On this minimalist blog, we explore how to combine minimalism and organization. In this article, we'll analyze, room by room, how to declutter your home in 30 minutes. Quick and easy! I've also written an article on how to organize your home in 30 minutes.
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Introduction
A tidy house does not necessarily mean a perfect house.
The goal is rather to create housing simple to live with, easy to clean and pleasant for everyday use.
And to begin with, there's no need to dedicate an entire weekend to tidying up.
Let's just take 1 hour.
For the first 30 minutes, we'll declutter. Then, for the next 30 minutes, we'll organize what's left.
Why does our home get cluttered so easily?
Every day, we bring new items into our home.
A business card, a leaflet, a biscuit wrapper, a new household appliance… Taken individually, these objects seem insignificant. But the problem lies in their accumulation.
For example :
- a contact card that you receive and don't throw away
- an advertising leaflet retrieved from the mailbox
- a new household appliance joins the house while the old one is still there.
Gradually, Our accommodation is filling up.
According to a study reported by The Journal of Saône-et-Loire, each dwelling would accumulate on average 2.5 tons of objects*.
What are the advantages of decluttering?
The study, conducted with 21 families, also shows that participants were able to get rid of an average of 31 % of their possessions.
This decluttering allowed them to recover between 30 and 60 % of space, depending on the household.
The observation is simple:
It's very easy to accumulate. Without regular decluttering, your home will increasingly resemble a warehouse full of useless items.
Indeed, unnecessary items take up space, complicate storage and increase the time spent cleaning.
They can also obstruct movement within the dwelling and, in some situations, create greater risks for children.
Conversely, Fewer items generally mean less storage and less cleaning.
That is precisely the objective of this exercise.
The 2 steps to organizing your home
In one hour, we will proceed in two steps:
- Declutter for 30 minutes
- Organize for 30 minutes (this part will be in another article)
After an hour of tidying and organizing, your home will probably be:
- more pleasant to live
- easier to clean
- easier to store
- easier to navigate (more spaced out)
- less crowded
- more soothing
So, let's get started with the decluttering!
Declutter your home in 30 minutes 🚮
Before you begin, prepare a few bags.
Don't look for perfection right now.
The goal is to quickly eliminate the superfluous.
Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the rooms where clutter accumulates most easily. Here's what it looks like if you constantly accumulate things:
Let's start decluttering:
Spices: approximately 7 varieties
We often have far more spices than we actually use.
Salt, curry, turmeric, paprika, pepper…
Set yourself a reasonable limit.
For example, seven different spices can be more than enough for everyday cooking.
Of course, this limit depends on your eating habits.
Utensils: avoid duplicates
Turner, spatula, ladle, garlic cutter, whisk…
We sometimes have multiple copies of the same object.
Ask yourself a simple question:
«"Do I actually use this utensil?"»
For example, if you own three spatulas and you only use one, the other two simply take up space.
For your information, Ten well-chosen kitchen utensils can be enough for simple cooking.
Washing up: avoid excess
A practical rule of thumb is to have approximately two copies per person for the most commonly used tableware items.
For example, for two people, four plates of the same size may be more than enough.
The idea is not to absolutely respect this number (two copies per person), but to avoid having, for example, 15 plates of the same size when living as a couple.
Note that this principle applies to all tableware (knives, forks, glasses, etc.).
Pots and pans
For classic everyday cooking, 3 saucepans of different sizes and 2 frying pans may be sufficient in many homes.
There's no point in having 10 saucepans and 5 frying pans, for example.
Again, adjust this quantity to your cooking style.
Bathroom
The bathroom can quickly become a small, overloaded warehouse of products.
Hygiene products: only the essentials
Shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste…
Start by keeping only what you use regularly.
Products that are almost empty, forgotten at the back of a cupboard or bought "just in case" can be sorted.
Makeup: only the essentials
If a product hasn't been used for several months, simply ask yourself:
«"Why am I keeping it?"»
An unused product takes up space without adding value to daily life.
If you have makeup that you haven't used in over a year, it's very likely you'll never use it.
Remove duplicate devices
Two razors? Two identical devices? Several devices that you rarely use?
Keep what truly meets your needs.
The goal is not to have the absolute minimum, but to avoid unnecessary duplicates.
Bedroom
The bedroom should first and foremost remain a space for rest and tranquility. And every extra object contradicts this principle.
Sorting through the closet
Clothes that are rarely worn take up a lot of space in your wardrobe and make it difficult to find what you're looking for.
Therefore, analyze all the clothes you own and throw away any you haven't used in over a year. You'll probably never use them.
Free up the office
A cluttered desk quickly becomes difficult to use. Remove anything that doesn't need to be there (stapler, old papers, pens without ink, etc.).
To give you my own example, in my office there is only a laptop, a multi-colour pen and a mini lamp. That's enough for me.
The more open the surface, the easier it is to clean and the more pleasant it is to use.
Limit decorations
Decorations can make a room feel warm and inviting. But too many can also create an impression of clutter.
For example, paintings, photos, figurines, decorative objects…
Keep only the items that truly have value in your eyes.
The rest can be removed.
A more minimalist room is also easier to dust.
Living room
Just like your bedroom, your living room should be a space for relaxation, tranquility, and spaciousness. This isn't the example you're looking for:
Limit decorations
The living room is often filled with decorative objects that we have accumulated over the years.
Observe the shelves, the furniture, the tables, and the paintings hanging on the wall. And analyze:
Does each object truly deserve to occupy this space?
If the answer is no, remove it.
Sorting through memories
Memories are special: we keep them for their emotional value. Therefore, it's not necessary to throw everything away.
On the other hand, some objects have lost their importance over time.
Even worse: sometimes we keep a souvenir without even remembering why.
In that case, it might be time to part with it.
The goal is not to delete memories, but to keep only those that truly matter..
Conclusion
We naturally tend to accumulate.
The problem is not having objects.
The problem begins when objects take control of our space and our lives.
A more minimalist home can bring several very concrete benefits:
- find your belongings more quickly
- save space
- reduce storage time
- make cleaning easier and reduce cleaning time
- better manage your stocks
- to have a more pleasant living space
And above all, decluttering doesn't have to be an endless chore.
Just start with 30 minutes intensive tidying. The result will be very impactful.
Once you have finished decluttering your home, apply step 2. That is, optimize the organization of your home.
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About me
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Compared to before, I was a person who consumed a lot until the day I realized that my consumption made me sadder and poorer 😑
Now I prefer the minimum of my needs to be happy and achieve my financial freedom.
Without realizingI started to focus on saving and investing to depend on a boss for as little time as possible and to speed up my personal projects.
For several years I have felt happy and I have become richer in a way that I would never have imagined given that I have an average salary in Switzerland.
It is for this purpose that I decided to create this blog. In order to share and learn with other people who seek freedom and simplicity 😉
Are you rather minimalist or frugal Jonny?
I am as minimalist as I am frugalist. However, there are situations where I lean more towards an art of life.
To conclude, I think the most important thing is to feel comfortable in your lifestyle 😊
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