7 Day Bedroom Challenge: Day 1 – The Bed

Today is National Make Your Bed Day.  No, I didn’t make that up.  Silly? Perhaps.  Inspirational?  Definitley.

Did you know that people who make their bed daily report having a better night’s sleep than those who don’t? Making your bed daily can also lead to less stress and help you to be more productive throughout the day.  And is there anything better than climbing into a soft, clean, made bed after a long day?  Not in my book.

The Attention It (And You) Deserve

This got me thinking about bedrooms in general.  We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping.  If you add that up with all the other time we spend in our bedrooms not sleeping, that would make our bedrooms the room we spend the most time in.  It is also the only room in the home that is soley devoted (or should be) to our comfort, rest, and relaxation. I would bet, though,  that it is not the room that you spend the most time cleaning, decorating, and appointing.  Maybe it should be.

We are going to spend each day on the blog this week talking about our bedrooms and the steps we can take to make it the most peaceful sanctuary we can.  Today, we start with the bed…

Transport Yourself

Before we dive into today’s steps, I want you to take a minute, sit back, relax, and transport yourself to the best guest room or hotel room you have ever stayed in.  What was it about that particular space that spoke to you?  What did it look like? How did it make you feel? Can you pinpoint the elements within it that made you feel the way you did? This is the feeling that we want to recreate in our own bedrooms.  After all, we shouldn’t have to wait until we are on vacation to pamper ourselves and nurture our souls.

Day One Steps

Let’s start with the bed.  I want you to strip your bed of all its linens and put them in the washing machine. While they are washing throw your pillows into your dryer to refresh them.  Do you have a favorite set of sheets?  Go ahead and get them out and make sure they are fresh smelling and clean.  If they are clean but need a little refresh from sitting in a linen closet, throw them in the dryer for a bit.  While your linens are being pampered in the laundry room, you have work to do.  Trust me, it will be worth it!  Grab your vacuum and all its attachments and head to your bedroom.

Take everything out that is under your bed.  Does it all belong there?  Is there a more appropriate place it can be stored.  Does anything need to be donated?  Sort through that and then get under that bed and dust and vacuum.  Don’t forget the floor boards along the wall and the bottom of the mattress.  When you have finished this step put back the things that need to be stored under your bed.

When your favorite bed linens are clean and dry put them back on the bed and make it like the Queen of England is going to spend the night.  Seriously, why shouldn’t you treat yourself like a queen?

Take a moment to take in what you have done and look forward to tonight’s rest.

Sleep tight tonight and check back tomorrow for Day 2 of the 7 Day Bedroom Challenge!

Sweet dreams,