“One can furnish a home very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in.” —Francis Jourdain
Many people will miss the joys of minimalism because they are afraid to begin. Often, they fear if they “minimize” an item from their home, they will regret it in the future if they need it again.
While that rarely happens (you need so much less than you think), if this fear is preventing you from getting started, try this alternative method instead.
Begin by simply reducing the excess things in your home. For example, your family needs towels so you will never remove them completely—but you could simplify your life by reducing the number of towels you own. This approach removes all risk.
Once you take that first step, you will start to experience the benefits of minimalism. You will enjoy the refreshing feeling of a less-cluttered linen closet or bathroom drawer.
Soon, you will notice countless other things that can be reduced in your home. Before you know it, you will have made significant progress in your journey towards a more simplified life.
To better understand the potential of this simple, risk-free step, I compiled a list of 101 Things That Can Easily Be Reduced In Your Home.
Just below the written list in this post, you can also sign up to have a printable PDF of my Declutter Your Home Checklist. I’ll send you a
This minimalist list is not meant to overwhelm or frustrate you, it’s simply meant to give you an idea of how significant a step this can be–just choosing 10 things on this minimalist checklist to start with would result in a noticeable difference in your home.
The Declutter Your Home Checklist: 101 Things That Can Easily Be Reduced In Your Home
- Kitchen Glassware
- Cookbooks
- Kitchen gadgets
- Kitchen appliances
- Pots / pans
- Mixing bowls
- Tupperware
- Water pitchers
- Coffee mugs
- Glass jars
- Magazines / Newspapers
- Books
- Over-the-counter medicine
Make up - Hair accessories
- Personal beauty appliances
- Toiletries
- Photos
- Photography supplies
- Sewing supplies
Scrap-booking supplies- Other craft supplies
- CDs
- DVDs / VHS tapes
- Wall Decorations
- Candles
- Candle Holders
- Figurines
- Crystal / China
- Vases
- Audio/visual components
- Audio/visual cables
- Computers equipment
- Computer peripherals
- Old cellphones
- Furniture
- Video game systems
- Video game accessories
- Video games
- Shirts
- Pants / Shorts
- Dresses / Skirts
- Hats
- Clothes hangers
- Shoes
- Ties / belts / accessories
- Coats
- Winter gear
- Socks / Underwear
- Sleepwear
- Jewelry
- Purses
- Pillows
- Linen sets
- Duvets / Comforters
- Blankets
- Towels
- Televisions
- Items on your bulletin board
- Magnets
- Home office supplies
- Coins
- Pens / pencils
- Rubber bands / Twist ties
- Cleaning supplies
- Old batteries
- Tools
- Hardware
- Coolers
- Manuals
- Phone books
- Coupons
- Board games
- Puzzles
- Decks of cards
- Unused gifts
- Baby clothes
- Baby supplies
- Old schoolbooks/papers
- Toys
- Stuffed animals
- Kid’s artwork
- Suitcases
- Pantry food
- Paper goods
- Wrapping supplies
- Pet supplies
- Plastic bags
- Party supplies
- Seasonal decorations
- Sporting goods
- Sports memorabilia
- Automobiles
- Automotive supplies
- Scrap pieces of lumber
- Brooms
- Rakes
- Shovels
- Garden tools
- Plant containers / Pots
- Empty cardboard boxes
If you’d prefer a physical copy of the Declutter Your Home Checklist, fill out your email below for a high-quality, printable PDF:
If you are just beginning your personal journey towards simplicity, I recommend our book: Simplify. 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life.
In it, you will find principles of simplicity that are encouraging, uplifting, and entirely within your reach.
For more ideas on how to “minimalize” your life, visit this article on comprehensive decluttering tips.
going to work on glassware, tupperware and magazines today. That alone will empty at least half my house :)
My daughter sent me this site to check out the list. I immediately printed it out. I have started removing things that I do not use and I can get money by selling it. Specially now that a community sale is taking place. Now I want to get rid of everything that I do not want to stay even with the sofa I am sitting on. I want such a clean start that I want to start from zero. Let me see how many things I sell, what goes to the waste basket, and what to the goodwill. — Awesome List!!!
