For the proprietors at Neatnik, keeping your bedside table clear is an ongoing project. They seem to always collect books, magazines, and bottles of hand cream. And we’ve written before about our many book worm clients with “the stacks” next to their beds. (Younger readers, “the stacks” refers to the rows of bookshelves in a library.) This is an issue for our favorite kind of people – the endlessly curious, the always learning, and the overly ambitious readers. Today, we’re going to get a handle on the night stands and the dressers in our rooms. Making these surfaces clutter and dust free will help promote a more calm feeling in the room and work against the anxiety many of us are feeling these days.
Step 1: Clear Surfaces
Take everything off of your bedside table and dresser. If your bedside table has drawers or a cabinet, empty those, too.
Step 2: Clean
Take a microfiber cloth or a paper towel and clean. If you have a glass surface, use some spray cleaner. Use the cloth to clean off all of the items you had on your surfaces – books, bottles, jewelry boxes, framed photos, etc.
Step 3: Cull Down Items Stored on Surfaces
Look through your items and consider the ones that you don’t really need to have stored so visibly and close to your bed. For example, instead of half a dozen books, you could just have the one you’re currently reading. If you store numerous perfume bottles on your dresser, consider keeping out the one you actually wear. It’s a good idea during Covid-19 shelter in place to keep your surfaces more clear and therefore easier to keep clean. So if you enjoy having lots of knick knacks on your dresser, think about temporarily storing some of those items elsewhere in the interest of cleanliness. Here is a great video from Theodore Leaf, which was filmed before the pandemic really broke out in the U.S., about steps to take to prepare your house. I found it to be very helpful.
Step 4: Consider Using Trays
One way to keep items on surfaces contained and easier to keep clean is to keep them on trays. This is also a good idea to carry glasses and (God forbid!) snacks in and out of your room on trays. This helps contain spills and crumbs. You may already have some trays in your home you can use, but here are a few that we like:
Cq acrylic Decorative Tray
Lavish Home Acrylic Catchall Tray
boweiwj Stainless Steel Towel Tray
Step 5: Put Everything Back
Now that you’ve reduced the number of items you’re storing on your dresser and your night stand, you can put everything back. Sort like with like, contain items on trays, and limit the number of items.
Your newly cleaned off surfaces are free and clear and much easier to keep clean! Snap a pic of your amazing work and share it on social media with a #NeatnikDC tag!