understand that the state of your bedroom can be intertwined with various personal issues. Our goal is to help you get your space to a functional state that works for you. Cleanliness is key—remove all dishes, manage laundry responsibilities (ideally storing it elsewhere), and ensure the bed is prepared for your next restful night.
There’s no room for judgment or shame here. Life brings enough of that! We all deserve a peaceful space to retreat to.
What tools and cleaning supplies do we need to clean the bedroom?
This list is tailored to accommodate the various materials and starting conditions that may exist in a bedroom. Not every bedroom will require all these supplies, so keep your expectations reasonable. If your room is currently a chaotic mess, similar to what you might find in a teenager’s room, or if you’re dealing with the aftermath of parenting, a depressive episode, or burnout, don’t expect to tackle the baseboards this time around.
Who really pays attention to baseboards anyway? (If someone does, hand them a rag and a bucket, and kindly show them the door! You don’t need that kind of negativity. At least you’ll have clean baseboards and less judgment.)
- Garbage bags
- Bus tubs/bins
- Rubber gloves
- Rags
- Degreaser
- Glass cleaner
- Paper towels
- Vacuum cleaner
- Soft bristle attachment
- Stepladder
- Foxtail or soft bristle brush
- Broom and dustpan
Nice to have/get:
- Well-fitted KN-95 mask*
- Allergy barriers:
Pillows
Mattress - Scented linen spray (Lisa’s favorite)
- New lightbulbs, if any are burnt out
- Cord keepers/organizers
- A spare charger
Given the numerous nooks, crannies, and soft materials in bedrooms, they tend to accumulate dust. Cleaning can stir up that dust, so if you have allergies, wearing a mask while you clean can spare you an afternoon or evening of discomfort. Embrace your inner self-care advocate and treat yourself well!
How do we get started with this week’s challenge to clean the bedroom?
Have you reached out to your accountability friend? Are your supplies prepped and ready? Have you loaded your favorite music or podcasts? Fantastic! Now, let’s dive in and get started.
How long should cleaning the bedroom take?
As with previous cleaning challenges, the duration will vary. We aim to keep these deep cleaning sessions under two hours—no one wants to sacrifice an entire day off for cleaning! Focus on what you can manage. If your room is in a particularly challenging state, prioritize clearing out dishes, trash, and laundry first. Then, make getting your bed ready for a good night’s sleep your next goal. You can save the dusting and deep cleaning for future rounds.
Let’s Clean that Bedroom!
Got allergies? Grab that mask! (And wear it even if you’re not dusting today, as simply moving items around can stir up dust.) Gather your laundry hamper, trash bag, and bins or bags for transporting items to their rightful places. Start by clearing out everything that doesn’t belong: trash, dishes, laundry, and misplaced objects.
Now, let’s embark on the cleaning process: Top to bottom, left to right, dry to wet. This method ensures that any dirt is pushed down and out, preventing it from settling back into the cleaned areas.
Is there a ceiling fan? Turn it off, and while it winds down, make some decisions. Will you be washing the bedspread, duvet cover, or comforter? If no, remove it from the bed and place it in the hallway or closet for now. Spread the top sheet over the entire bed; this will act as your dust-catcher until we finish with the dusty tasks.
Clean the fan.
Begin with the fan blades and enjoy the sight of the dust bunnies you create. Ensure the fan is rotating in the correct direction for the season—during warmer months, the blades should spin counter-clockwise. Don’t overlook cleaning the light fixture part of the ceiling fan.
No fan?
WBTAG00014
While that dust settles, check the corners of the room for cobwebs and gently knock them down. We want to avoid adding wall repairs to your to-do list.
Clean the windows and window coverings.
If you have curtains or drapes, check if they are washable and decide if you’ll wash them today. If not, use the soft bristle attachment to vacuum them. If you lack this attachment, gently brush the dust and cobwebs downward toward the floor using a clean, soft-bristled brush, like a foxtail. You can apply the same technique to your mini blinds. If your blinds have been neglected, give them a quick once-over today; you can devote more time to them in the next round of The Deep Clean Challenge.
Now, hold off on washing the windows; we’re going to pause our top-down approach for a moment and shift our focus to horizontal surfaces.
Clean shelves, dresser(s), and nightstand(s)
We already cleared these surfaces of clutter and trash, so this should be a quick wipe-down to eliminate dust and tidy up. Don’t forget to clean any non-overhead light fixtures as well.
