Guest Post - How To Organize Your Bedroom To Improve Sleep Quality

Staying organized is a key way to achieve contentment in different aspects of your life as people are much happier and calmer in uncluttered spaces. Just think back on how much more productive you are when you’re in a clean home or office versus a messy one. Clutter can contribute to feelings of anxiety and guilt, which is a recipe for disaster when it comes to getting quality sleep. It’s important to have a clear head when you tuck yourself in at night, otherwise, those anxious thoughts may end up getting the better of you and your quality of sleep. Here are a few ways you can minimize messes to maximize rest. 

Make The Most Out Of Your Space

There’s a popular idiom that goes “a place for everything and everything in its place,” and it couldn’t ring truer in this context. Especially in a confined space like a bedroom, it’s important to organize accordingly to make sure everything is neat, tidy, and comfortable. 

Furnish your room with nightstands that contain extra storage space like a cabinet or a drawer so you can easily stash away different miscellaneous items like mail, hand cream, face mask, Kleenex, pens, etc. You should also use the space under your bed to store suitcases, random boxes, or last seasons’ clothes to allow for extra room in your closet for things like your hamper, or plastic organization drawers. 

Speaking of beds, make sure your mattress is an appropriate size for your room. Your bed is your bedroom’s centerpiece, but it shouldn’t be so big that it’s hard to maneuver around or fit other furniture. Queen mattresses are ideal for smaller spaces because they don’t take up as much room as a king mattress, but they’re still sizable enough to comfortably share with a significant other. 

Bins, Baskets, And Hooks, Oh My!

For everything else your dresser, nightstand, and bookcase can’t hold, you can always turn to bins, baskets, and wall hooks to organize your things. Hooks that attach to the wall or fit over the door are perfect for hanging jackets, towels, hats, scarves, and jewelry. You can even buy decorative hooks that match the style of your bedroom, so they also function as cute decor.

Additionally, instead of tossing your gently worn clothing around different areas of your room, keep them all together in a bin or wicker basket. You’ll know exactly where to find that shirt you barely wore a few days ago, and it’ll prevent your cleanish clothes from ending up on the floor. You can also use bins to store extra shoes you seldomly wear, random trinquets that aren’t on display, or honestly just about any random little objects that need organizing. 

Keep A Pen And Pad Handy

Having an easily accessible piece of paper and writing utensil nearby on your dresser or bedside table has proven to be beneficial for people who suffer from the Zeigarnik effect. You might not be familiar with the term, but most of us have experienced the effect. It’s when you lay down to go to bed, and you’re instantly flooded with thoughts of all the tasks you didn’t accomplish that day.

One of the most effective ways to combat this is by physically jotting down the responsibilities you didn’t finish on paper; it helps rid you of your anxiety and organize your thoughts so you don’t have to stay up all night with your worries. There’s also something about writing down your responsibilities that makes you more likely to do them. 

Utilize Blackout Shades

Light pollution can negatively impact your sleep as it throws off your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is like your body’s natural alarm clock, and it’s heavily influenced by light and darkness. As such, you want your room to be as dark as possible to ensure you’re getting quality sleep. Blackout shades are really effective at keeping outside light from penetrating in, and they even make it significantly darker during the day in the event you want to sneak in a little daytime snooze. 

Purify The Air With Plants

You can always purchase an air purifier to rid your bedroom’s air of contaminants, but plants are an alternative, and aesthetically pleasing way to get the job done. Certain plants have the power to naturally purify the air, like English Ivy which the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology claimed could remove 94% of airborne feces and 78% of airborne mold spores.

About The Author

McKenzie Dillon is a blogger and sleep enthusiast for The Slumber Yard, a leading mattress reviews website. When she’s not sleeping, McKenzie likes attending comedy shows, hiking and cooking. 

Guest Post - 8 Ways to Transform Your Guest Room into a Calming Retreat

Having company stay overnight at your house is exciting, but also nerve-wracking. There are just so many questions that you want to ask to ensure they have a good time. Will they find your guest bed comfortable? What will they think of your décor? Will they be okay with your cat running around like a lunatic at 3 a.m.?

While we can’t answer that last question, we can help you create an overnight setup for your guests that is as relaxing as it is cozy. Below, here are eight surefire ways of creating a calming retreat for your guests that will make them feel pampered and loved.

