Minimalism is a simple design style that creates an open, clean, and comfortable living space. It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, but can be achieved by decluttering, investing in multi-functional furniture, embracing neutral colors, taking on DIY projects, and prioritizing quality. To simplify your home decor, start by decluttering and organizing your space, choosing a limited palette of 2 or 3 colors, and using pop colors sparingly.
Start small by decluttering small spaces like a junk drawer, closet, paper clutter stack, or a few cabinets in your kitchen. Stick to 3-4 main colors in your interior spaces, don’t over-accessorize, and make sure all necessities are organized and stored for easy access.
To simplify your decor, start by thinking about how you feel in your space with it “full”. Remove all the stuff except for the anchor pieces and let it air out.
Incorporating minimalist furniture and decor can create a more serene and spacious living environment. Start small by decluttering small spaces like a junk drawer, closet, or small stack of paper clutter. Stick to a color scheme of 2-3 main colors, avoid over-accessorizing, and store necessities for easy access.
In summary, simplifying your home decor involves breaking down tasks, using clean lines and basic shapes, and embracing minimalist furniture and decor.
📹 20+ COMMON Things Your Home DOES NOT NEED! (minimalism, simple living)
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How do minimalists decorate?
Minimalist interior design is a global concept that encompasses elements such as simple lines, monochromatic or neutral color palettes, limited furniture, and decorative objects. It is often associated with Scandinavian or Japanese interiors, where a less-is-more ideology is embraced. However, minimalist homes are not just about clutter-free rooms with white walls and minimal furnishings. The aesthetic is more about clean lines, limited ornamentation, a neutral color scheme, and natural materials.
This guide from AD provides an in-depth understanding of minimalist interior design, including its history, elements, and how to incorporate it into your home. The minimalist home design is often compared to Scandinavian or Japanese interiors, where a less-is-more approach is embraced. However, there is more to minimalist interior design than just this, such as the contrast between dark wood and light floors in a home designed by Ishka Designs.
How do I declutter my house?
A cluttered home can be a major issue that can be easily overlooked during the new year. It can cause stress and inconvenience for homeowners, as they have to navigate through cluttered rooms and cluttered spaces. To quickly declutter your home, create a fool-proof plan, create a decluttering schedule, decide on the areas that need to be decluttered, organize the clutter into three categories, know what you want to keep, move on from old items, and get rid of the trash immediately.
By following these simple steps, you can quickly and effectively declutter your home, reducing the stress and inconvenience it brings. Remember, the quicker you act, the faster you can achieve a clutter-free home.
What is the main principle of home decor?
The design elements include line, shape, form, color, texture, and space. The principles that underpin the creation of a well-designed space include balance, emphasis, unity, rhythm, and proportion.
What is the 3-5-7 rule in decorating?
The room’s stained glass windows struggle to allow enough light, causing plants to falter. To fill a large surface without appearing cluttered, the “3-5-7 Rule” is used. This rule involves styling with odd numbers to create an asymmetric but visually pleasing arrangement of things. Groupings of three can be more visually pleasing and memorable than perfectly symmetric arrangements. The “3-5-7 Rule” expands this concept to larger odd numbers, particularly clusters of five and seven.
Designers often talk about the dynamism of odd number groupings, but sometimes more than just three things are needed to fill a larger surface or area. Five and seven provide more wiggle room without going overboard with a multiple of three or another unwieldy number.
What is the 30 day rule for minimalism?
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, creators of the podcast The Minimalists, have developed a 30-day minimalist game that encourages individuals to eliminate one item per day. The challenge becomes more challenging in the second week, as individuals are forced to eliminate more than a dozen items per day. Fields Millburn initially started by donating, giving away, or recycling items, but over the course of eight months, he has eliminated over 90% of his possessions.
The documentary highlights the stress caused by excessive possessions, as an American house accumulates an average of 300, 000 objects, with more money spent on shoes, jewelry, and clothes than on higher education. To test this theory, Nicodemus stored his possessions in boxes, observing that 80% of the items were never unpacked because they were not needed.
Psychologist José Elias validates the benefits of minimalist living, stating that it allows individuals to enjoy the few things they have because they are necessary, rather than worrying about having and storing them. The key is to enjoy as much time as possible for oneself, rather than worrying about having and storing them.
What is the 20 20 rule in minimalism?
Over the past few years, the couple has been reducing their just-in-case possessions, ensuring they don’t pack anything just in case. They believe that any items we need can be replaced for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes from their current location. This theory has been proven to be true 100 times, with no replacements needed and no longer requiring more than $20 or going more than 20 minutes. This theory is likely applicable to all items and people, including the couple.
The couple hasn’t missed the hundreds of just-in-case items they’ve gotten rid of, and most didn’t need to be replaced. Getting rid of these items clears their minds, frees up space, and takes the weight off their shoulders.
How can I simplify my life minimalism?
This text offers advice on simplifying one’s life through the organization and de-cluttering of belongings, the repurposing and reusing of items, the creation of lists, the completion of tasks in a timely manner, the design of one’s living space, and the discernment of when to accept or decline an invitation. The text places significant emphasis on the importance of reducing clutter and adopting a minimalist lifestyle.
How to be a minimalist luxury?
Minimalist luxury is the conscious practice of decluttering one’s surroundings, focusing on the removal of superfluous items and concentrating on the essentials. This approach engenders a tranquil ambience, thereby fostering clarity and composure in both corporeal and mental realms.
📹 home organization for CHAOTIC PEOPLE.