Dear Minimalists,
I would like to ask you if there are any of you living in the UK?, preferably in London.
For my MA study photography, I would like to meet some people that changed their surrounding in; ‘as less objects as possible.’
My MA research is about objects and the relation we have with them.
Can anybody help with some contacts that would be interested in this photography project?
Thank you,
Best greetings
Eva
1. Glassware: My mother has too much of this, I have been pushing her to throw a few mugs away because we have so many mugs but we only use about 3-4 of them everyday.
2. Cookbooks: It’s better to just not use them. Yes, a nice recipe would be great once in a while, but you can find a lot of great recipes online, and cookbooks are expensive and take up space. Sometimes, they also require extra ingredients you may not have and you’d have to stock up more on things you originally did not need.
3. Kitchen gadgets: Forget the apple slicer and just slice your own apples! I found it to be easier.
7. Tupperware: Stop keeping the ones you get from take-out!
9. Magazines: Stop keeping magazines just because they are pretty!
11. Books: Toss old books away or sell them!
13. Make-up: Stick with one eyeliner and colors that work with every outfit.
18. Photos: just store them in photo boxes. Hanging pictures tend to make a room look messier.
22. Scrap-booking supplies: I got rid of all my scrapbooking supplies. Turns out that I did it only because I wanted my work to look like those I see online, rather than just preserving memories. Just keep photos with notes behind it.
23. CD’s & DVD’s: We tossed all the CDs. We now have too many DVDs.. switch to netflix and don’t let the DVDs pile up.
25. Decorative items, candles, figurines, crystals, vases: if you must, keep 1-2 vases. If you light candles, have only a few. Everything else just attracts more dust and take up room.
30. Audio/visual components/Audio/visual cables: I just stick with my laptop for audio and visual entertainment.
32. Computer equipment: stick with a laptop if you want to reduce the clutter and hassle of handling wires and having a computer desk.
38. Shirts / shorts/PantsCoats/Dresses/Hats/Clothes hangers/Shoes/Winter gear/Jewelry/Purses: Stick to a few outfits that can mix and match. The most of any clothing one should have is undergarments and socks.
58. Home office supplies: keep only the basics you may need.
86. Baby supplies: Babies only need your love and attention, not the latest gadgets.
94. Plastic toys: Buy sturdy wooden blocks, or painted ones (safe material) and avoid cheap plastic toys. Avoid going to toy sections or toy stores with your children and teach them to be creative with blocks.
97. Soda/Alcohol/Processed foods: a lot of this stuff are empty calories.. switch to water and drink soda and alcohol occasionally. Always find food that is least processed.
I am downsizing – have to do it sooner or later- especially once the Christmas decor has been put away. I need more space, so the obvious answer is to give away with extra items that I’m really not using. Back to the basics…think of the Japanese and how uncluttered their environments are! Thanks for all of your suggestions.
You should add that many of these things can be donated and written off as a tax deduction or given away through your network of friends or Freecycle.org
I like the minimalist idea but I want to keep it green, too!!!
I am working on this . My friend calls it inventory reduction. Must be a sign of our tes that we have so much stuff.
I do not own a comb. I use my fingers. I became tired of clutter and couldn’t stand to see useless items taking up space.
We are in the process of moving, and this article is a godsend. Instead of packing clutter to the next house, and we can start anew with physical and mental space. Keep the great insight coming! I love this site. :-)
I’m starting with my glassware. I’m about done! feels good!
You’ve got a great list here! I’ve downsized our possessions quite a bit, and there are still things on here that I’ve got an excess of. Things like books/DVDs/CDs could be purged completely. That’s what libraries are for!