“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.
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.
What I have been doing recently is if I dont need it and its still a usable item we put it out on the curb for someone else that can use it. What is left goes in the garbage. I make a couple free signs so they know its ok to take. Our second home is in a small recreational community, its much easier to pick up something rather than go to the store and buy it. I have been trying to send something out of the house when something comes in. Its a start for me , I feel like im trying to at least maintain and as I get better at that I will do more. I love this blog its like a therapy sesson when I read all the topics and comments . Thank you.
I have become a huge fan of trying to keep the number of possessions I have to a dull roar. I have 2 children– boys ages 5 and 7– and I am teaching them to purge and organize on a regular basis. And they’re so happy about it! They’re not overwhelmed or anxious when I ask them to put their toys away because they have designated spots for their things to go. When I ask them to get dressed or put their laundry away they know exactly where things go and there is actually room for things in their drawers.
The audio video equipment and cables is the ongoing struggle in these parts. Every time I move I cringe at having to reconnect miles of cables. I can’t wait to upgrade and have one simple system rather than a huge kit of parts from the 90s. It is amazing how streamlined it is becoming at relatively decent price points. I don’t frequent the electronics department much, so I am probably behind the curve on this topic. Now if only there was a constructive way to ditch the tube TV.
I tried to “ditch” a tube TV recently and the very well known large donation center declined to accept my less than 6 years old tuber with a CD player, stating they only accept “Flatscreen TV’s”. I had to put it in the garbage! Nice for the landfill over the next 50 years I should say.
I have donated non-flatscreen TV’s to SARCAN For recycling in the not-so-distant past. They salvage cables etc.
I just donated a whole bunch of old TVs and monitors to the e-waste recycling bin at a local charity shop. The recycler gives a small donation to the charity every time the bin is filled. 90% of the stuff inside it was CRT monitors and TVs!
My city has a hazardous waste disposal center which accepts old television sets and computers, among other items. Check with your city’s solid waste department to find out if such a facility is available in your area.
I see glassware is on your list. You must have more glass than most people have plastic. I would encourage people to remove as much plastic in their lives as possible I have done this and replace with glass, but you can accumulate too much of anything. I find it’s easier to scale down in the kitchen than anywhere else.
This! Even silicon is proving questionable. I went down to just 6 large and 6 small drinking glasses and it was an awesome change
I wondered about the glass as well. I would prefer to have quality thick glasses. Although, my wife is going to go through our cupboards soon and start cleaning it out. We just started the minimizing process so here hoping the plastic is gone for good.
Plastic never “goes for good”. Every single piece of plastic ever made is out there somewhere. Even a coffee pod takes 500 years to disintegrate. Best option is to try to avoid buying it in the first place.
I agree about glasses – but, how many people have coffee cups that just seem to multiply? I know I do!
As a teacher, I get several mugs every year. They’ve taken over an entire cabinet! I’ll donate them today.
I am working onde-owning my grandparents’ kitchenware. I donated a waffel maker the other day, and I posted some vintage bowls on ebay…. Every step forward counts, right?
http://motherteacherartistwoman.blogspot.com/
That was posted too quickly, and I apologize. Please replace onde-owning with “on de-owning” and “waffel” with “waffle.”
wow! Thought I had gotten rid of a lot but I still have a ways to go. Except that the sewing supplies stay. I am a quilter. I did however cut my hair short and wear no makeup. All I need in the bathroom is my soap, shampoo, hairbrush, and a bit of hairspray. And of course my toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash. No need for more. Even just wearing my hair super short and natural has been freeing!
Love this list one so many levels. We’re moving in a few months so all the more incentive for us to rid of things we don’t need and only bring purposeful items we love and need in our new space.
Just donated 125 cookbooks!! The purge was uplifting and now I’m inspired to do more. Any ideas for motivating a not-so-enthusiastic partner?
My soup pot is my stock pot is my crock pot is my mixing bowl.
The tupperware we have is used for freezing, taking lunch to work and storing leftovers. If it doesn’t fulfill its intended purpose it goes.
Old batteries are collected and disposed of in the supermarket.
We don’t own a car.
Last year I just replaced all my 10 year old underwear with new ones. 3old for 1new.
We don’t have any medicines.
Others can go after we are dead.
Funnily, the first thing to do to start getting rid of unwanted stuff is buying a book ;)
I use the public library. :)
I use the public library. :)
I donated over 800 books to a used bookstore.