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Today I’m sharing 20+ common things your home does not need! You can declutter these items today. Click here for a clean & tidy home! youtube.com/@tarynmaria_?sub_confirmation=1 Items mentioned: Bambooee paper towels: amzn.to/3Svs3c4 Nutribullet blender: amzn.to/3SeJZpU Join my mailing list for emails that will make your life easier! eepurl.com/iB2aE2 Decluttering playlist: youtube.com/watch?v=_St9jcbHTJc&list=PLjNjDBsTnq3ScAhOcGWnJ-kAR33YM5F-2 Time saving cleaning hacks playlist: youtube.com/watch?v=UBE4zX00wGc&list=PLjNjDBsTnq3Tu9mKCTJi_hSEoVl6B9Ujq Cleaning Routines playlist: youtube.com/watch?v=X_RMuFRn9Ak&list=PLjNjDBsTnq3T-a-fVcLMRe1pUlPuEw5Kd&index=1
Love all these suggestions! My husband and I are in our 70s, and unfortunately we’ve had to buy items like long-handled electric scrub brushes, long-handled reachers/grabbers, safety ladders, and rolling carts to transport items while using a cane, etc. But, we no longer store items on any of our top shelves (why ask for trouble?). That required a LOT of decluttering. We are changing our overhead light fixtures to LED ceiling lights — we’ll never change a ceiling bulb again!!! We got rid of all area rugs, as they are trip hazards, and so much extra work to keep clean. We’ve really cut down on decor and artwork. It’s so much less work for us now. And our environment is much calmer. When we want seasonal decor, we usually just display fresh flowers, greens — items found in nature. We come up with a few easy-but-special displays each season. We’re also going to hire a cleaning service who will come occasionally to clean our “public” rooms only. That means locking anything we don’t want seen or taken into our bedroom closet (bedroom to be locked). This seems like a small chore, but actually requires a lot of thought and effort. Even though we made these changes because we’re old, I think younger people would appreciate making them, too. After the initial planning and work, home life will be easier, simpler, and safer.
I like this a lot, in addition to that if you want to simplify your financial life keep debt to a minimum. Cut expenses. Develop healthy habits like consistently saving money at regular intervals for investments to help you build wealth. If you work on this, your financial potential will grow exponentially. There are numerous opportunities to make money on the financial market. With the assistance of my financial advisor Dianne Sarah Olson, I was able to earn my first million dollars through passive investment in a variety of assets and right now my friend is on his way to a million too with her help. Goodluck!
We do have a popcorn machine and I gave it to my now teenage son’s when they were really little as they got to school age they could easily and safely make popcorn for themselves with no oil etc. Best investment ever and it was used so much for school dances, parties, sleepovers, snacks and movie nights. They still love it
I am a custodian in an elementary school. The amount of small rugs, lamps, nick-knacks, twinkle lights, banners, posters, welcome mats, etc are ridiculous. We are only contracted to clean the permanent classrooms items (floors, doors, cubbies, etc) and the teachers never clean their extras. It leads to an extremely dirty, dusty, cluttered environment. They are always stressed, but I think the work environment they have created adds to this.
Dear GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SOOOOOO need this article!!!!!!!!! I could open a craft store in my house! Also,,, a pots and pans store, casserole dishes ??? yep! plastic dishes and storage containers ? You betcha! a bedspread and quilt store, pillows too ! Linnens galore !!! some I’ve never used or even taken out of the packaging a sewing supply store, (!!!) I own 4 machines and I can barely sew a hem. a decoupage store (you would not believe the decorative paper supply I own) a silk scarf store ! a jewelry store ! ( I actually have a jewelry closet, it’s a walk in !))) a sporting goods store:tennis, golf, skiing (snow), swimming, athletic gear pocket book and purses, by the scores ! sunglasses beach bags, and don’t even get me started on all the e n d l e s s tech stuff. not to mention THE CORDS !!!! I have all this because,,,”Someday I might need this,,,,,,,,,,,,,” And yes ….. I also have a therapist. She is helping me get rid of my shit,,, !!!!
It also helps to tell the people in your life that you are trying to declutter and downsize. So much of my clutter ended up in my apartment in the form of birthday and Christmas gifts. I had to tell my friends and family that I had no more room or need for another bottle of perfume, or lotion, or large kitchen items (unless I specifically requested them). I don’t want any more decorative tins. I live in a NYC apartment and don’t have unlimited space. People may not like the idea of gift wish lists for the holidays, but I have found them to be SO helpful. Instead of getting a million more T-shirts I have nowhere to store, I now get things I actually need/want. I’m also happy with gifts that take up no room, like tickets to a show or something edible. And I try to be just as mindful when giving gifts, especially to people with kids.
Thank you for mentioning native plants!!! Totally agree with the uselessness of lawns and the obsession about “maintaining” them — typically with toxic products. I became part of the less-lawn/no-lawn movement almost 10 yrs ago and love the beauty of my native plantings (trees, shrubs, perennials). The huge variety of insects (dragonflies), pollinators and wildlife that share my mini-ecosystem is so wondrous to watch!
useful tips..I am stuggling to get rid of all these things that you mentioned and yes, “might need this” thoughts keep me keeping this things, occupying space and leading me to go feel depression! I am motivated to clean up things and declutter my apartment. For the craft supply and art supply, you are so very right. I love working on craft projects, love oli painting and jewelry making, I have all the leftover stuff and very hard to let that go! My DIL syas, Mom, you can get new stuff when you want to work on a project, just let go this clutter, She is right just as you are right. I will try to make up my mind! 😀 Thanks.
About an hour ago I finished packing up all of my CDs to take to the library! I can’t remember the last time I used one. I did take a photo of the playlists of mixtapes people made for me over the years. I’ll download songs I want on my playlist. I’m not attached to physical objects in general, so it’s always a great feeling to get stuff out of the house.
Area rugs! Yes ma’am! Battery-operated wine openers🤣 would be the thing to toss, but keep the small manual opener in a drawer. Just cleared out my junk drawer including keys to the home I left 12 years ago. Organized that drawer with inserts —> now it’s my Utility Drawer! I can easily find my box cutter ….as well as the 3 replacement box cutters I bought ‘cause I couldn’t find the original. 🤷🏻♀️. Nice list!
