I’m exceedingly messy and am enroute to becoming a minimalist. We had a renovation and have upgraded to a resort-style (think Miami minimalism) interior. Lots of polished stone surfaces and tiles. But- we have a garage piled to the brim with junk we are sorting. I noticed a very important message in this vid (trying to steer from the political). Yes, buy local. A storm is coming, and the mega-corporations will one day take it all. If you don’t want that- choose your merchants cautiously.
I've always told myself, to clean my house correctly, I just pretend we are moving again. Always had yard sales and moved lots of things that fit other places. Saves money moving it and clears out things I don't use any longer.
I'm probably looking at moving sometime next year. The amount of clutter that we've accumulated here in this 3bed apartment in the last 10 years is so overwhelping. 😖 I also, do Actually have a plan to lose weight(gained weight after health issues and physical injuries) and I have all my smaller clothes that I don't want to throw away because I know I'll need them! But cleaning like we're moving?? I need to do that ASAP, but I'm not sure how to get started. Have you seen good videos on that subject specifically? Thanks
Yes! We are a military family, so my mindset now is in "keep the house in show state". Not to say it's in perfect shape, but if we ever get posted, it's just a matter of maybe dusting the baseboards 😝🤪🤦♀️.
One thing that helped me declutter kitchen utensils was to put everything in a box. As I used the items I put them back in their proper home, and after a couple months I was able to take good stock of what was left. There weren't a lot of items that came out of the box back to the drawer without being used first.
You addressed the "but you moved into a bigger house" comments so graciously and not defensively! You moved into a bigger house so you can have more space for family and friends and to *do* things - not *have* more things!
Appreciate Your piece re "Vote with your money" SO much. It's IMPORTANT. I haven't spent $1 with big box stores or online companies for decades. The policies of those companies is offensive to me on so many levels. I'm frugal, yet it's important to me personally to shop local, I don't mind spending more to do that. What little I *DO* spend feels like an investment in local People, small businesses, & the Environment. Thank You for all the tips, but sharing this 1 is MeaningFULL!💙
Very true. Unfortunately there are some people that really need to save pennies. I'm fortunate to have a great local community that I can help support including artisans, chefs, and people that reuse and refurbish items that would normally just be trash. Sometimes, I do spend at big places to really keep my spending at a Minimum, but its important to be conscious.
Problem: married 48 years….Problem: Hubs is stubborn about change….Issue: I’ve SOOOOOO moved on from all the styles and stuff we’ve accumulated and hauled around all these years. I want crisp corners, no excess, clean lines, fresh colors, overall tidiness and breathing room! Our current house gives us each a room to ourselves - but the Battle of the Common Areas rages on! And it is exhausting!
I have a similar issue. You can literally walk around my house and the messy areas are his things and the neat areas are mine. Still, we have been making this work for 40 years. Not quite sure how!! LOL
My husband is such a slob and leave things everywhere. I’m going nuts trying to keep the house and especially the kitchen clean and uncluttered. I’ve talked to him about it until I’m blue in the face without any results. I’m exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s a vicious circle that’s driving me crazy! Anyone else have this problem? 😖😖😖
Awesome tips, thank you! When I donate things I put them in a box and then I force myself to fill up the box so I start looking for things around my house to donate to fill the box. It’s like a mind trick that works for me😄
We went 3800 square feet, to 3000 to 1500 what a nice way to declutter. Then we went to 2000 just the right size and we became less is more not a minimalist but just right. I continue to get rid of things to keep it just right for us❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
We went from 4,500 sq. ft. in the U.S. to 1,750 sq. ft. in Mexico. We donated & sold 99% of what we owned because the condo we bought was fully furnished. We only brought what would fit in our suitcases-3 trips here with 4 suitcases & 2 backpacks per trip. We feel better living with less. My mind change happened when I started thinking of possessions as inventory that has to be managed. We’re retired now, so the less we have to manage, the better.
