7 Days to Minimalism | Minimalist Home Decluttering Guide | Live Minimally

Friends, being on a minimalist journey for the last 13 years and trying to live mindfully, decluttering has become a pretty regular routine in my house. When my home is clean, tidy, and clutter-free, it gives me a sense of peace and calm and I hope it will do the same for you. When we begin our minimalist journey, it can feel pretty overwhelming to look around your home and think, oh my gosh how am I going to declutter this whole entire house? I find that it's more manageable and not quite so overwhelming if we can break down decluttering into a seven-day process where each day is focused on just one area of the house. As you begin decluttering your home, keep in mind that there is no one way to become a minimalist. That the beautiful thing about being a minimalist is that you get to choose what fits in your lifestyle. Before you begin decluttering each room, try to identify a couple of purposes that you intend for this space and then as you're decluttering, try to stick to only keeping the things that really add value to this purpose. Day one, bedroom. The bedroom is an area that we don't necessarily always think about decluttering. I like to begin with under the bed. I don't know how things find their way there, but the most random objects find their way under the bed. I like to pull everything out, vacuum it, make sure it's really clean underneath, and eliminate anything that has actually been pushed under the bed. Nightstand. Decluttering all items that really don't need to be on the nightstand and focusing on only keeping the things that you truly need first thing in the morning or before bed, like an alarm clock, a phone charger, a lamp, maybe a book. Closet. Even though I'm a minimalist and I don't purchase new clothing very often, it's pretty surprising how many articles of clothes that I can usually declutter. As I begin to declutter my closet, I like to ask myself a few self-inquiry questions to help me determine what articles of clothing I want to keep and which I can donate. How many times have I worn this item in the last six months? Do I still enjoy wearing this? Does it fit my current lifestyle? Does it still fit my body correctly? Does this match my current climate that I'm living in? Are these items that fit into my wardrobe formula so that I can mix and match them with other things I have? Many times I keep articles of clothing for far too long, and my style has changed and adapt, and my wardrobe formula has also changed. So it's nice to ask myself if the things I'm keeping can be mixed and matched into my wardrobe formula. I also only keep the articles of clothing that I absolutely love to wear. Shoes and accessories. As I go through my shoes and my accessories, I apply the same rules I used on my closet. Only keeping the things that I really love. Get rid of all of the belts that I never wear, old bags and purses that I rarely reach for. Day two. Living room. The living room is a place that we get together as a family. It's a place of entertainment, maybe studying or just enjoying the peace and quiet. Before beginning to declutter this room that has so many purposes in your life, take a moment and identify the top three purposes you would like the living room to have. And then keep that in mind as you start working through each category. Decor. Decluttering all of the home decor and knickknacks that maybe have found their way into the living room that either don't belong, don't fit your style, or have become cluttered and overwhelming. I like to think of it a way as, do I really love this item and does it bring me joy? Or is it useful? And if not, then I try to donate it to a good cause. Electronics, CDs, and games. Because we use our living room to gather as a family, this is where we keep all of these things for our family. Going through the games and seeing if they're still relevant, if we still enjoy playing them. Going through the electronics and remotes, making sure that I only have the remotes that actually work and that match the electronics I currently have. CDs and DVDs used to be a huge thing all my life, but now we rarely watch them. And my children have grown up, so many of these can be donated to a local library or charity. Take inventory of any extra or mismatched furniture that you have that you don't really make use of or that doesn't fit your style anymore. Day three. Bathroom. Beginning with beauty products. Going through all of my makeup and tossing any old brushes that may be broken or makeup that's empty or that I no longer like anymore. Next, I determine the beauty products that I am currently using. So this is a great chance to declutter all of the beauty products, tossing anything that is old, damaged, or expired. Grooming products. Eliminating all grooming products that are either broken, on their way out, or maybe just your style has changed and you no longer use these things anymore. Medication and first aid. First thing is to go through and throw away all medication that is expired, both over-the-counter and prescription. Keeping around old medicine is unnecessary and can also be dangerous. Declutter all lotions, sunscreens, bug