Guest Post
Hands up who loves cleaning and tidying their home! Anyone? No?
No I’m not a fan of cleaning either, but I also don’t like having a dirty, messy or untidy house and above all else I can’t stand things being cluttered. Unfortunately that means that a little cleaning and tidying is necessary sometimes.
That’s why I am a minimalist…
Well that and a few other reasons. But seriously, minimalism is a great way of life and once you try it you really won’t miss all that extra “stuff” you used to have. The aim is to rid yourself of the unnecessary and free up space for living (physical space and mental space).
Too much stuff makes the stuff you have harder to use! (image credit)
This post is about how to make your life a little simpler by doing away with things you don’t really need (often the things you think you do need!) Here’s how:
The First Step Is To Be Ruthless
Minimalism isn’t necessarily about clutter per se, it’s about not having what you don’t need and before you can do that you have to get rid of all of your junk. Essentially, you need to have the clear-out of a lifetime.
If you have been living in your home for a while you probably have an enormous amount of stuff to go through and the task can be quite daunting, so let’s start with something easy shall we? Clothes:
You can start slowly if you like, but being ruthless right from the start will save you a lot of time, so get out all of your clothes and start making piles:
- Stuff to keep
- Stuff to give away
- Stuff to throw away
In that first pile resolve to only put things that you truly honestly wear and that you can’t do without. Anything you haven’t worn for a while or that doesn’t fit any more can go straight in the other two piles.
The funny thing is, by getting rid of the clothes you don’t really wear you make choosing outfits easier and you quickly find that you actually get more out of the items you do have. It’s a big time saver!
Next Step: More De-Cluttering
After the clothes you can tackle other areas, start with the kitchen cupboards and get rid of all but your best items (how many mugs do you really need?). You can also sort out your junk draw and get rid of those old leads for items you no longer own.
As you get going and get into the right mind-set you’ll start to realize how much stuff you have actually been keeping “just in case” you need them, and in most cases you don’t. Okay, so occasionally you will end up needing something you threw out, but that doesn’t happen often enough that it’s worth keeping the clutter.
The hardest step for many people is getting rid of ornaments; but again try to be ruthless and only keep the ones you truly love. That way, you will actually appreciate the nicer ornaments all the more.
Furniture Minimalism
Some minimalists get rid of furniture all together, personally I think that’s a step too far, I appreciate having a comfortable sofa and a nice footstool and I like having a decent dressing table.
But now that you have de-cluttered your home you will find that a lot of your furniture is empty. You can condense what remains into your nicest items of furniture and get rid of the rest. Why not sell the furniture items you don’t need and invest in a new comfy chair for your living room?
Try to get rid of non-functional furniture items too:
- Swap your spare bed for a sofa bed (how often do you have guests really?)
- Swap your TV cabinet for a wall mounted stand (and tidy those cables)
- Get rid of furniture you don’t use (like that old rocking chair in the corner)
Enjoying The Benefits
One of the more tangible benefits of going minimalist is that your home is much easier to clean and tidy. It can’t get cluttered and messy because you don’t own enough stuff to clutter it with!
And in terms of cleaning: Vacuuming is easy because you have less furniture to go around. Dusting and polishing is easier when you have less ornaments too.
By freeing up space that was previously filled with stuff you don’t need you can re-utilise that space with stuff that adds value to your life. One great option is getting rid of your spare bed (as suggested above) and turning your spare room into a reading room or home cinema.
The best benefit of all though, is the mental space it clears up. Having less stuff really does lift a weight, try and see for yourself!
About The Author
This post was written by Loren. Loren is a house-proud minimalist who works for www.SofaSofa.co.uk, when she’s not as home she likes walking and enjoying nature.
I am all for minimalism! It makes cleaning a breeze! Feng shui also encourages a certain degree of minimalism and clutter is definitely a big no-no!
I agree! I love mininalist.
I’m probably more like this then my husband. I’m ready to get rid of stuff and he is very sentimental and wants to hold on to it.