So awesome i love empty spaces empty countertops basically having Nothing that i think is visual clutter it drives me crazy! I gave all the decor to my sisters and let me tell ya that it takes me minutes to clean and tidy every night. very little dusting and re-setting my home is a breeze. Love your channel
Living in a small unit makes empty benches a little impossible. But I like the look as well. I have just stopped buying things I don't need or use. You are right cleaning is faster with no stuff to move.
I agree! I can’t stand having “tchotchkes” (my Jewish grandmother’s word) all over the place! They take up space, look cluttered and too hard to clean around.
I’m sort of going thru the same thing with our garden as we went thru with our house. Once we got rid of unused things we also got rid of unnecessary pieces of furniture. “See the baseboards!” was my new mantra. Now with our Northern California garden facing unprecedented heat and drought, we are rethinking the need to have plants everywhere. We have torn out some bushes and plants that have been struggling and when we did and just covered the areas with mulch, it was a “See the baseboards!” moment in the garden. It’s looking way more intentional and open without plants everywhere and I’m enjoying it more, knowing we don’t need to water so much. There is more “decluttering” to do and I’m excited for getting our yard easier to maintain.
Thank you so much for sharing Melissa!! Years ago I used to be such a "holding onto stuff just in case one day" kinda girl lol!! One day I had to clean and had an "AHA moment" when I learned the quote "Clutter creates not only chaos, and also a chaotic mind!!" This is SO true so I cleared a corner of clutter and saw some space, OMYGOD🤩!! Then and there, I got rid of everything that no longer served me and have lived by "minimalism" ever since!! "Minimalism" and open space feels SO freeing!!❤️🥰🙏🏼🙏🏼
Voting with my dollars has been life changing in terms of clutter for me! I refuse to use Amazon and fast fashion (amongst a few others) on principle, so I have to work harder to buy things. Often, the work required means I never get round to it. If I really want/need to, then I do - it just reduces the things I sort-of-want or wanted-briefly 🎉
Great video!! Just when I needed it. Having a clutter free home is so much more important than a potential something might be used one day. I think a lot of this holding on comes from our childhood, background, hard beginnings, how our parents never throw away things as there were times in life when money were really tight and it was really hard to buy anything.
I think one thing that's been a bit of a journey for me is balancing my dislike of the minimalist aesthetic with my need for a minimalist mindset. I am absolutely a maximalist at heart, but in terms of wanting fifty pictures on my wall and a pile of quilts on my bed... not in terms of wanting a stack of mail on my kitchen counter or twenty bottles of nail polish in my bathroom. I have become really good over time at designating a place for everything and not accumulating more of whatever that item is than its space can hold. Like I have a cabinet for all my jigsaw puzzles, but when I get a new puzzle, it means an older one has to be donated because there's no more room in the cabinet, and I'm not going to allow them to take up more room in the house. I also don't bring in any decor that isn't special to me. I have a lot of art on my walls, but none of it is mass produced, it's all from actual artists, or something my kid made, or a portrait of my pets, etc. I have a really hard time feeling comfortable in what most people would think of as a minimalist space, so I just keep working on that comfort/function balance.
I've struggled with this too! I feel like I'm a cozy minimalist, where I want less in my home but want to be surrounded with the things that bring me joy!
Sounds like you embrace what I’ve heard from an author I can’t remember her name but she’s on youtube, too, she gets into the “container” rule. Fitting all your puzzles into a closet but if they are overflowing onto a kitchen counter or the floor then that’s clutter. If pictures are on the wall, then the wall is the container. Mail on the counter is a stressor for me, too! I need to get better at dealing with that stuff.
