“I hate housework. You make the beds, you wash the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again.”

- Joan Rivers

Spring is that wonderful time of year where everyone wants to feel more clean, fresh and lively. There’s a reason spring cleaning is a tradition across the world, and for most, that starts in the home. We spend a large portion of our lives inside our humble abodes, so making them feel like a sanctuary is important.

This spring, we’re focusing on the bedroom. With 8 hours of every day spent sleeping, our bedrooms are a vital part of the home, and there are a few things you can do during your spring cleaning activities that can turn your bedroom from just another room to your favorite space in the house. Here are a few ways to freshen up the bedroom:

Remove anything that doesn’t belong

You will start to resent your bedroom if it becomes a dumping ground for clothing and any random junk you have lying around. You should be able to get into bed at night without jumping over kids toys, piles of laundry, and other discarded items, so start your spring clean by removing anything that doesn’t belong in the bedroom.

When was the last time you washed everything? Seriously… every, single, thing. Remove the sheets, duvet cover, mattress protector, everything that may not have been changed in a while and get the washing on. You might even consider laundering your pillows (not just the pillow cases) if they happen to be machine washable. Laundering everything that you sleep on will make your bedroom feel much fresher, and smell fresh too!

Flip and vacuum your mattress

While the linens are washing, it’s time to flip your mattress. This is recommended by most sleep experts as a way to even out the general wear and tear that the mattress will endure over its lifetime, but it’s also a good way for you to experience the more plush, cushioned side again after months, even years of creating an indent where your body lies every night.

Also, don’t forget to vacuum! This may sound a little out-there, but dust and dead skin cells settle on your mattress over time, so giving the surface of the mattress a once-over with the vacuum before replacing the sheets is a great way to really freshen up where you sleep.

Clean the windows

Another of everyone’s least favorite household tasks, and since smudges on windows are not something you notice every day, many of us skip the chore of cleaning the windows entirely. If you want to spring clean your bedroom with a view to getting better sleep, however, this could actually help.

Studies show that starting your day by throwing open the curtains and getting your fix of vitamin D from the sunlight outside can make you feel more awake and energized in the morning. Making your windows shiny and clean is a good way to encourage you to take this action each day. Also, dust off the windowsill so you’re more inclined to open the curtains upon waking, without a dirty windowsill waiting to say good morning.

Let the fresh air in

Just like sunlight helps to wake you up, so does fresh air. Open the windows regularly in your bedroom and let fresh air in to replace the stuffy, stale feel. A stuffy room that is too warm can affect our sleep too, as our bodies prefer cool temperatures to sleep in, so this is a great way to make your space a real sleep haven.

Introduce items with sleep in mind

We’ve come full circle because just as you earlier got rid of everything in the room that is not somehow useful for sleep, you can now introduce the things that are. Some of our favorites include: our award-winning Sleep Well Therapy Balm to sit by your bedside, the Casper Glow Light to help you wind down for bed and achieve the optimum sleep lighting, and our De-Stress Candle to fill the room with essential oils designed to eliminate stress.

It’s time we all looked forward to our bedtime ritual, and spring cleaning our bedrooms with improved sleep in mind is a great way to start.