Oh geez, this is totally targeting me. I am such a packrat/clutterbug/sentimental hoarder. My biggest problem is paper clutter. I have problems, problems, problems.
we have SO much clutter, with 5 kids its hard not to know! thanks for the tips!
I seriously hate the clutter we’re in right now. I have to take the time to declutter.
I was never big into house cleaning but I love cleaning my new house. Let’s hope it lasts, lol.
I just have one question. When did you sneak into my house and take that picture?
Too much clutter is stressful too. I think about how I feel when my house is cluttered versus minimalist and clean. It makes such a difference.
ive been meaning to do this for years and one day…. I’ll tackle it. I think i’ve made 3 car trips to goodwill in the last 7 months
You’d never guess by all the clutter around here, but I’ve streamlined my style considerably over the past few years
I came across this post while taking a break from…decluttering. I’ve been working on this project for months, and I’m happy to say that the end is in sight! Soon we’ll be enjoying a clutter-free home! Its hard to let go of items you’ve had for years, but after the first few decisions, the other decisions become easier to make! Wish I had done this years ago.
Your desk looked just like mine before I started to declutter room by room.
I would LOVE to turn minimalist – but I struggle with being “ruthless”. I have so much stuff (furniture/dishes/decor) that has sentimental value.
I would love to be a minimalist, but I fear it would take me a lifetime to get there.
I’ve been such a mess lately. I can’t wait to finally move and be more organized.. or so I say 😉
That desk looks exactly like mine lol.
Speaking of this I really need to de-clutter this weekend.
We’re actually having a garage sale tomorrow to get rid of a lot of our stuff. Since we moved to a new house a couple months ago, my husband and I have made it a point not too have too much furniture, decor and stuff in general.
I have to get better at getting rid of stuff I have not used in years.
I did this with my closet last year – and yes, dressing is much easier! I like that I know anything I grab will fit.
My desk still looks like the photo though – just no room to organize things better. Shall we talk about the storage space we rent to keep stuff we haven’t used in years? Sigh – the closet was a start, but I clearly have a long way to go.
I used to LOVE having “stuff”, but over the last couple of years I feel like I can’t get rid of enough- I want it ALL to go!
I am the exact opposite of a minimalist. I have so much stuff and it’s hard finding a place for everything.
I think you are talking directly to me in this post. I am so NOT a minimalist but rather a huge packrat. My goal is to purge and get rid of all the extras…not sure that I need 3 blenders and 4 coffee pots. 🙂
Thanks for the tips. I will be referring back to them as I start to clean out this house.
I have issues with stuff. I love to get rid of it, but it keeps coming back.
I need to apply some of these tips. I am not a fan of clutter but we definitely have too much random stuff laying around. Thanks for sharing these tips.
I go through a declutter and organization phase at least twice a year. It feels so good to purge and clense our home of unneeded and unwanted items!
I constantly have stacks of paper. that’s my biggest issue. I’m all for minimal furniture though. I hate that look of a home that is wall to wall furniture.
This looks like my night stand. I spend an good amount of time in my bedroom and the junk piles up easily. I usually still know where things are.
Wonderful tips!
I really need to de-clutter. It just seems so overwhelming.
In my last move I got rid of SO much stuff! I feel free now that I don’t have all those things I thought I needed!
yes!! I agree! These are great tips! Of course it is hard to be like this with a toddler. But it really makes the whole family is such higher happier spirits.
Yes this needs to be done for me too. I can not stand having all this stuff that I am not using. I need to give some things away, but why does it feel that I am giving away a piece of myself. I need to let go!
I love it, great tips.
I try to be a minimalist but it’s incredibly hard when you have three children.
I try to do the stuff to get rid of, stuff to keep and stuff to donate every couple of months.
Agreed, minimalist is best. Clutter annoys me so I have to go through my things at least once every few months to see what I’ve accumulated and get rid of things I don’t need, want, or have space for.