Don’t get me started on throw pillows. About 30 years ago, I had a worn couch. Instead of replacing it, I got lots of throw pillows. 30 years later, they are stacked up in a spare bedroom. I can only imagine the dirt, food particles, and dust that perhaps some sort of ultra-violet light would reveal. But I doubt a donation center would want 30 year old throw pillows. So there they sit. I could throw 1 a week away with the normal trash, I suppose.
grocery bags are awesome as trash bags. Especially if you are an empty Nester and you don’t buy things with much packaging. Between the way we buy things, recycling, composting, we don’t generate much in the way of trash and it would take us a month to fill a normal kitchen trash bag. Having a designated backstock of them is brilliant for emergency situation as well. There’s a lady at church to crochet them into maths for the homeless.
Mark all cables w tape and Sharpie. If you have several power cords, say 2 prong female or 3 slot female 110 power cords, put them all in.a ziplock bag. They don’t go out of style and very common. Under penalty of death, do the same w keys. Scotch tape over the key w Sharpie. The tape will last quite some time. Use pencil marks on stuff so you don’t leave stuff hanging out for years you never touch. Books, magazines, craft stuff, clothes. Piece of paper w the date in a box last time you opened it.
I use the floral vases to fill w/ flowers and take to hospital, nursing homes,birthdays, special occasions for people and get rid of them that way. We use old towels for our dog washing, car washing, wipe up spills, paint clean up, etc. All the travel toiletries can be donated to women’s shelters or bags to give the homeless w/ some dollar bills or change. Those are ways we get them out of our home or continue to use them.
Great suggestions! One dissent: rice maker. Full disclosure: rice is my favorite starch food. My wife loves potatoes-before we married, when I wanted a baked potato, I went to the grocery store and bought one. ONE. Otherwise the potatoes would go way bad before I used them. And a rice maker never fails. I can set it up in advance and ANYONE (well, not our dog – maybe) can make rice. Just push down the button. I CAN cook rice in a saucepan, but I love the ease. So a rice maker is definitely something I love and use. But I totally agree!
You are amazing, I love your suggestions and already implement a few, however 😉 getting rid of the wine opener, nooooooooooooooooooooooo, I can’t as I know the one day i truly need that glass of wine, the shops will be closed, my lovely Hubby won’t be around (he is a whiz at sorting out problems) and the only wine in the house will have a cork, that is one item I would have to keep just in case, the rest I have de cluttered, best wishes
I have tiny carpets to hide ugly floors, but they’re 100% washable rag rugs that are 4.00 at Menard’s Also have a scrap rug from Maui in 2012 to stand on after a shower. The puppy took it for herself and she’s now going to be 12! Because puppies HAVE TO be in bathroom w you! Trust me on this. I use them for coming in on the sun porch. So dogs don’t drag yard filth through the entire house. I don’t have any I can’t wash.
Watching this article was eye-opening—I never thought about how many unnecessary items I have in my home that just take up space. I can totally relate to the idea of minimalism and simplifying life. I’m definitely going to start decluttering and getting rid of things I don’t need anymore after seeing this.
If you can’t use vinegar in your homemade cleaner because of natural surfaces, use isopropyl alcohol instead and absolutely only distilled water, otherwise with water and soap alone, you’re likely turning your spray bottle into a Petrie dish. If you don’t like the smell, add some alcohol-based essential oils like lemon verbena, lavender or eucalyptus.
Isn’t it waisting of money when we once bought it? So why did I buy it for throwing it out? Wouldn’t it be better to reuse it if you have it already and stop buying new one? I just can not understand that part of minimalism – throwing away lots of money… And when new trend starts few years later – lets buy it all over again….
if you learn how to sew with Terry cloth you can Cut up the old sad towels and turned them in to wash cloths, cleaning cloths. if you’re going to give up paper towels, you’re gonna need something to replace them and you don’t have to go out and buy some thing! You could salvage the good parts of towels and create a cool turban with a seam or two and a piece of elastic looped on the back. You can make cute hooded towels for babies, maybe dye it, if it’s discolored. If you ever have a pipe burst in your house, as we did in multiple places, having a stash of towels is a great thing to prevent a big problem from becoming huge. I’m all in favor of donating things to animal shelters and to people who are fostering dogs. But don’t overlook these other great opportunities!
8:20 Professional gardener here. “Native” garden beds as well as other beds often need more time and effort to weed, trim, mulch and keep problem free than a simple climate suited lawn. Even artificial turf often needs weeding. If lawn grows ok without feeding or much extra water, the occasional mow can be less hassle than native beds.
The one-time use extra plastic shopping bags are good to take to charities. They use them as shopping bags for their customers. When I have way more than I’ll ever use for bathroom trashcan liners, that’s what I do. They might not be great, but at least they’re getting reused. I use reusable as much as I can, but I still have an overwhelming amount from before I switched over. I literally have a bag of bags for charity. Lol.
No pillows! No craft supplies! Especially the craft supplies. I give them to a craft donation box in my neighborhood. I actually don’t even have a microwave! That’s been great to me. We had two that broke and never got another one! 😂 I really enjoy your articles and your energy! Just in case you were wondering… ❤ Marie
Flower vases aren’t free for the floral shops….the local floral shop used to buy them back for $.50 each for small ones and up from there…not a whole lot of money but it was something I used to do to contribute to my sons savings account…$5 here and there add up….id just save up the vases until I had a dozen or so and cash them in
I am a practicalist – the things I try to surround myself with are the things that get used all the time, or that genuinely make me feel happy for some reason or another. The clutter enemies are those things that 1) I don’t want (why keep them?) 2) don’t need (who am I fooling?) 3) don’t use (may have been bought with good intentions, but why suffer the clutter?). As a senior I have for many years been doing a slow motion decluttering – it’s wonderful to reclaim open space. I have been steadily rehoming all the useless to me stuff so that my family won’t have that burden when I’m gone. It’s also more enjoyable not to be weighed down with an excess lifetime accumulation.