I'm so glad to hear you say that it's what pleases me and what makes me comfortable. Everytime I had people help me they wanted to do it there way and I always find myself telling them that this was my home and not an abandoned home. Seems they could never understand I just needed help. 😟
I have been watching this Wonderful San Diego couple, who cleans out dumpsters and donate to different charities. Pretty Cool, trying to lessen the landfills!! Joan
I actually wish i'd taken a picture of my computer desktop, which was *drowning* in papers (many of them in a stack, but just as many if not more, in wild disarray) and sundry items totally not meant to be on my pc desk i'd just put there "for a moment" --i can't count how *many* moments...turned into days...into weeks...until i started watching this video. It took me almost an hour and a half to sort the papers into "junk" and "not" junk, business and pleasure, et cetera; you get the gist of it. Now i'm quite happily sitting at my amazingly clear desk, with a satisfied smile (should i mention the seriously aching back now?) and about to pop a pain med, but am sooo happy i powered through that. It had been a LONG time coming! My caregiver will be soo happy to see my now clean desk. 😁🥰 Thanks for the gentle reminder of what we can do, even in little bits (although i knew if i stopped, it would never get done!).
There's a local charity near me that does porch pick up once a month- such a life saver for decluttering. I have a bag in my closet that gets an item or two a week added then goes out for pick up!
Love this video.. Sometime ago, we did some decluttering and to this day, we are so happy without all the stuff we gave away or sold. It is such a great feeling. Clutter=misery in my opinion. Our house looks so clean and refreshing 😍 We only have what we need not want and so far it's worked out. Maria L.
My middle school wood shop teacher had a handmade sign that hung over his office window that said, "A place for everything and everything in it's place." So, so true. Rest in peace Mr Cantrelle & thank you for your words of wisdom. 🙏🏼
Hi Melissa, I would greatly appreciate if you could do some videos on: 1. Various sizes of beds and bed skirts...to use them or not and whether they are required. 2. What type of trash cans to be used for a small family living in an apartment, as I hate to use so much plastic besides hating the fact that the trash sits for coupled days stinking the house....plastic ones or steel ones - which ones will be budget friendly and good to look at and all.... 3. How to store the left over pieces of vegetables like onions, tomatoes etc. when it cannot be used all at once to cook. I am facing these little issues as the onions are so big and when I have to use only a quarter of it at one time. Thank you for all you do for us.❤
One tip I really adopted and try to uphold constantly is to avoid centres of nucleation :D HOWEVER, it's a double edged sword... Just like crystals which need "something" to cling to to grow or an event to push the oversaturated solution of something to form crystals much is with space at home. If you have a nice, pure, clear and clean surface it will stay like that until you drop your first random item on it. Then that item will act like a magnet for all other items and soon you'll have a cluttered surface, be that a shelf or a drawer or a top of a cabinet... I try to avoid that by not leaving random stuff around which could act as centres of nucleation for other stuff :) Which means I do try to find a place for everything and put it back to that space after use. I said it's a double edged sword and it's true because much like with oversaturated solutions you can also oversaturate your living space by constantly putting things away (out of sight out of mind) until it's too late. One time you will bump your "solution" and everything will crystalise (in other words, you'll open that cabinet door or pantry door and everything will come crashing down!) So be careful but try to avoid leaving stuff around which could attract other stuff. That is how junk drawers are born.
Excellent point on centres of nucleation 👍 Last year after my sister had her baby, she tried her best to "put things where they belong" and it turned into a bigger mess just as you describe. She called me one Saturday morning and asked me to help her find better storage solutions for my nephew's things. We watched Clean My Space, But First, Coffee, and The Home Edit. Most of the junk drawers became empty after three days and we reused gift boxes, and other large boxes to organize everything. I asked her to please don't buy him anything else until he is older. I love how you describe the small stuff can attract bigger stuff like magnetized. I would have never thought of that. Thank you!
Love you Melissa. You were on to this lifestyle of minimalism -- making the "things" in your life work for you years and years before it became such a trend. I value your videos.
