It’s easy to let chargers, lotion, books, watches, and the like accumulate on your nightstand. Before you know it, you can’t see a thing!

Even though it doesn’t seem like a big deal, the amount of stuff you have on your nightstand can affect you.

An organized, functional nightstand can promote calmness, whereas a messy nightstand can make it hard to relax.

It’s frustrating when you can’t find your phone in the morning because it got buried under a book and a pile of mail!

Whether you have drawers, storage underneath, or just a surface and legs, we’ll show you how to organize it with one or more of these 5 clever hacks for organizing a nightstand..

To promote a peaceful night and morning, let’s figure out some ways to remove the clutter. After getting everything organized, you’ll feel instant relief!

1. Only Have Your Favorites On Top

Ask yourself what you’d like to have on the top of your nightstand. There’s a lot of items you want to put on there. But, the reality is you don’t need everything up top.

Think about it: If you have too many accessories such as rings, earrings, or a watch, it can start to look messy. If they’re scattered all over the surface, that’s even worse!

The best thing to do is to stick with the essentials.

To figure out which necessities to stick with, think about what you use or reach for the most. Chances are you reach for your phone, a book, lip balm, and a few other items.

You might need more space than what’s available on the top of the nightstand.

One way to open up more surface area is to move some of the bigger items.

You can do this and still have access to them.

Here’s how:

  • Put up wall mounted or pendant lighting instead of having a lamp on your nightstand.

  • If you want a reading light, use a reader with backlight or get a clip-on book light.

  • Install a small shelf above the nightstand to display your clock.

  • If you want a fan near you, use a clip-on fan on your headboard.

  • Put a few books on a chair nearby or stack them on some old suitcases.

2. Get Drawer Organizers in Different Sizes

If you have some items that you don’t wear as often (such as a watch), put them in one of your nightstand drawers.

Keep in mind that tossing them into a drawer with other stuff doesn’t always work. They might get swallowed up by the clutter monster.

To keep the monster at bay, invest in a few drawer organizers.

Drawer organizers are functional and will keep everything nice and neat.

And, they come in a variety of materials like plastic, wood, and acrylic.

Buy drawer organizers that vary in size so you can store different items depending on how big they are.

You want to make sure you’ll have room for things like lotion, lip balm, a few pens, and other littles.

After putting organizers in the drawers, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.

It’s a beautiful thing when you can separate things and know where everything is.

3. Hide Cords Creatively

Do you charge your phone and other electronics on your nightstand?

If you do, the cords can look disorderly quick.

It’s a real eyesore to look at your nightstand and see a bunch of cords everywhere.

Luckily we have a solution.

Put a power strip in one of your drawers to hide all the messy cords! A hidden charging station is exactly what you need.

This project requires a little bit of DIY skills, but you’ve got this! Some nightstands or desks even come with a hole near the back, so you can feed cords through.

Being able to hide them is a better option than having one too many of them on your nightstand.

When you create a hole, make sure it’s big enough to fit the power strip cord.

After you cut out a hole and the power strip is in the drawer, try mounting it. You can use Command strips to keep it extra tidy and to keep cords from getting tangled.

Whew, doesn’t it feel better knowing you won’t have to stare at those unruly cords anymore?

Note: If you don’t want to cut a hole in your nightstand, you could always use a zip tie or organizer to tame the cords.

4. Add More Storage With a Bedside Caddy

If you have a nightstand and need more space, a simple hack is to get a bedside caddy!

A bedside caddy stays on the side of your bed. This handy storage solution has a section that slides under the mattress.

The caddy that hangs down from the bed can hold extra bedside items such as a spare pair of glasses and magazines. It’s also a fantastic way to create more space or, if you don’t have room for a nightstand, it can act as one!

Better yet, if you have room, you can have two bedside caddies! Put both on one side or on opposite sides of the bed.

Having a bedside caddy is an excellent solution if you are short on space. It’s perfect for giving you access to more belongings.

Even though it’s useful, remember to keep it organized. Otherwise, it won’t look attractive in your room.

5. Figure Out the Best Way to Store and Display Items

Not every nightstand comes with drawers. You may find yourself getting a glass nightstand that reveals everything.

If it doesn’t have drawers, you’ll have to limit what goes onto your nightstand.

But where do you put the things that don’t make the cut?

You can store it attractively underneath in a nice basket or a few decorative boxes with lids. If it has shelves, use decorative boxes or clear organizers.

Keep the essentials on your nightstand. As for your non-essentials, put them in your bedroom closet. That way, you’ll keep everything nice and neat.

And, you’ll still get to enjoy a stylish nightstand that provides the right amount of function.

Conclusion

Your nightstand has an important purpose. It helps enhance the style of your bedroom and hold your essentials.

Stocking the nightstand with your essentials is okay. Yet, filling them sky-high with too many belongings can turn into a giant mess.

Keep things organized by investing in drawer organizers. You can also use small dishes on the top of a nightstand.

By the time you’re done organizing everything, you’ll love the final result.

Who knew that conveniently grabbing your favorite book by the bed could be that easy!

Author Bio:

Janine Palatucci has recently joined Alliance Residential as Business Manager for 360 Huguenot. She is an experienced manager with a demonstrated history working in multifamily and hotel hospitality. Janine has industry experience in New York City, Westchester County and South East Florida Markets. She is passionate about her work and consistent in providing a welcoming environment for her team, residents and community.