Broken electronics. We aren’t supposed to just dump them in normal trash, but the center set up for such items is 50 miles away. So they sit in the garage: broken old PC screens, hard drives, electric can openers, even old phones. When they make it hard to get rid of stuff, it just sits out of sight in the garage.
We renovated, and moved out temporarily. I do not know how many garbage bags of stuff we threw out, recycled, or gave away to friends and family, and there were takers—-appliances and furniture, sofa reupholstered a modern gray-brown, at our expense, and delivered by the upholsterer direct to my in laws who wanted them. Those not taken (one 28 yr old single bed and side table still in good condition) I gave for the staff house of our contractor’s crew. I saw some crew wearing my adult son’s pajama bottoms to work, haha, there were already too short for him, but fit them well 😂
There are a 101 uses for those plastic grocery store bags. Wish I could get rid of the lawnmower but I have an acre lot for a future home. Honestly, I have been trying to come up with ways that I could utilize all that space without mowing, just maybe use a weed eater which I can hang up in the shed or garage (raised garden beds, circle driveways, pathways, etc. Going to be expensive but I love the idea of not having to mow. I don’t mind having extra stuff as long as it is totally organized and put into storage containers, if you have space. Sometimes if you have a lot of extra stuff in your home you will have to clean up the stuff before you can even clean the house.
Ok, I actually use some of the kitchen tools: – I think it’s good to have a bigger and smaller blender – A rice cooker makes rice better than I can in a pot – I don’t do this one, but you probably can’t make yogurt in a pot, but an instant pot is multiuse and often has a yogurt function – We use a wine opener enough that it’d be annoying to not have one
label every cord that comes into your life! I like to label them with the specific appliance they go to, like the water pic or the specific essential oil diffuser. I have had to gradually learn the names of the kinds of Monitor hook ups. We still use Monitor’s that take different kinds of connectors. Label, label, label! Then you won’t be tempted to throw in the trash. The donation employee won’t be tempted to throw it in the trash. You can list it online and someone who knows that they need one can get it from you. Even if you’re just giving it away for free.
A homeless engineer could FIX the broken items at the donation centers, my uncle was an engineer for the railroad or something !! He’s dead now but he used to do that in the streets, he was one ☝🏼 of the first Black engineers in my county, then he went homeless til later in life!! But he could/used to be able to fix a lot of stuff that was thrown at the donation centers !! Even broken, dirty things !! Shame that he went crazy (he had a good high IQ), 165 IQ, and went crazy & homeless til my Aunt found him & picked him up !! He died some years later after that!! He used to fix a lot of things!!
Signs that say: Live Love Laugh .. uggg Shopping bags: offer one to that person in line who doesn’t have one .. and don’t forget to wash them Art that means nothing to you can go to the donation centre Fridge doors: hard to clean when there are fifty fridge magnets and junior’s creations Plants and flowers that are fake: sigh .. grow something real, it’s not hard, you can do it!
About two years ago, our city totally made the stores get rid of the plastic bags. I didn’t realize it wasn’t the whole province of Saskatchewan. It was just the city of Regina. I was out of town at a lake at a provincial park and I was at the store and she was giving me a bag for my groceries. I was buying and I’m like oh you have bags and she’s like you must be from Regina….😮
NYC no longer routinely hands out plastic grocery bags in stores, so I hang onto all the ones I can get from street fruit/vegetable vendors and doggie bags, to use for throwing out kitty litter. I always have a modest stock. I can always find uses for the reusable shopping totes, and have enough that I can give them away freely.
Taryn, thank you! We are at a similar stage of the process of decluttering towards minimalism. I agree with every item you’ve suggested. If anyone is reading this and is unsure whether you can live without those throw pillows and fancy glasses (or anything else she suggests here), you can!! We also use mason jars to drink out of and we store our foods in the fridge inside them and use them to take food to work. Saves us so much time and dishes! Enjoy your day, and thanks for the article!
When I moved here (in a hurry) I had a lot of things that shouldn’t have been moved; So I found a local vet that used towels and sheets and the like, and hauled them over to them for the animals they took care of. I still had linen for beds I hadn’t had for over a decade and didn’t fit anything I presently have. I’m keeping the rice cooker; I’ll die on that hill. Agreed on the vases; When Mom passed, she had 9, and that was after I’d talked her into getting rid of some. The folks used paper towels, and once those are gone, I’m switching to cloth; Already given cases of those away to family. I’m using dried out wet wipes for napkins; I don’t use wet wipes, but might as well use them for something and not replace them. Main reason I’m doing this is so that I can find what I need, when I need it. Moving from a 2200 sq foot home to one that’s not quite 1200, its…been interesting.
I stopped buying reusable grocery bags since I got these little foldable nylon bags that can store in a little pocket that is attached to the top of the bags. They are easy to bring in a pocket, a purse or to leave in the car. I gave some to my family and they use them instead of the sturdy plastic grocery bags. Even if they look flimsy they have been performing for many years.
Great ideas here. I’d like to add the suggestion that people be familiar with what they have. A while back I needed to get a new drinking glass as I use just one over and over during the day. I went to Goodwill and the Salvation Army and maybe Target before finding one. Turns out I had four nearly identical glasses tucked away in kitchen cupboard I rarely use. Someone who had moved out of my apartment complex had left the glasses behind for anyone to take. Whatever I spent on my “new” glass was very little, yet I already had four glasses I’d gotten for free. — I like the “What is this doing here?” ending to your article. It reminds of a “Far Side” cartoon from way back: Some rats are sitting at the kitchen table and the mom rat wearing an apron and cat-eye glasses is standing at an open cupboard with boxes in it. She’s holding a box that says “Rat Poison” on it and she says, “I don’t know why we keep this stuff with the cereal. In fact, I don’t know why we have it at all”.