Craft supplies? Are you mad? lol
Seriously, I’m an artist, so reducing my craft supplies isn’t a priority. ;) That said, I have been cleaning out to try and become more focused on what I do.
Good list.
I had the same idea. I would never get rid off craft supplies, nor books. The rest I totally agree. You can add (plastic) bags!
I loved how in the midst of reading therunning list of things that can be reduced, I came across “army men”. Made me smile.
I have been de cluttering my home for 6 months .
17 car loads to donate to savers and goodwill .
Some tips I have , stuffed animals can be donated to the fire station . They give them to kids that have been in accidents or fires .
Also getting your kids involved in cleaning out their rooms .
Kim, that is a great idea! My Goodwill told me that they are overflowing with stuffed animals and would probably be discarded. I love the idea that they can go somewhere to bring joy to a child especially in a traumatic situation. Thanks!
What I’ve been doing for this month is that on the 1st I give away, sell or throw out 1 item. On the 2nd; 2 items. On the 3rd; 3 items, and so on until the end of the month. By the 31st I’ll have gotten rid of 495 things. I started identifying Items the last week of the previous month so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed on any day. I also post my daily purge on my facebook page just so I honour my commitment and also I find that it holds me accountable.
Where does one donate old bottles of shampoo or lotions and things that are stil half full?? I feel bad throwing these out but dunno what charity would take them. Suggestions?
Same goes for condiments or vitamins that were opened once and not used, still within expiration date…
Thanks!
Throw them out. I know you don’t want to waste them but it’s similar to giving someone a half-eaten sandwich. I know I sure would not want any of those items once they’ve been opened/used.
I know this may sound odd but I for shampoos, lotions, and the like I’ve had people pay .50-1.00 for those at yard sales. I didn’t think anyone would buy them but they did.
Or put out a “free” box (at lawn sale…or a friend or family members lawn sale). People will use it!
Shampoo, hair products, body washes etc… donate to shelters. Women & children will pick what they need & its a plus for the shelter.
Woman’s’ shelter loves shampoo, etc.; local mission, S. Army.
use them to clean the stool. I got the idea from the flylady. I used the ones I became allergic to.
I place contents down the drain, rinse and recycle bottles.
call your local women’s shelter or homeless mission/hostel. Lots of people, travellers and such, coming through would appreciate it.
What’s a good way to reduce excessive photographs?
Probably to scan your photos onto a computer then save in a hard drive. Otherwise maybe have a family night where you take stock and each select certain # of photos to discard for good? It’s a tough answer for me too
Other than Photos, Photography Supplies, and Artwork – I am quickly taking this article to heart and revamping my entire home!!
Thank you!
I have been doing this challenge for the last 35 days getting rid of one of the categories a day! Some of them don’t apply because I have already purged, but many of them do! This article has really made me explore what I keep, and most importantly why. I am excited to keep trucking through and see how much more I can rid of!
We are a family of 4 that live in a small tOwnhouse. We had a house fire in 2012 that completely wiped us out. Prior to that we were filled to the brim with toys, household items, and childhood memories. While we struggled with rebuilding and replacing I realized how much of that “stuff” that we had which we never really needed. It’s nice to, now that we are back home, live simply and be free from the clutter.
sad to lose that which you would have happily kept!
Surprisingly I have only excess of hangers and plastic toys. Yay
I’ve been doing the 2014 for 2014 Challenge with Slow your home. I am at just about 900 items, but my momentum is slowing. This was exactly what I needed.
I love this article. Just love it. And I love the cleansing feeling of removing items that I don’t need but I’m far from being minimalist. I’d love to see photos of a house from some who is truly living the minimalist life.
Look up the Tiny House movement.
There is a blog of a friend of mine. She has a family of 6. Perfect example of living minimalist. thevanillatulip is her blog name.
Awesome! I started a blog at the beginning of the year, my new years resolution is to get rid of one thing everyday. So far I haven’t missed a day! Sometimes I have a weeks worth of stuff and sometimes I struggle to find something to get rid of that day. This list gives me some ideas, thanks!
Blog: http://365thingsicanlivewithout.wordpress.com/
Thanks for sharing your blog Carly. I think I am going to start doing the same. I know I will struggle but I will still give it a go.
Hello,
Thank you, this is just the sort of information I was after. I have been slowly reducing my stuff as I am planning on moving to the other side of the world, my wife to follow. As you can imagine this is a daunting task. Everything has to be either moved, stored, thrown out or sold. Less stuff = less decisions.