sprays, ointments, anything you keep in your medicine cabinet that might be old, something you don't enjoy anymore, maybe some empty bottles or containers. Day four. Kitchen. This is truly the hardest place for me to declutter. It is honestly the heart of our home. I love to bake from scratch and cook big family dinners and so I tend to have a lot of utensils, dishes, pots, and pans. Dishes are one of these things that we can gather many duplicates of. Going through the dishes that you no longer use through your bowls, plates, glasses, mugs, to-go cups, pots, pans, mixing bowls, and especially baking utensils. These can all be donated at your local women's shelter or charity. Pantry. I can always find several old spices that have expired and need to be tossed. Also going through all of my condiments that I no longer need, just cleaning it all out. If this is where you keep any vitamins or supplements, now is the perfect time to throw out any of the supplements that have expired or that you no longer use. Going through the freezer and fridge and getting rid of everything that has expired, that has been in there far too long and no one's ever going to eat it. Condiments that you never use or that have also gone bad. Appliances. I am 100% guilty of keeping a sushi making kit for years before I finally just came to the conclusion that I was probably never going to use it and donated it. Appliances are one of these things that we can either get as a gift or buy on a whim, like an impulse buy, thinking it's going to be great and never use it once. Junk drawer. Every household has one. Ours is usually in our kitchen. Going through the junk drawer and giving everything a home. What are some of the areas that you struggle with decluttering? I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment below and also if you enjoy this video please give it a thumbs up and subscribe. It really helps my channel grow. Thanks so much guys. Day 5. Office. Going through and decluttering all of your old technology that is either broken, damaged, or you don't use anymore like phones, iPads, Kindles, computers. If the technology is still working then maybe you can make a Craigslist. You can also just donate it. As I go through the cords and chargers I like to match each charger with the technology it belongs with. This is a really simple way for me to identify the things that I need to keep and the things that I can toss. Paperwork. This is a fantastic opportunity to go through all of the papers that I have and get rid of everything I no longer need. I'll go through old notebooks, receipts, bills, and documents. Everything I no longer need I toss. The important papers that I still need but I don't need the original copies I will scan these and put them into a digital file. All of the important documents that I still need, the original copies, so birth certificates, passports, titles to vehicles, things like this, I will put in a fireproof and waterproof safe. Arts, crafts, and hobbies. Go through all of your arts and maybe your hobbies and eliminate anything you are no longer using. Art supplies are so valuable that you can donate these to any school or kid program and they would love them. Day six. Laundry and storage rooms. Taking a look at your linen closet and towels and asking yourself how many changes of linens do we need. For our family it's just one for each bed and one extra. Decluttering the towels, only keeping the ones that are still in good condition and that you use most often. If they have holes in them you can recycle them and turn them into rags. If they're in good condition you can probably donate them to your local pet center. Laundry items. Tossing anything that is an empty laundry or detergent container or ones that you don't like to use. Luggage and suitcases. This is an area that we like to keep a lot of luggage just in case someday we need it. But if you can identify just the pieces of luggage that you will actually use more most often, perhaps one large suitcase and one carry-on and one personal item, then you can declutter the other suitcases that you will not use. Someday items. Storage units always have the someday item in it. Maybe some old skis but you don't live in a mountain town anymore or golf clubs that you thought you'd try out but didn't really enjoy. So looking at all of the items in the storage unit and donating or selling everything that you know you're probably not going to use. Day 7. Car. The last day is a pretty easy day but it's amazing how many things find its way into my car but never out of my car again. This is the perfect opportunity to go through the glove compartment throwing away old papers that we no longer need, going through the trunk and side pockets and taking back into the house all of the things that do not belong in the car anymore. Be kind to yourself during this decluttering process. Minimalism is a lifestyle choice and honor wherever you are at in your lifestyle today. Remember that there is no perfect way of being a minimalist and it is custom fit just for you and your unique lifestyle. Thanks so much for watching today. I really appreciate it. 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