I have a kitchen lower shelf full to bursting with plastic water containers for bike rides, hiking and travel. But both of us are in our mid 70s and can’t do any of those things anymore. My wife came from a poor family that drilled depression era “never throw anything away” values, so I will have to sneak them out. She finds any decluttering threatening, so it is a challenge.
Great article but something that confounds me is you ladies and your throw pillows 😤! Went to Atlanta this weekend to visit one of my best friends from HS. Been friends for 54 years. The guest bedroom had a double bed with11 throw pillows. We walked into the bedroom and I said what’s with all these pillows? He said I have no idea that’s my wife I think it’s crazy too but I’ve learned not to say anything. Throw them in the closet and if there’s no room in there toss them on the floor. Besides the 11 throw pillows there were 4 under the pile that was there to sleep on. Both he and I just don’t get it!
If a throwaway item can be reused or used for a different purpose, it’s not clutter. I use spent dryer sheets to line my robo-vac’s filter. Dirt sticks to the sheet, not the filter. After use, I remove it and throw it away. The original filter stays clean. This saves time by not having to clean the original filter, and money by not having to buy expensive filter replacements.
Love your articles. I highly recommend if you want a grass like look for your lawn a great option is clover. It’s pretty low maintenance and generally takes care of itself. It’s also a great for people with pets since it much more resilient then regular grass. And retains it shape and color when mowing (if it gets super tall then it will have a cut look but it does grow back).
Tiny carpets – still have in kitchen (protects your joints while standing at kitchen counter for long periods) and bathroom (wet floors). Plastic bags for cat litter and lining small trash containers. Papertowels – bacon, sausage, cat vomit. Lawnmower – until I move to elderly apartments, need lawnmower. Otherwise, I more or less agree with the rest.
almost two acres…the front is minimal with mostly plant beds and a tad bit of grass…the entire back…3 chicken coops, a huge duck run, the equivalent of about half an acre of vegetable garden, large fire pit…rest is crushed shell…IMO, if I need to feed it and water it, I want something back from it. As to “glasses” we have 4 yetis that are our cups, one each for coffee, one each for cold drinks…and about a dozen tervis tumblers, for children, grands and guests..and YES, I serve frozen margaritas in them, and have served wine in them…the guests keep returning so I guess we are good. The rest of the kitchen …it is a working kitchen, at my age the kitchen aid has to live on the counter, to heavy to get it out…that said we use it at a minimum of 3 times a week…right now the small dehydrator is on a counter making a small batch of jerky and the small canner has about an hour left…rugs from the screen porch into the house, dogs and us pick up hay and dirt..it helps. no chachkis, to much to dust. other than kitchen work horses, the rest of the place looks stark…just dont peek into the huge walk in closet in the office…
Oh dear. You’ve been in my sewing/craft room! But about that lawnmower…nope. Gotta have that one. And the paper towels — I’ve tried getting rid of them but hubby is NOT on board with that. So we keep them. We have pared down a lot of other things though, so I don’t feel bad at all about the paper towels. I make our reusable shopping bags. I much prefer fabric ones to plastic; they’re prettier, stronger, and last longer. Somehow those plastic ones show up on a regular basis anyway, so the plan is to make plarn out of them and make some things for camping trips (we LOVE camping).
I have to have rugs and things Bcuz I have a bad floor. When I move to a better place with better floors, that will be a thing of the past tho. Ha ha. Omg. Reusable shopping bags. I guess I have a dozen or so. My vinyl one I got in NYC about 9 years ago for 50 cents (my fave that I carry in my purse lol) is still going strong tho.
I was just thinking last night how much I love having a carpet runner go from my bedroom to the living room we moved it tossed away all sorts of old stuff and then I had to proceeded to go buy new vases because I got no place to put flowers. My tiny carpet in front of the sink keeps my back from hurting when I do the dishes it is worth its weight and gold.
Okay you must not live in California is you think “most wines are twist off”. Or you don’t drink decent wine. And our rice cooker works way better than rice made in a pot on the stove. It even keeps it the perfect temperature before serving. Then again we use it 4-5 times a week. But all the other suggestions were helpful.
Oh, God, the excessive reusable shopping bags. Yikes. Weeks ago, maybe a month or two now, mom and I went in the shed for smth, and we find stuff on the floor. We look closer, and it’s a bunch of tote bags! And what happened was, the one they were in was LITERALLY DISINTEGRATING (seriously, it was a Monsters Inc one from THE MOVIE PREMIERE, like, 20+ years ago?!), to the point that the entire side and bottom were blue dust and the weight of the other tote bags pulled it down! LMAO! Was nuts! BUT the worst part: what does my mom do? Just stuffs the rest of the tote bags (which NEVER GET USED, BTW! These were in mint condition, never touched, like 30+ of them, maybe more!) into another bag and puts it back! UGHHHHHHHHHHHH! I hated it! It still drives me nuts thinking about it, and it’s been weeks! (She’s a hoarder, so this frustration is constant, but I swear it’s getting worse! ;A;)
Teach your kids early to add/attach a paper tab of some kind to every cord that you can write on to identify each one. We just moved and I tossed out a pile of cords, including the one that powers an older hard drive. Dang! 😕 Now I have to spend the time, money and energy to find a replacement for it.