Some experts suggest keeping electronics out of the bedroom for improved sleep quality. However, that might not be feasible in shared living spaces. Set reminders to utilize “do not disturb” hours, with emergency exceptions—shout out to our fellow anxiety warriors! Use cord organizers or zip ties to prevent your nightstand from transforming into a tangled mess. Heather prefers these products, but 3M also offers a clear Command version.
Clean chairs and exercise equipment.
Use the vacuum for any upholstered furniture, and wipe down hard surfaces and exercise equipment.
Strip the bed.
This is the moment you’ve been anticipating. Strip the bed all the way down to the mattress. If your mattress pad requires washing, get that started. Wipe down the headboard and footboard if you have them. Rotate the mattress as well. If your mattress isn’t in an allergy barrier and you don’t plan to add one today, give it a thorough vacuum.
How to rotate a mattress.
Traditional mattresses need to be rotated to maintain even wear. Think of it like rotating the tires on a car. Each season, shift the mattress through a set pattern: First, rotate it 90 degrees so the head is now at the foot. Three months later, flip it so the top becomes the bottom. Three months after that, rotate it again so the head is the foot, and then flip it once more in another three months. This approach isn’t perfect, but it helps extend the mattress’s life by regularly changing the stress points. If you have an allergy barrier, zip it onto your mattress and replace the mattress pad (if it’s in the wash, hold off on this step until it’s ready).
Are your sheets clean and ready? Replace them now. For pillows, toss them in the dryer to fluff them up (check the care tag first!). Zip them into their allergy barriers and add your pillowcases.
Make the bed.
Since today is a special deep cleaning, enhance your room’s inviting atmosphere with a pleasant scent, if you enjoy them. Lisa loves the Calm app’s lavender spray, while Heather is a fan of the Calm app in general. Make your bed inviting so you’ll look forward to sliding in tonight.
Vacuum or sweep
This should be a thorough vacuuming or sweeping session, not just a quick pass through the middle. Get into the corners and beneath everything. Use the crevice tool to clean along the baseboards and behind the curtains.
Clean the walls.
If anyone in your home smokes, a diluted degreaser will make this task much easier, as nicotine creates a sticky yellow film. Remember to wear gloves, as degreasers can dry out your skin. Avoid scrubbing and refrain from getting the walls overly wet, as bedrooms are often painted with flat, matte, or eggshell finishes that aren’t meant to withstand heavy scrubbing. Wring out your cloth and strive for consistency to avoid creating clean patches and streaks. Work your way from top to bottom and left to right.
Take a quick lap around the room to clean switchplates, and inspect the doors and door jams for fingerprints and smudges at various heights.
Wash the windows.
Now it’s time to let the light flood in! If you’ve made it this far and still have time left, feel free to tackle those nooks and crannies.
Put your cleaning supplies away. You’re all done.
Congratulations! You deserve a reward. What’s something enjoyable you can do in your newly cleaned room right now?
Neurodivergent Tips:
Tools, tips, and resources for accessibility and success are simply that—tools. If they help you achieve your goals of making your home and life more functional, then they’ve done their job. If painter’s tape makes life easier for you, then use it!
One of the more challenging aspects of neurodiversity can be related to executive function. This encompasses time management, prioritizing tasks, and more. When cleaning a room, this may manifest as getting sidetracked or feeling overwhelmed to the point of not doing anything at all. Managing executive function issues can be complex, and it may take multiple attempts to discover the strategy that works best for your situation. Break the room down into tiny, manageable tasks, much smaller than what is outlined in this article. If there is demand, let us know if you’d like a detailed breakdown printable—we can create and send one that accounts for various bedroom scenarios.
Dividing a room into 2′ or 3′ squares with string or painter’s tape can make it far more manageable than attempting to address the entire space at once. Grid the room in a way that makes sense (try to keep the bed for sleeping and other designated activities!).
Does your room have “doom piles” or “doom boxes”? This isn’t a negative thing—it means that the items are already partially sorted; they just need to be distributed. Tackle one doom pile or box at a time, taking breaks in between. If you find it overwhelming to manage the entire bedroom today, focus on one pile at a time. Every pile you conquer is a victory! That’s one of the joys of adulthood; we get to set our own pace and rules.
If there’s a tendency to bring dishes into the bedroom, consider placing a bus bin in the room to collect them instead of scattering them across surfaces. This keeps dishes organized and simplifies the process of removing them from the room.
Lastly, check out Behavioral Activation: @drjenwolkin #behavior #CorollaCrossStep #wellnesstips 🎶 Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic
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