Go Coastal

There is not a single person on earth who doesn’t find the ocean relaxing. Well, maybe Tom Hanks’ character in Castaway isn’t a big fan, but he’s fictional so our point still stands. Everyone loves the ocean’s ultra-calming vibes, so why not remind your guests of the salt, sand and the sea with a coastal bedding set? You can complete the look with a few coastal throw pillows, a weathered wood nightstand and a natural fiber rug that will instantly put guests into vacay-mode. Just don’t be surprised if your guests start jonesing for some daiquiris after spending a single night in your coastal haven.

Tone it Down 

Look, we love a bold accent wall just as much as the next interior designer, but there is a time and a place for a fun splash of color. Those places include literally anywhere but your guest bedroom. Different color preferences aside, bright and bold hues generally aren’t relaxing colors. To create a calming atmosphere in your guest bedroom, stick to a neutral color palette. Not only will it give a luxurious vibe, but a neutral hue will also help guests relax and feel more at home in the space. If you’re just itching to show off your color prowess to guests, go bold with the powder room or guest bathroom instead. 

Pile on the Blankets

We all know how some men can be at the thought of anyone touching their precious thermostat. If you don’t want your guests to mess with it (and cause a meltdown from Mr. Temperature Control over there), be sure to choose lightweight sheets for the guest bed and toss on a cozy-looking throw blanket that your guests can use in case it gets chilly. If you’re concerned that the throw blanket won’t be enough, place a cute basket in the corner and fill it with a chunky knit blanket or two for your guests. If they’re still cold after that, then you either need to get a heating blanket to keep them from freezing during the night or move out of the frozen tundra you call home.

Greet Them with a Bed Tray

If you search for “cozy bedroom ideas” on Pinterest right now, there’s a good chance that at least half of the pictures that appear will feature a cozy-looking bed with a tray on them. That’s because there’s just something oh-so-comforting and inviting about a bed tray with all our favorite goodies on them. Bed trays are perfect for guest bedrooms in particular because it gives you the opportunity to impress your guests and make them feel as though they just checked in to a five-star hotel. Load that bad boy up with some Pellegrino and a few decadent chocolates, and you’ll blow your guests away with your thoughtfulness. 

Give It a Reading Nook

If your guests don’t enjoy curling up with a good book and a cup of tea, then why are they even your guests? Just kidding—sort of. Even if your visitors aren’t voracious readers (it’s their loss, really), creating a cozy reading nook in your guest bedroom is a smart way to make use of an empty corner. It doesn’t need to be super swanky with a built-in library and a huge daybed. If you’re working with a small space, all you really need is a cozy chair, a chic lamp and some complimentary reading material (i.e., magazines, beach reads, a copy of Kama Sutra— you know, the usual).

Set the Mood with Lighting

Lighting can make or break the ambiance in a guest bedroom, or any room for that matter. To give your guest bedroom some high-style, swap regular lamps for chic wall sconces and make sure that you get the brightness just right. Warm lighting is more natural and will give the room a cozy feel at nighttime. To give your guest bedroom some Pinterest-worthy appeal, you can also put candles in gorgeous lanterns of various sizes. Pro tip: Get flameless candles. Sure, it won’t look as natural as the real thing, but it will create a similar ambiance without the fire hazard.

Add Some Greenery

If you use your guest bedroom regularly, add some life to your space with a few lush potted plants. Trendy and relaxing, plants can instantly elevate a room and are well-known for their mood-boosting abilities (plant therapy is an actual thing). They’re also a better décor option compared to a pretty vase of flowers, which can be far too aromatic for guests with sensitive sniffers. And if you’re worried about your black thumb, don’t sweat it. Just reach for hardier plants, such as a pothos plant. Seriously, this plant regularly defies death on a level that reminds us of Westley from The Princess Bride. 

Provide Luxurious Bathrobes 

The best part about staying at a five-star hotel (other than the welcome macaroons, of course) is getting to slip into a plush, Italian-made bathrobe after taking a hot bath. There’s just something about hotel bathrobes that can make you feel like royalty. If you want to go all out to pamper your guests, slip a couple of luxurious bathrobes (and slippers, if you know their shoe size) into the guest room closet. They’ll feel like they just checked into the Ritz Carlton, minus the butler service and full-service spa. But we think they’ll get by without those perks, don’t you?