Old towels are a must for me! I have cats and a lot of rough cleaning to be done out here in the country. I don’t use paper towels much so I cut up and use old ratty towels for all sorts of things. I pretty much wear out and use up every toweling, sheeting or bedding item that comes into this house. I live alone and keep nice sets of towels and bedding items for guests.
So you get rid of all these task-specific things because you “CAN” spend lots of your precious time “making baby food or rice in a pot.” You may be doing a bang-up job getting rid of stuff designed to make things quicker easier — but at what cost of your time?!?! If you never MAKE quesadillas, yes, get rid of the maker — but you won’t make them in a pan EITHER! Some of your ideas are super — but perhaps you need to reconsider if decluttering has become a way to applaud yourself withOUT considering if your time is worth more than not having stuff in your house!
My fave of your tips is to use the extra reusable bags to take your donations. I have pared many of these (received at craft events) down by doing just that. In fact, I almost overdid it when I realized this past week I was down to my last two. Also, during the pandemic we really cut back on what we use paper towels for. I hate that every time these supposed solutions to environmental effects end up having effects of their own. I will now consider the microfiber cloths that hubby uses to be disposable and have him use cut up old synthetic clothing instead. Although I really do try to stick to natural fibers for clothing.
I’ve found it is not good to store food storage containers with the lids on. The plastic, no matter how clean, can develop an undesirable odor. I put the lids in an open, slim, rectangle container, by size and shape, and it works fine. PS. A fatigue mat at the kitchen sink helps prevent aching,tired backs and legs. It also catches sink drips, can be easily wiped off, and keeps the floor cleaner.
We now have a remote on our cell phone so we can actually use so no more needing a remote or changing batteries when we have virtual remotes on our cell phone! As far as the cords go for the electronics if you don’t know what goes to walk around your house and find out if any kind of electronic doesn’t already have a cord and it’s already plugged in if they all have cords in there plugged in trash 7:20 7:23
While some of these ideas are helpful (different stemmed drinking glasses; just have one set for wine/festive occasions), I think Taryn’s home must be so plain as to be UnJoyful — like the looks of her bed when made. Sad, in my opinion. And WHO in this world, even looking back 30 plus years, gets too many floral vases (unless from funeral of loved one). No one I know can afford to have florist prepared deliveries sent to friends. But yes, take the unwanted vases to Salvation Army or other thrift store.
Your house also doesn’t need a 500.00 blender, but wth do I know? I use reusable plastic totes for groceries and then recycle or donate as they wear out. Ultimately, I’m going to use LL Bean heavy canvas bags, but they ain’t cheap. Thinner ones are for dog things. Try not to bring any more home. I keep them in my car, because I NEVER remember to bring one!
I don’t even drink wine anymore or any alcoholic drink for medical reasons but what you said about de twist off wine bottles hurts my spanish soul. Using cork is not only important for the quality of the wine. It’s an important factor in keeping cork oaks and the ecosystem that comes with them protected and alive. It well worth using a bottle opener.
Quesadilla makers are one of those things that I legitimately don’t understand at all. Why pay so much money for a gadget that takes up SO much space when you can do it yourself just as easily with a regular pan!? But to be fair, almost all of those gadgets that make certain types of food are pretty pointless.
We chose to do a multigenerational lifestyle. We have a really big house so my oldest son, daughter in law and granddaughter moved in with us (still have 2 teenagers at home, one in high school the other 1st year in college). My daughter in law does a lot of the cooking and she’s a kitchen gadget addict. Oh my goodness would I LOVE to be able to get rid of about 20 of her gadgets! It’s driving me nuts! I also love the cleared countertops but my daughter in law is always trying to set things out. lol. The kitchen stuff is our only clash, thankfully! As for the rug in front of the sinks, I’m going to respectfully disagree with you on that. Its purpose is to CATCH those drops of water and spills that you mentioned. It’s much better than having a wet, slippery surface on your hard surface floors. With the travel size hotel bottles. I try to keep 3 or 4 sets of different types and keep them in a small basket in the guest bedroom linen closet that has assorted items for our guest bathroom (as well as full sized options, brand new toothbrushes etc ) so that our guests have options. I don’t use the hotel ones because I bring my own preferred toiletries. But I agree they are just clutter if you have no real use for them and no one needs more than a small few! A tip for a couple of old towels, I keep 2 for dog baths! 😂 and like you suggested, I give the rest to local dog rescues. I’ve replaced all of my cleaning supplies with white vinegar too! I think the only other products I have is toilet bowl cleaner.
If my state (NH) bans plastic grocery bags I will have to start BUYING them for the two cat littler boxes that need cleaning. My coworker said he would have to start BUYING some sort of plastic bags to put the dirty diapers in. Oh wait….some people do that. It’s called Diaper Gene. BUYBUYBUY. No thanks. Paper towels? After catching my husband multiple times using the kitchen dish towel to wipe his NOSE and MOUTH then running it down the counter top, picking up who knows what…. then putting it back on the rack, I am going all out paper towels. Not chancing drying my hands on that nasty thing.
I love being a minimalist makes cleaning the house so much easy you can figure out where all your items are because it’s stored away properly and best thing is I have a shit ton of kitchen gadgets, but I use them all religiously so they’re not going anywhere, but because I don’t have a crap ton of things in my house, they are on a shelf side-by-side nicely placed and I’ve got a five tier shelf times two that They’re all on when I want it. I can go downstairs grab it bring it up and use it, clean it and put it back down! By the way, my quesadilla maker is one of our favorites and also our pizza oven. 4:46
“Just use a pot” is advice my family CANNOT COMPREHEND and the absolute worst part is for some reason they keep on bringing me all these useless gimmicky devices that I DO NOT NEED I mean holy crap do you know how easy rice is to make, no I don’t need your 40 settings rice cooker STOP GIVING ME THESE USELESS DEVICES I DONT WANT THEM AND I HATE LOOKING AT THEM AND MOVING THEM
Is the point “minimalism and/or getting rid of EVERYthing”? Or is it cutting WAY back on careless or useless purchasing and retaining of STUFF? What is your TIME worth, if you get rid of anything that saves you time? Granted — there are health worries about microwaving… pick your dangers. FOr some of y’all, it sounds like you’ve taken up “decluttering” AS A HOBBY — in place of living life and being and doing in your world? “Ooh! OOOH! Look! There’s ANOTHER Thing I get rid of oir do without!!” Are you getting a dopamine hit FROM getting rid of stuff, and not from doing good and fun things in the world?! Should you be?
