Your primary bedroom should be a soothing sanctuary in which you can unwind after a busy day, but many people don’t give their sleep space the attention it deserves. Even once you have finished decorating your space and styling it to your liking, it is important to maintain this room of the home so that it continues to serve you over time.
Most people do not realize how often they should replacing daily essentials such as bed pillows and sheets. So we spoke with three professional organizers about when to swap out these items for new ones, and other key bedroom items that you may wish to refresh on a more regular basis in order to create the most welcoming, comfortable room possible.
Bed Pillows
The pillows you sleep on may seem like they’re in good condition, but if you’ve had them for more than a few years, it’s likely time to purchase new ones.
Why should you swap out pillows that seem perfectly fine? This is due to reasons that you can’t pinpoint with a naked eye.
“Pillows are a breathe-catcher, germ-catcher, dead skin cell-catcher, pet fur-catcher, and drool-catcher,” says Jill Moore, the founder of Organized Jill.
Pillows are also going to have lost their original shape due to night after night of use. As Nancy Meck, the founder of Meck Organizing, points out, you may not even remember how much softer your pillow was when you first bought it—but it was definitely more plush than it is now.
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Bedsheets and Mattress Covers
Once you’ve tackled replacing your pillows, it’s time to turn to your bedsheets and mattress cover and refresh these key pieces as well, says Kim Salisbury, the founder of Home Method Co.
Like pillows, sheets and mattress covers absorb oils, dead skin cells, dust mites, and more, and should be swapped out every two years, Salisbury says.
While two years may seem like a short period of time to hold onto these types of items, you should view making these upgrades as a true investment in yourself.
“Treat yourself to new bedding,” Salisbury says. “You spend half your life in bed, make it the healthiest bed you can!”
Curtains and Other Drapery
Drapes can go a long way in shaping a room. If yours are looking a bit outdated, go ahead and replace them, suggests Moore.
“Styles change and your taste changes, and it’s fun to change the curtains to get a refreshed space for a reasonable price,” she says. “Give your space an easy mini-makeover.”
Think about ways that you can enhance functionality in your bedroom during this process. For example, maybe it’s finally time to invest in blackout curtains or to opt for a motorized set of blinds to make your sleep space feel a bit more luxe.
Settle on a look that complements the direction you’re going in your home. If you crave a more modern look, say goodbye to valances, for example. Love a grandmillennial vibe? Bring on a floral-heavy pattern.
Wall Photos and Wall Art
While it likely isn’t feasible to completely redecorate your bedroom whenever inspiration strikes, there are small ways that you can update your space to better suit your current mood. One change you’re likely not making as often as you could be is updating the framed photos within your sleep space.
“Bedrooms are one of the biggest spots for photo frames to collect,” Moore says. “Changing out the photos periodically, or getting a digital frame to change them for you, is a fun way to revisit memories.”
Best of all, an update like this one is efficient (you can send your photos to a pharmacy for one-hour printing, if you wish), cost-effective (using your own pictures as art is much more affordable than buying premade prints), and fun (who doesn’t want to look back on special trips or celebrations with friends and loved ones?).
