11 Ways To Declutter and Minimalise Your House
The amount of trash we threw out in a day is more than enough, but have you ever thought of the “hidden trash” that is cluttering up your house without even realising? It could be a shirt that you have not worn in years or a pile of useless papers that you are yet to use. Maybe it’s time you clear out all the junk that is not important in your house anymore, or most importantly, in your life! Make your life simpler by decluttering your house, soon you’ll find how clear your mind would be. Here are some tips on how to get started.
1. Get rid of clothes you haven’t worn in at least a year.
How many clothes do you own that you bought but haven’t even worn a single time? Be honest, there must be at least three pieces. You’d probably think of getting rid of them, but sometimes feel guilty because you might spend a lot on it. But it is so important to learn to let go. You could donate it, give it to a friend, or even sell it online. Just finding ways to get rid of them would be a good start.
2. Unsubscribe to useless emails/websites.
Although this is not something physical and can be moved around in your house, sometimes this affects more than actual items in your house. If you turn on your phone or computer and need to look at all the useless subscriptions compiled in your inbox, your mind would get cluttered as well. Find just one day to unsubscribe to those emails and leave the important ones.
3. Recycle used papers, magazines, and newspapers.
A few papers wouldn’t affect much in your house, but over time your house would eventually have piles and piles of paper somewhere in a corner that you are too lazy to take care of. It might not be much of a deal at first, but you’ll eventually have to deal with it sooner or later. So just compile all the papers that are no longer useful, find them from every corner of your house, and then head off and recycle them wherever available.
4. Use only one planner and write everything in it.
It is tempting to own many planners, especially when the planners nowadays have beautiful designs. And with a few planners on hand, it just seems right to have one for different usages, such as one for school, another one for health and fitness, and the one for personal stuff. It looks fun to have so many of them, and it might even fool you into thinking you’re more organised with several planners. But truth is, sticking with just one planner is not only more organised, but it would totally save you more time, money and make your life simpler.
5. Get rid of “just in case” items.
There are things in our lives where we bought because “just in case” we need it. For example, you saw a beautiful dress in a store and you wanted to buy it but you don’t know when you would use it, and then a thought comes to your mind: you could buy it “just in case” there are some special events for you to attend, and there goes your money for something you wouldn’t even use in the next few years. Of course, one dress wouldn’t make a huge difference in your house, but if you tend to pile up on “just in case” stuff in your house, then it’s time to get rid of them.
6. Digitalise things instead of using paper for everything.
With the technology nowadays, we can almost digitalise everything that needs to be recorded. Sure, writing things down physically could be more useful because your brain is able to grab things better when we write things down as kinaesthetic learning is pretty efficient. But if you just want to get rid of things in your house so there would be less clutter, you just have to convert all your writings onto your phone or your laptop. It is not just limited to notes and planners, you can even read online books or use recipes online.
7. Be comfortable with minimal colours.
Nowadays many people are going for the “minimalistic” look. It could be clothing style, daily essentials, skincare routine (“less is more”), and of course one’s house as well. It’s not just about a number of things in your house, but colours would change up the whole look as well. You can start with your furniture, furnishings, and decorations, and so on.
8. Store important papers/documents properly and get rid of useless ones.
We use papers for almost everything in our daily lives, such as receipts, work documents, formal letters, and even flyers we got while walking along the streets. And though there are the important ones that we should not throw away, there is still an amount of those that are pretty much useless and wouldn’t do our lives any good! So just separate them in a simple way, store those that you need properly, and pile those that you don’t, and recycle them.
9. Only keep one of everything and get rid of duplicates.
We all probably own two of something in our house, whether we do it with a purpose (probably because there was a sale) or we unintentionally owned it (thinking that we ran out of hand soap and got more when we still have it). Of course, there are some things that we probably should stock up on, such as toilet papers, pantry food, and things that are considered “necessities.” But for things that you only need one of them, such as clothing, shoes, or materialistic things, it’s better to just have one and preventing them to clutter your house up.
10. Go environmentally friendly.
People these days care more about the environment than a few years ago, and that is great. The more we reuse the things we have, the less we waste on a daily basis. And the less we waste, the less clutter there will be, in our houses as well! Going environmentally friendly is a step by step process. Start by using recycle bags instead of plastic bags if you are buying things, and then move on to say using hand towels instead of tissue or napkins.
11. Don’t buy more to compensate for things that are gotten rid of.
Finally, after getting rid of things in your house, you’d probably feel like you’d need a reward for doing such a good job. But don’t get too excited, only get practical things, things that you know will benefit you in your life. Don’t go buy 3 more pairs of shoes as a reward, maybe go have a good meal. Or it doesn’t even need to be a “thing.” Maybe go on a getaway as a reward! It might not sound very convincing, but it would so much worthwhile.
These are the 11 tips for you to get started on decluttering and minimalising your house. Remember, if you are starting on this, know that it is not an overnight thing, so be patient in trying to declutter your house.
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