I can just see myself eventually with a few bicycles, my photography stuff (which I am aiming to fit within one bag), my clothes, a few books, and the bare essentials such as the bed, desk lamp, and a few keepsakes. I think it’s nice to have some art hanging on the walls, but that too can take over your space.
Since moving to Spain, we can’t afford all these silly kitchen appliances so that definitely helps. For example we only have three saucepans in the house but only really use one of them. I thought we had very few possessions. But reading your list I’m still amazed at what we have in our house that is on there:
– a couple of bottles of alcohol sitting there a few years
– unread books that I’ll likely never ever read but feel ‘guilty’ if I throw them out
– a few stupid stuffed little animal toys I don’t even like (I am just keeping the cute ones hahaha)
– old batteries
– coins which aren’t worth anything at all
– old pots
Seems to me a lot faster/cheaper to just throw all this clutter out. A few valuable things I have sold on ebay. Generally you know if something is worth selling or thowing out…
Please dont just throw.. Donate if the stuff is still useful or pretty new. Cleaning doesnt mean wasting. All that things needs to be re-use. If they we already bought is necessary for us to think how to give them more life before just throwing it away. And that way, you’ll definetly feel less “guilty” That’s what I always do.
Regards!
You are so right Laura…
Also, don’t forget to donate any towels, sheets,
and bedspreads to your local animal shelter! :)
Ah ha! You are a genius. I’ve always wondered what to do with old towels and have ended up throwning them out! This despite getting all our cats (at least) from shelters. Such a dimwit. I shall keep that in mind when we need to replace the current ones. Thank you.
What a great idea! I’ve been wondering what to do with them. Thanks for suggesting that!
Donating to an animal shelter is an excellent idea, but if you are in an area that doesn’t have this as an option you could always ask your local mechanic if they would like some rags. We have people bringing us bags of old pillowcases, teatowels etc to use and it is always appreciated. (Yep, I’m a mechanics wife and believe me, having them wipe their hands on rags instead of their clothes is sooo appreciated!!)
Many veterinarian’s will take them too. And most areas have a county dog kennel. ..they love towels and blankets for the dogs and for clearing!
I aim to donate most of what needs to go. i don’t hold on to garbage/trash [tho i dare say my siblings might disagree]. i thrown out what needs to be thrown out, i just don’t donate
as much as i should, tho i have started by giving my new nieces my old long hair accessories for which they were very grateful.
People should NOT feel guilty about throwing things out. The problem with that is that people with clutter need to let go of that donate it step. It just creates more clutter. Nobody else “needs” your clutter. Seriously people just put it off b/c of the guilt of needing to donate it. It just needs to be gone. It may work for you but not for someone who has issues with clutter.
Yes. This. The idea that “I will donate that” is often what prevents progress. Because some people get to a point where 60% (or more) of their possessions need to be donated which WILL NEVER HAPPEN. So the clutter just sits, waiting for that magical day called “someday” when its owner gets around to hauling it to the various donation places.
It is better to “donate” to the garbage man once and for all and make some visual, quantifiable progress, than to be hung up on the need to donate to the point where you never see the forest through the trees.
Know thyself. “Will I REALLY ever get around to donating/selling/fixing/refurbishing this?” If not, let it go.
I disagree about not donating. I worked in a women’s shelter and we were very grateful when people donated decent home items. The women we helped often had to leave with nothing and when we set them up in their own place we were able to give them a few dishes, pots, curtains, mugs etc. that made the new place feel like a home. Please don’t add to our landfills by just tossing things. At the very least, put items out by the curb with a big FREE sign on it and you will see things disappear. It’s not your problem if it becomes someone else’s clutter, and maybe they can really use the items you don’t need.
Agree with the about comment, it’s extremely wasteful to just throw useful items out as trash instead of donating! Not to mention the enormous mounds of garbage our society already produces which ends up in landfill. Good quality unwanted items (clothing, linen, toys, household items) can all be put to good use by those less fortunate, or recycled by others.. Don’t be so lazy and just dump it in the trash!
Great list of reducibles – born of experience I can tell. As I read your list my mind jumps from room to room and says yup, yup!
Reducible’s! I like that term! I’m going to use it.
Josh I love your philosophy, truly inspiring. I know the power of an organized home on our lives…its proven when I feel the mood change in our home in those weeks when all the laundry is done and house is tidy, only to see the moods change again in a negative way as we fall off cleaning wagon. I have no doubt your principles are effective.
Very well said. I feel depressed when my home is not organized or unclean and when it’s all tidy, even a cup of tea is so enjoyable.