Give It a Test Run

Finally, don’t forget to give your guest bedroom a trial run. Sleep in your guest bed and walk through the steps your guests might take when they stay at your home. Is it comfortable at night? What could make their stay better? Answer those questions, and you should have a calming and comfortable space for your future guests. Oh, and for the love of technology, don’t forget to give them the Wi-Fi info!

Written in Collaboration with Southern Tide.

Guest Post - New Ideas for Creating a Bedroom for Your Kids This 2020

Creating your kids’ bedroom can be quite tedious but on the other hand, it can be fun, especially for your child. Their surroundings can have a significant impact on how they grow and develop. Hence, as a parent, you would want to build an atmosphere conducive for your child’s development, which includes playing and studying.

Running out of ideas that will fit your budget? You have come to the right place. Below are some great, new ideas for creating your kids’ bedroom:

Fitted furniture

Flexibility is key for people that are on a budget. Fitted furniture is designed to grow with your child. Sustainable designs goes a long way, provided that it will be handled with care.

Lights on

There are a variety of things you can do with the lighting inside your child’s bedroom. You can stick glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling or their headboard for a dreamy vibe. For night lights, you can put fiber optics with designs for your own kids’ starry night that should provide relief when they can’t see well during nighttime.

Color coordination

Colors make things look nice that is why it appeals to kids. Try a color-coordinated closet. Different colors serve as the label for their clothes. It makes it more fun for them to organize and it will be easier to teach them how to practice neatness.

Reading nook

Place your kids’ books nearer to them by placing reading nooks. Nooks basically serve as a stand for the books to be displayed on. This way they’ll be more inclined to read. A good thing is, a hardware store near you most likely have good ones, not just for books but for towels and pieces of clothing as well.

Freedom wall

Leave a blank space on the bedroom wall for your child to do creative stuff in. String together pictures and put them up on it, have them draw scribbles, or even hang framed pictures of their artworks.

Storage under the bed

As kids grow up, they continue to accumulate more toys and other stuff like crayons and all the art stuff. Have built-in storage drawers on their beds for additional storage and for a quicker clean-up. It is where you can fit their smaller toys in to. You can also use casters to avoid clutter.

Re-use old furniture

Got any old furniture in storage? Maybe it’s time to clean and refurbish them so your children can use them in their room. For instance, an old dresser. It can be transformed into a table where you can place a lamp or a clock.

Cozy bed

Of course, your kid’s bed has to be comfortable. Think about the fabric and what kind of style you would want it to be. Upholstered ones can be cozier and easy to clean.

To wrap it up, whichever idea you would want to consider will depend on the scheme you decide to implement. Keep in mind that your top priority is your child’s comfort and growth.

Author’s Bio:

Angelo Castelda works as a contributor for a news magazine in Asia. He loves to learn and understand diverse cultures and aims to share through his writing his experiences around the world.

Guest Post - Five Effective Ways To Clean Your Mattress

When you are dead tired after a long day and your body is craving some good sleep, all you want to do is sink into your mattress and lull away to dreamland. But, do you know that your night’s sleep depends on how well you take care of your mattress. All-night perspiration, dead skin cells, dust, and dirt can become a breeding ground for mites and bed bugs that disturb your sleep.

Unless you clean and deodorize the mattress frequently, you will wake up in the middle of the night with your skin itching and stuffy nose unable to take the bad smell emitting from your bed. While regular dusting, cleaning, and making the bed is a part of the daily routine, you need to do a thorough cleaning once in a while to prevent any dust and bacteria build-ups. 

In this post, I will share with you five effective ways to clean your mattress and enjoy a good night’s sleep. This will not only help you keep your environment clean and ensure good sleep but also protect your family from unnecessary health hazards, so read on.

Take Out The Vacuum Cleaner

Even if you do regular dusting of your bed and mattress, chances are that there will be smaller particles of dust, bacteria and pet dander that will still remain. So, you need to take out the vacuum cleaner once or twice a week depending on the dust levels in your area. 

You can use the upholstery attachment to clean the mattress thoroughly. Start with the bedsheets, then the mattress covers, toppers and finally the mattress. Clean with overlapping strokes and work your own way down to deep clean the mattress. This will ensure that you don’t let the dust settle on the surface. 

Besides removing dust particles, vacuuming can also help remove the dead skin cells and pet dander that become a thriving platform for dust mites.  If you have a handheld vacuum cleaner, you can quickly run it over the mattress to fix quick maintenance between the deep cleanings.