Thank you so much for really try to help others with your videos. I hope I can give it a good try and stick to it , I have NO excuse ; especially being an empty nester !!! Sometimes, it's so easy to say "ok, I'll just stop for a minute and finish up later...later NEVER comes.😔
Thank you, Thank YOU, THANK YOU! Wow! I needed this more than I knew! I do exactly what you say at the end of the Video. I leave clutter, let it build up, and then it is a drama/nightmare to rectify! I took notes, will save this video and hopefully conquer this challenge!
You should mention neighborhood Buy-Nothing groups! They're great for getting rid of clutter and also getting or borrowing things you need without buying a new one. :)
For me I hate the thought of wasting money if I bought something and then donate it or throw it away. Your example of the hair products though reminded me that of you try makeup or hair products and don't like them, almost every store will let you return for a refund. That helps my money mind set, but also I have stopped being so adventurous with products and stuck to what works to avoid it altogether.
Shortly after I reduced the stuff in my house, my sister visited. When she opened my kitchen cabinets, she said “what happened to all your dishes?”. She was shocked that I had donated about 75% of my dinnerware, flatware, and serve ware. She worried that I gave away perfectly good stuff and would have to buy a new item when I actually needed it (at some unknown time in the future). It was so cute…
Great tips and inspiration. Our nice, but unused stuff goes straight to the back door. We don't have an intermediate spot ... the "gone" decision has been made. Often it's just smallish things and many will fit even in a extra starbucks bag. Even if only 3 things, the next stop is my car trunk. Then it is donated, even if only 1 small starbucks bag on the very first trip going in the right direction. That trip is always, no matter how small, utterly satisfying! The stuff from those trips would add up to a "mountain."
The Vietnam Vets, Salvation Army, and other donation centers will come to your house and pick up for you! Schedule it online, place your things on the porch (or designated area for pickup) and later it's gone!! Have done this many times with the Vets. They always appreciate it and saves me the trip. 😊
Don't even kid with your yellow pineapple you know you love that thing. You are amazing I love your channel it has helped me so much in my cleaning business!
I don’t want my home to look like a stark sterile doctors surgery. I like my precious things around me that look beautiful and make me happy. A home should show someone’s individual personality.
Always do the 3wave have taught my daughter's to do it. Don't believe in de cluttering , I like the urge to purge better. Stop buying crap and there is no need to "declutter" buy things that will be used not because it is in fashion. Wonderful video. Love your work.
It may help you free up your bottleneck of donations if you store things in the holding area....in a box, use something that you can leave there instead of unloading your nice tote at or before you go to the donation place.
I'll never be anywhere near a minimalist, but I'm trying to get closer to the idea. I've been purging holiday decor the past few years but still have too much. I've shifted to quality vs quantity, and 'fall' (instead of 'boo') that can be out Sept-Nov, and 'winter' vs anta that be up Dec-Feb. I live in SE FL, so I plan to pull all the fall stuff out of the attic to donate to a thrift shop this weekend. When I pull Christmas stuff out, there will be another massive purge of small things in totes, but the big stuff is going this weekend. I'm spending the next two 'hurricane' days doing another purge of my closets/drawers. We may be moving to the Midwest in May so purge is the word between now and then.
I would like to know how to declutter when you have a spouse who is a borderline hoarder. All his overwhelming stuff are his treasures. I have so much anxiety and embarrassment dealing with clutter. Not easy when one spouse wants order and the other chaos.🤷🏻♀️
czcams.com/video/zRD0YCATz7Q/video.html This is Matt Paxton -- this Is a podcast about hoarding and how it begins and the mindset that these people have. Hoarders: it's never about stuff-- it's about the people involved. Examples You might keep 100 baseballs because one day you want to be a coach for a baseball team You buy boxes and boxes of watercolors because you want to host a sip and paint You collect pink things and accessories because you want your child to have the perfect barbie tea party.