I got my first apartment at 25 and it was one bedroom. Then I bought a beautiful 3 bedroom Condo. Married and into a 4 story 4 bedroom House. After Divorce I moved into 400sqft Condo. I am happier in this space than in any other! Purged, purged, purged. Sold my Vinyl collection I hadn’t listened to since 1980’s. Sold ComicBooks I hadn’t looked at in 40 years. Out with my Postcard collection and my 200 shot glass collection!!! Only sacred property are photos so those are safe in a bin. I feel so elated not to have this stuff.
MODERATION is key my friends! Many of these ideas are smart. However, keep in mind that it’s more than OK to have some of this “stuff” for ‘someday’. One doesn’t need to keep a huge abundance of some of the items cluttering up drawers, closets, etc. (eg. plastic bags). But some people wanted a super-decluttered home and then Covid struck! They were in a bad fix. Nothing stored up for ‘that someday event’, couldn’t get out to shop, etc. There IS a balance and each home/person needs to find what works best for them. (I just saw a article where the homeowner said he no longer stocks up on toilet tissue, he buys it in 4-packs. Good luck if we ever have a lockdown again–God forbid!…. I know I’d be hard-pressed to give him some of my stock. 🤣🤣🤣🤣)
I use my old worn out towels for when I dye my hair and need towels I don’t care if I ruin or stain. I also keep and use small hygiene items when I run out of my full size things and can’t afford to replace them immediately. I have some knickknacks, antique spice containers and jars I love and so they are worth dusting to me. Others can probably go. I use paper towels a lot. I need my winter stuff I live in Minnesota. I have been decluttering my old unused cords, since devices are standardizing to C port
PLEASE tell me about microfiber! I use it DAILY, and it’s just me and my extremely ill husband who’s only awake a few hours a day at best. I don’t want to make him sicker. I’ve already gotten rid of so many things that I’ve read makes you sick. So please if there’s a reason she doesn’t use microfiber, I really need to know why!
One day I realized I had extra pillows and unneeded bedding for the old sized bed crammed in my linen closet while the extra toilet paper pack sat on the bathroom floor because there was nowhere to store it. Sometimes I just didn’t see clutter for what it is, but I am learning to spot it now, usually pretending to be something I “might use someday”. Now it gets identified and out it goes. I am getting suspicious of the beautiful, expensive tureen I bought 15 years ago that takes up 1/2 of a shelf and has never been used ONCE. Very suspicious.
This is such a great list – totally bookmarking this. Mystery cords and cables are the bane of my existence! And I’m scared to throw them away since I don’t know what they go to lol. I love my popcorn maker, but totally have too many drinking glasses and reusable bags – your list felt customized for me!
Ha ha ha, I just recently did a major spring clean, and sure enough found about 40 reusable bags, a good 25 throw pillows, generations of kitchen appliances (3 mixers), and basically everything on your list. So true! One other decor item I was happy to throw away: potpourri – how the heck do you dust potpourri?!
I agree with almost everything you just shared. But you cannot tell me to get rid of my rice cooker?? LOL. You said rice maker, but did you mean rice cooker? Easy to cook rice in them than in a pot, you don’t need to watch them while they’re cooking! Anyway, thank you for this. I have been doing the same, going through almost all of my personal/household items to see which ones I need to get rid of, items I don’t need.
I’ve been looking for ways to get rid of stuff that turns the experience into something positive and fun. I gave some glassware to my SIL for all her grandkids to use, a set of dishes to my nephew for his first apartment, some card games I bought and never used finally got played with at a bday party (I gifted them), and am going to turn wine glasses I’m not using into candles for holiday gifts (which will also help me use – declutter – some craft supplies).
I have really.started to.down size. Got rid of tupperwear. articles Books. I gave away hair dryers. I cleaned them up and gave.away I am 75.now and had wall to wall antique.furniture. told.the kids to.come get it and enjoy it. Dont wait.tell im gone..got rid.of.alot of pots and pans Dishes cups glasswear .my grandkids.got married and they got what they wanted. I have one grandchild who loves antiques and she.has taken alot of antiques She is and.old soul and loves to go to thrift.stores with me .im teaching her.how to buy nice things that increase in value. Its nice.ti share.with someone All the kids went thru my.christmas stuff.and took.what.they wanted .i never.realizef.i.had so much. I also had all my moms.jrwelry. .all the.stuff has been given away My advice is to share Sell or give away
This is a great list! I love your focus on environment, you can go even further with that. The car cleaning market has just exploded, with super expensive products sold for ridiculously specific, tiny tasks, with all kinds of vile chemicals in them. In terms of specific gadgets, many of these are gifts from others. Folks, if you can’t think of a gift for somebody, don’t just pick up a gadget! Swag is another source of crap that is not asked for. All events should make swag an option! I would also recommend that everyone ask themselves “Is this something I see myself wearing regularly for the next 10 years”? before buying an item of clothing. This should get rid of the faddy/trendy pieces.