Get Rid Of The Stains 

If you have pets and kids at home, then it’s needless to say that your mattress will become a battleground will all sorts of food residues and liquid spills. If not taken care of immediately, the fluid can get absorbed by the mattress and become difficult to remove later on. Blood and urine stains are the toughest of all and it can be challenging to get rid of them.

The good news is that you can clean those stains using items you have stashed into the medicine cabinet, so roll up your sleeves and let’s get cleaning. Here’s is a simple stain removing formula you can prepare at home to clean your mattress.

Take ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide and mix this with one tablespoon of mild liquid dishwashing soap and a tablespoon of salt. Now, spread this paste over the stains and let it dry completely. This effective formula is good enough to lift the most stubborn stains. When it dries, scrape away and clean with a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide.

Remove Bad Odor With Baking Soda

When food stains, dirt, and dust start accumulating on the mattress, they can absorb moisture, develop a bad smell and get infected with bacteria. The high humidity levels caused by body perspiration also aggravate the bad odor, but you can treat it using baking soda from your kitchen.

To use baking soda to clean your mattress, first, you need to remove all the bed covers and mattress protectors. Now, sprinkle the baking soda directly on top of the mattress to get a generous coating over it. Now, rub the baking soda on the fabric lightly and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. 

Baking soda not only helps in absorbing the excess moisture on the mattress but also traps the bad smell. After waiting for some time, use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the baking soda from the mattress to get a clean and fresh-smelling surface. 

Using A Handheld Steam Cleaner To Kill Bacteria

The mattress that looks clean after you wake up is actually covered in dust mites, dirt, bed bugs, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Most of these are not visible to the naked eyes, but your inability to sleep peacefully at night due to itching skin and stinking odor are clear indications of their presence.

A handheld steam cleaner is a powerful device to remove the dirt and dust but also effectively kill the germs and mites. Steam cleaning will help you get rid of the allergens and promote good sleep. However, remember to vacuum clean before using a steam cleaner to get rid of the loose debris and large particles.

You choose from a plethora of steam cleaners available in the market to suit your budget and cleaning needs. Any device that can heat water up to boiling level - 212 °F (100 °C) is a good choice. Apply steam on a mattress in long and slow strokes to penetrate and kill the hidden germs. 

Add Years To Your Mattress With A Protector 

Everything in this world comes with an expiry date, and mattresses are no exception. If you want to add years to your mattress and make it outlive its expiry date then remember to invest in pre-emptive protection. Get a good quality mattress protector to ensure that your mattress stays in good shape.

The mattress protector not only protects your investment from dirt and dust but also prevents sweat and liquid spills to get inside the fabric. It is inevitable that the mattress protector will also gather dust, skin cells and pet dander, thus it requires cleaning as well.

However, replacing a mattress protector frequently is easier on the pocket than buying a new mattress, plus it helps in adding more years to the mattress you love.

Related Questions

Can I use essential oil to deodorize the mattress?

Some people may not like the smell of baking soda so they can use essential oil to add a nice fragrant smell to the mattress. Add about 10-20 drops of essential oil to the baking soda and shake well to mix evenly. Rub or sprinkle this mixture on the mattress and leave it for 10 minutes, and then vacuum clean to remove the residue. 

Is cleaning the mattress enough for good sleep?

Besides cleaning the mattress, make sure you also wash the bed linen, pillow covers, and blankets in warm water to remove dust, and kill germs. Flip the mattress so that the other side can also be cleaned thoroughly. You must also clean the bed frame with a vacuum cleaner. 

How often should you clean the mattress?

To prevent the dead skin cells, dirt, and bacteria from building up, make sure you clean the mattress at least once in every 3 to 6 months. It may be a bit of hassle, but this effort will not only enhance the durability of your mattress but also ensure good health of your family. 

Can I use a handheld steam cleaner on any mattress?

A steam cleaner is a chemical-free and effective device to sanitize, deodorize and kills mites/ bugs. However, not all models are suitable for cleaning so remember to read the instructions carefully and always ask the manufacturer when in doubt.

Author Bio: Jamie is a passionate writer and blogger who is extremely enthusiastic about things that aid in saving the environment and reducing carbon footprints. She owns a blog where she loves sharing useful ideas and tips to keep the house clean and well organized. When she’s not scribbling down her thoughts, she loves to travel and try new ways of making sushi at home.