When you’re constantly on the go and overwhelmed with daily life, it’s easy for your bedroom to become cluttered. Between doing laundry, changing clothes, and tossing things aside, any bench or chair can quickly turn into a catchall for spillovers. Let’s be honest—many of us place seating in our bedrooms rooms just to catch backpacks, purses, clothes, mail, and other items we don’t feel like putting away. But why has the bedroom “clothes chair” become such a staple in our households?

I’m guilty of this myself and have been since my earlier years. I’m sure many adults who lose a grasp on organization encounter this issue from time to time as well. The thing is, when it comes to the clothes chair in your bedroom or living space, you often don’t realize how far it has gone until the entire chair—from the seat, back, top, and bottom—is covered in things that naturally have their rightful place elsewhere in your home.

To help you free yourself and reclaim the clothes chair in your bedroom, we’ve rounded up five tips to keep the chair clean and free of unnecessary clutter.

How To Declutter Your Bedroom Clothes Chair:

Sort Out Your Mess

Declutter your clothes chair by first creating a stockpile of everything on it and determining what belongs where. Are there clothes that need hanging? Bags that need to be stored? Food plates that should be trashed or placed in the dishwasher? (This happens more often than you’d think.) Once you’ve sorted out these basics, your seating chair will finally have the freedom and space it deserves.

Place Your Clothes in Their Proper Places

The chair in your bedroom isn’t an extra closet. If your clothes are worn and dirty, place them in the laundry hamper. For everything else—like sweaters, jackets and coats—make sure to hang them up properly or fold and put them away.

Hold Yourself Accountable

This might be challenging, but it’s crucial to hold yourself accountable for not overcrowding the seating in your bedroom. Ensuring the clutter doesn’t return depends on this habit. When you’re done with your bag for the day or settling in for the evening, make it a point to return everything you placed in the chair back to its proper place. To reinforce this habit, consider setting an alarm as a reminder.

Add Extra Storage

If managing clutter is becoming a challenge, it’s time to focus on enhancing your storage solutions. Invest in aesthetically pleasing baskets and bins that can double as decorative elements in your room. Additionally, set a reminder to ensure that items left on your bedroom chair are regularly relocated to these storage spaces.

Do A Closet Refresh

If your clothes chair is always full, it might be time to reassess your closet. Ask yourself: Are these clothes seasonal? Do they still fit? Have you bought too many? Answering these questions can help you declutter your closet and keep your clothes chair clear.