Being a house cleaner taught me how much houses are full of absolutely useless things that are really just clutter. It’s like we are told that stuff makes our homes look expensive but in reality it creates extra work that is a waste of time. Eg.. expensive cushions everywhere that need to be arranged, placed, washed and dried. Stored and moved out of the way. WHY
I discovered you and have watched article after article today. You really pulled me in with pointing out microfiber is bad for the environment and with recommending diy natural cleaners. But I subcribed when you said to plant a native garden and you won’t need a lawnmower. You are on my wave length!! I’ve been doing this gradually in my yard for the sake of wildlife, water and fresh air, and the process is almost complete. Once established, many native plants are self-sufficient. And it’s beautiful!
We use all the grocery plastic bags for bathroom trash cans and the dog poop bucket which we dump every trash day and my husband puts some plastic bags in his car for future groceries. I am on my last roll of paper towels and plan on using wash clothes from now on. I agree about the microfiber cloths. I just learned today about how they were made. I was so disappointed. I have so many. I no longer have Matts in the bathroom except one shower matt made of 100% cotton. I have a rubber Matt in the kitchen given to me by my kids. It’s a pain to vacuum and mop in that area because I always have to move it. I was deciding if I should just put it in the garage. I do have one nice rug under the dinner table. I don’t mind that one but I’m not going to put one in the living room area like I used to. We moved into a new house and boy howdy, I have gotten rid of so much and going to get rid of a lot more. I’m going to invite all the kids over and let them rummage through the things in boxes and what they don’t want is leaving. I haven’t even hung things on the walls yet. I’ll be letting most of it go also. I have a Hugh box of glasses that I haven’t seen in two years. Not even going to open it. Donating it. It’s so nice not having to much to move when dusting. It’s life changing to have very little clutter. Great article. I’m glad you talked about crafts. I really needed to hear that. Thanks.
you kind of went from minimalism to telling people what they shouldn’t shouldn’t do I don’t know if you realize you’re doing that like I live in a area where mold is very high so bleach is needed probably wouldn’t fit what you’d like. Lastly, I have 13 acres so lawn mower is a mess and we have a lot of bags because when we go to the store we grab what we can so that we’re driving less saving us gas money the headache of actually driving but again that’s a personal choice
I’m not willing to give up kitchen towels but to balance the scales I’m very good at making everything last for ages and finding new usage for items I already have. I’m also a total minimalist at kitchen aids. All those electric devices you mention are a waste of money and space unless you live to cook. Very good suggestions! Less is more. 😉❤
About the glasses for beverages, kitchen towels and extra grocery bags you are so right.. Alternate use of glass vases/containers that com withe groceries: 1. The flower bouquet vases make wonderful cooking spoons, spatula holders on the kitchen counter or brush holders in bathrooms. 2. Also, the ketchup bottles or glass bottles that come with the condiments or other groceries, I use some of them to store lentils or such grains, they take minimal space in the cabinet as they are narrow and tall. 3. To replace my old plastic containers, I have even made a set of such bottles by buying the specific quantity jars of ghee from the same brand so that now I have half a dozen of these as a set. Glass is 100 times better (environmentally) and healthier than plastic storage containers. Kitchen cotton towels or dish rags is the best way to reduce/eliminate the evilest waste of environment resource ie paper towels.
Vases! I accumulated a ridiculous amount over the years. I couldn’t bear to just throw them out so I took them to the local florist that my son usually uses to send me flowers on special days. The florist was so happy to receive them she gave me a box of candy! That was the only problem, I was on a diet but I ate that candy! LOL I thought I’d mention this because if she was so happy to get them I would imagine that other florists would also welcome them.
Why throw away those lightweight plastic bags you get groceries in? Then you just have to BUY plastic bags to line your garbage can! I use those lightweight grocery bags to line my kitchen and bathroom garbage cans!!! They still end up in the landfill, but at least I didn’t add another purchased bag to the landfill along with the others!
I got rid of my steam cleaner as i never used it! A waffle maker ( in UK) is a cupboard filler for me. But.. my cupboard in the bathroom does need a massive declutter. My fabric is overwhelming the spare room, but i do find uses… i need another room. And lastly, i never get flowers sent in vases, theyre brought in packets from the supermarket by relations.
I really felt it when crafts were mentioned. I have a whole load of paints, card paper, and what not lying around, taking up half the space in my room. I keep thinking I’ll use them, but I use such little bits of them that they’re not reducing at all. I love the idea of donating the unused stuff to a donation center where it will be used. Thank you!
Im still decluttering after our big move but I agree with most of these. Definitely found some excessive winter gear. Its wild to me how many extra gloves i had stored and i ALWAYS wear my favorite pair every winter so those old ones were pointless. I have another item to add to the kitchen gadgets you don’t need. A TOASTER! For some reason unknown to me. Our little toaster that was always in my way at our previous place didn’t make it to our new place. I just use a pan with either butter or oil to toast my bread or bagel now and its the best thing ever. My partner was gonna add a new toaster to the shopping list and I said NO lets see how we do without it and both of us realize it is an absolute waste
I am highly unwell. Got a heck of a lot of bipolar depression, a thriving Eating Disorder, and no sign of a cure. That said, I have an uncluttered, organized, and- as of recently- a clean! home. I’m the lady who cleaned her microwave after perusal your depression article. The wild thing is- I’ve kept cleaning it every week. I created a whole weekly cleaning routine (nothing too fancy) and it always helps me feel like more of an adult functioning human. This is the kind of advice I need Caroline. You are my inspiration. And a laugh riot. Thank you. 😊❤️
I have to say thank you, Caroline. I’m starting redecorating my house after my parents moved in another country 4 yearsago. I had all their stuff all over the place and I hated to be home. I realize that if they don’t stay here, I don’t have to be surrounded by every shit they collected durring the time. You helped me realize that i can do stuff arround budget frendly. And for that i thank you cause you helped my mental health <3 This week Im painting my balcony :)) no way I would have done something like this if i didn't see you. <3