8 Simple Rules For a Minimalist & Clutter-Free Home

Gabe Bult
by Gabe Bult

I am naturally a very messy person. That is why I have created some rules to help me on my way to a minimalist clutter-free home. If you too want to achieve a clean clutter free home without too much effort, here are the principles I suggest following.

1. The Elsa Rule: Let it go

One of my most important minimalist rules is weird but simple: just let things go. When you come across a thing that you are saving “just in case” or you are unsure if you should get rid of it, just let it go.


For the most part, if it is not going to matter in five years, then do not take more than five minutes thinking about it. If it is not a 100% heck yes, then it is a no, it is that simple. This makes decluttering and deciding if you should get rid of an extra piece of furniture so much easier.


This also stands for other areas of your life, but around the house especially. It is just stuff. Let it go.


2. The six-month rule

This could also be 90 days or 30 days or whatever you want it to be. Here is the rule: if you have not used it in the last six months and you are not going to use it in the next six months, just get rid of it.


This, along with the first rule, really helps me get rid of things. This can also help if you are stuck in your decluttering process and feel unsure what to do next: look for that stuff that you have not used in a while.


Sometimes you think you are going to use that again, or maybe you have spent money on it so you feel bad getting rid of it, but this rule is a great guideline to know what to throw out.

Organizing a kitchen

3. Less but better

This is a principle I try to live by with everything that I spend money on, and in return, it helps me keep less stuff in my house. Everything in my house has to serve some sort of purpose.


A really good example is the pots and pans that we use, as well as our Tupperware. We decided to spend a little bit more and get stuff that fits really well, is really high quality, washes really easily, and comes with storage.


I do the same thing with my clothes and appliances. I used to get cheaper stuff that would break and I got new things constantly. Having less high-quality stuff that you absolutely love and use every day makes your whole house feel a lot more functional.


4. Have a plan

When I was getting started on my journey to a clutter-free home, it was super easy to get excited for a week, maybe declutter one room, and then just things kind of fall apart.


The reason is that I did not stay motivated with it, I did not create any systems around it. Building systems and having a plan is where true growth comes from, whatever habit you are trying to build.

Tidying to a schedule

5. Build a schedule

Actually, build out a schedule where every Friday or once a month you declutter your house. Every night I put everything back so that when I come in the door, everything has a place where it belongs.


In addition, once a month we go through the house with the box and declutter some stuff. We also have boxes by the doors whenever we see random stuff laying around.


For everybody, it is going to be different but actually invest time into creating a system of habits for keeping your home clutter-free.


6. Complete your projects around the house

My current project that I have been procrastinating on for 3-4 months, is building a countertop for our laundry baskets. A mistake I have made many times is starting these little projects and never finishing them. This creates a mess: I have all my tools sitting here for a week.


So just take a little bit of time and actually finish projects around the house. It will just feel a lot cleaner, and more fresh and organized. If you are trying to finish painting a wall or building something, just take a couple of hours and do it from start to finish.

How to keep a minimalist, clutter-free home

7. Use storage

There are a few different ways we use storage that are actually insanely helpful. Our baby is a bit messy, but cleanup never takes too long, because we took time to assign a place for everything. Actually taking time and designing our home to be as simple as possible to clean up has been a game changer.


Now we bear this in mind with everything that we own, with everything that we buy, with all of our furniture. Everything is designed for a clutter-free home that is easy to clean.


8. Capsule wardrobe

For me, having a capsule wardrobe is about keeping it very simple. I wear black pants, and every shirt matches them, so I never have to think about what I wear in the morning.


I pretty much find one brand that I really like and then I never have to buy anything else. This just really keeps your wardrobe super simple. My laundry has become so much easier, too, with small things like buying a ton of the exact same pair of socks so that I never have to worry about mismatched socks.


Minimalist clutter-free home

I believe that keeping your life as simple as possible is key. When you own less stuff, you have less to do, it takes less time to clean up your house and keep it all organized. Keeping it simple makes for a much less stressful, much less cluttered home and the same kind of life.


Do you have any rules to keep your home clutter-free? Share those in the comments below!

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  • Sul34310443 Sul34310443 on Mar 18, 2023

    And if you have kids, BLACK socks! There is no way to keep kids' white socks white. If you get black socks, you don't have to worry about them walking around getting them black on the bottom; they're already black all over!

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