Minimalism: Seven things you can declutter from your home on a daily basis

by Lucy Moore | 9 April 2022

Keeping your home tidy, organised and most importantly- simple can be a tall order when so many things enter your space on a daily basis. Think about what you have on your person when you leave the house and then what you return with- often there can be a huge difference, especially if you are heading out to go food shopping or to pick up your children. You might not be aware of just how many things are crossing the threshold only to be absorbed into your space without careful curation. So, here are seven culprits that threaten to build up if you don’t keep on top of them daily.

Image courtesy of Unsplash

Food packaging: Given that eating is a daily necessity, you can guarantee that there will be some food packaging that needs to exit your space after consumption. Plastic trays, foil, cling film, cardboard boxes- you can be sure that at least one thing you eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner will have some kind of wrapper on it. Even the most ardent eco warriors will still encounter a tin or brown paper bag here and there. Recycle what you can and make sure the rest is cleared away in the bin, which brings me to other kinds of trash…

Rubbish: If your house has a bin in each room, make sure you empty each one every night- especially your kitchen bin- even if they aren’t all full. This will prevent your space from stinking of anything you have discarded which could be a dirty nappy or a food container that won't recycle for instance. Make each room look and smell more inviting when you enter by keeping the trash to a minimum.

Emails: I don’t know about you but even with minimal email subscriptions, I still get emails most days from people I haven’t given my email address to. Keep a close eye on your emails and unsubscribe from any that come through you may have missed or block any phishing junk that comes your way.

Unwanted/expired food: Always scrape leftovers into the bin (unless you are planning to make another meal out of it- in which case put it in a container in the fridge) and keep an eye on your fridge for any food that may have gone past its best. Perhaps you could break up that stale bread for the birds or put anything compost worthy in your designated bin. Never leave food out from one day to the next, unless it’s fruit in a bowl- always clear it away before bedtime to avoid tummy upsets or unwanted critters.

Post: File what needs to be filed, shred what needs to be shredded and recycle the envelopes and boxes as soon as you have broken into a package. Most homes have a dumping ground for things that come through the letterbox, so try to avoid putting it down and deal with it immediately. You will thank yourself when you don’t have weeks of correspondence or a fort of boxes to wade through in one sitting.

Yesterday’s to do list: If you are someone who makes a list of tasks for each day, discarding the old one should be part of your daily decluttering ritual. If you didn’t cross off something from the list, you will feel overwhelmed and unmotivated, whereas if you did, you may feel compelled to add more items to tick off today. What is done is done- declutter the old one and remember that today is a new day so concentrate on what is to come not what has gone before.

Dirt: While this may not be as obvious as the aforementioned items- you can do a spot of dusting, wiping and hoovering every day to keep the dirt at bay. It’s not as visually satisfying as clearing out a junk drawer or sorting out your wardrobe but it’s still eliminating something from your space that you don’t need or want. So wipe down that surface, hoover up those crumbs and mop up that spill. Don’t let grime be the clutter in your home.