How to organize your nightstand so it stays clear

To organize your nightstand, take everything off it and out of the drawer, wipe it clean, and put back only what you use in bed every night: a lamp, a charger, a water glass and one book. Give the drawer a divider so small things have a spot, tame the cords, and spend two minutes a week putting it back.

How do you organize a nightstand step by step?

1. Empty it. Top, drawer and shelf. Put everything on the bed so you can see it.
2. Clean it while it's empty. Dust the top, the drawer and the shelf, and wipe the lamp base and shade with a dry microfiber cloth. Pull the nightstand out and vacuum behind it. That's where the dust, the cords and the lost earrings collect.
3. Sort into three piles. Use every night. Use sometimes. Doesn't belong in the bedroom. The third pile leaves the room today: the mugs, the mail, the receipts, the kids' toys.
4. Top: only the nightly things. A lamp, a charger, a water glass on a coaster, and one book, not five. If you need to move something to set your glass down, there's too much up there.
5. Drawer: the "use sometimes" things, each in its own spot. Divide the drawer before you put anything back.
6. Shelf or lower drawer: bigger things. A basket for the second book, the tablet, an extra blanket.

The whole job takes 20 to 30 minutes the first time.

How should you set up a nightstand drawer?

A shallow drawer turns into a junk drawer fast because everything slides around. A few things help:

• A divider or two or three small boxes. Adjustable drawer dividers work, and so do the small cardboard boxes phones and earbuds come in.
• A front-of-drawer zone for what you reach for half asleep: lip balm, hand cream, earplugs, a sleep mask.
• A back-of-drawer zone for what you use less: spare charger, a pen and notepad, a flashlight.
• Medication in a labeled container, out of reach of small kids if they come into your room.
• A small trash rule: wrappers and tissues don't go in the drawer. Keep a small wastebasket next to the bed.

How do you manage the cords?

• One charger for everything. A single multi-device charger or a charging tray replaces three cables.
• Run the cable down the back leg with two or three adhesive cord clips, so it doesn't drape across the top.
• Plug into a power strip mounted on the back of the nightstand or behind the headboard.
• Lamp with a built-in outlet or USB port, if you're replacing the lamp anyway.

What about a kid's nightstand?

Keep it simpler. A lamp they can switch on themselves, a water bottle with a lid, and one bin or drawer for the bedtime book and a flashlight. If there's a shelf, it holds books standing up, not a pile. Make putting the book back part of the bedtime routine. For the rest of the room, see our kid's bedroom clean-up checklist.

How do you keep a nightstand from getting cluttered again?

• Two-minute reset once a week. Mugs and glasses to the kitchen, paper to the recycling, books back on the shelf, a quick wipe of the top.
• One in, one out for books. Finished it? It leaves before the next one goes on.
• Nothing that isn't for sleep or reading. Mail, bills and laundry live somewhere else.
• Wipe the top when you change the sheets. It's already in your hands.

For more ideas across the whole room, see 10 bedroom cleaning hacks.

Does a house cleaning include the nightstand?

The cleaning, yes. The organizing, no. Organizing and decluttering aren't on any of our cleaning checklists, and counters, shelves and tables are wiped where they're clear of clutter. A nightstand with a lamp and a book gets dusted and wiped.

On a Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, reachable surfaces and furniture are dusted, mirrors and glass surfaces are cleaned, window sills are wiped and floors are vacuumed and mopped. It can be booked one time, weekly, every other week, every 4 weeks or twice a year.

See what's covered at House Cleaning.

FAQ

What should be kept on a nightstand? A lamp, a phone charger, a glass of water on a coaster and whatever you use in bed every night, like one book, lip balm or reading glasses. Everything else goes in the drawer or somewhere else in the room.

What do you put in a nightstand drawer? Small things you reach for at night: hand cream, earplugs, a sleep mask, a pen and notepad, tissues, medication you take at bedtime. Use a small divider or a couple of shallow boxes so each thing has a spot.

How do you hide cords on a nightstand? Run the charger cable down the back leg with a couple of adhesive clips, or drill a small cord hole in the back of the top. A charging tray or one multi-device charger cuts down the number of cables.

Will a house cleaner organize my nightstand? No. Organizing and decluttering aren't on any of our cleaning checklists, and surfaces are wiped where they're clear of clutter. A clear nightstand top gets dusted and wiped.

Book a cleaning

We clean homes across South Jersey and Central Jersey. Book online at tinascleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (609) 831-4455.