Declutter One Thing From Your Nightstand For A More Polished Bedroom

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Nightstands are a tough piece of furniture to style. They can add personality and balance to a bedroom, but they're also a catch-all for clutter and rarely look polished. If you'd like to declutter your chaotic nightstand, you might start with an unexpected item: your alarm clock. We're talking about those old digital, wired, and bulky alarm clocks that you've had for years.

While alarm clocks have long been a staple of nightstands, they're an eyesore. They rarely look intentional and tend to look bulky, awkward, and simply out of place. But before you toss out your alarm clock, ask yourself whether you use it or not. Over the years, people have stopped using alarm clocks and have pivoted to using their phones to tell the time and wake up instead. If that's your case, it might be time to finally say goodbye to that unused alarm clock that's taking up space on your nightstand.

But of course, replacing an alarm clock with a phone isn't necessarily a good solution. Using your phone before bed can lower the quality of your sleep and even cause insomnia. This alone is a good reason to leave your phone outside of the bedroom altogether, but it leaves you with no choice but to use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. Try a compromise instead; there are some modern and sleek alarm clocks out there you can get to replace that old and bulky one. Whether you've DIYed a minimalist nightstand or use a thrifted traditional hardwood one, reassessing your alarm clock situation will help reduce the appearance of clutter in your bedroom. 

If you're looking to get rid of your alarm clock altogether to make your nightstand look less cluttered, there are some options out there that can help you wake up and aren't your phone. For heavy sleepers, bed shakers are tools that can go into your bed or under your pillow, which will vibrate heavily to wake you up in the morning. Similarly, you can use a vibrating smartwatch to wake you up, or set up an alarm on your smart speakers, which you can leave on a shelf or dresser rather than on your nightstand. All of these options do the job of an alarm clock without adding any clutter to your nightstand.

If you'd like to keep using an alarm clock, look for something that adds to your interior design rather than taking away from it. For example, an analog clock can be a wonderful choice. If you love mid-century modern decor, something like Newgate's Wideboy Alarm Clock can nicely complement a retro nightstand. For something a bit more unique and high-end, consider the Loftie Alarm Clock with Sound Machine, which is small and sleek and blends nicely into modern interiors.

And once you've upgraded to a clutter-free wake-up method, don't toss your old alarm clock! There are lots of ways to repurpose them instead of throwing them out. Plus, you can also just move them to a different room where clutter won't bother you as much, like the garage, playroom, or office.