Hi there sweetie pie hope you are well I agree with you I tidy up after dinner and before I go to bed it is good start to the day love from Eugenie xxx🌞🏡🌾💓
If you want some motivation, just watch an episode or two of "Hoarders". Then, when you agonize over keeping some thang you really don't need, you'll flash back to the show where the hoarder was doing the same. It really helps.
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I learned a lot about cleaning 🧹 from a single video and plan to clean my bedrooms since my birthday is coming up this Thursday the 6th. I will be turning 39 years old! Time definitely has been flying even though it seems like it slowed done since the pandemic 😷.
Excellent video. Just about every point is valid & the action items are doable. But how do we stop the accumulation of stuff at the source? How do we stop our pathological consumption because we need the hit of dopamine from some retail therapy?
To be fair, our old house was bigger and it looked much more minimalist and organized. We are now in London England for a couple years for my husband's job, and even though we have less (we had to get rid of stuff for the move), the house seems more cluttered because it's smaller 🤷🏻♀️
Yes, I live in a condo with no pantry, no linen closet, small closet, my washing machine and water heater in my bathroom. I decluttered a lot but it still feels cluttered because I don't have homes for everything based on lack of storage. I think for me I'd have to buy tons of storage units to put all my items in but then it seems it would just be walls of storage units haha it's getting better but I'll probably still have somewhat of an issue of storage
Boy what a kick in the pants u r. I’m in process of pitching. I’m 78 & don’t want my children to come in, pick up something n go “y on earth did mom keep this?” & feel like they have to keep it for sentimental reasons. But do want them to know what really is important-like good jewelry rather than Costume. What a struggle this is though. Thank you for the inspiration/encouragement to do what’s best for my motivation - my kids. lol, not planning on going soon!!! 😊
I love your tips but that lovely sofa set just makes almost me cry, every time. Could you get a quality leather conditioner maybe with a little tint... it needs some tlc!
I prefer the term "slovenly housekeeper" to slob;) haha I am a recovering slovenly housekeeper too.... first step is admitting/seeing the problem lol!!
Im pretty minimalist since loosing everthing in a fire - my s.o. not so much, he alsways finds "useful" stuff or free free ugly kitten or sheep mugs. I realized: Arguing does nothing. And: He does not even realize, when one of these "found objects" "vanishes" after a while. They just "disappear" and he never asked for them again. Not once.
I have a similar system like the wait station. Like we want to have another child so some of the most costly items in good condition I’m saving and if they fit in the box i have a 2yr label. If we don’t have another one in 2yrs I’m giving the stuff away.
We sold our house and moved into one half the size. We've unpacked everything but the pictures in frames, and we have around 10 large boxes. I love our bare walls and don't want to cover them up. What to do with all these photos?!!
@@charlottemajewski5992 These are large photos in frames. But - I'm going to be photographing (digitizing) all the photos in all our albums as well as these giant photos for all our kids to have.
I think it's really hard to stay on top when there is children. Also, living with a husband who is a hoarder is very difficult. You have any advise for that? MY children are grown, one just moved out and the other is at home going to college.
Do you watch ClutterBug or Minimal Mom? If not, they both have lots of invaluable tips for getting their spouses on board, but basically they had to start with themselves.
It's important to set boundaries. You get a bedside table that is yours alone. You get a dresser that is yours alone (no one else is allowed to put anything in or on it). Setting boundaries is sooo important when you are living with a hoarder. Then you can focus on the areas that belong to you. Interestingly, I found that as I downsized my things, my husband's junk bothered me less. But the boundaries are key. So so important to claim your space!
I feel your pain. My late husband was a serious hoarder. The weekend after the funeral a team of 11 people came and worked with me all day to clear out 3 rms. That hoarding disorder is a mental illness . He will only change when he realizes he has a problem. In the meantime. Hollow out a room in your house for yourself to be your sanctuary. Make it clear to him that he cannot store anything in there or the doorway, ever. This is necessary for your sanity.
To me inexpensive dose Not mean cheap. It means less money at a better price. Cheap means less money now and then more money again because it is cheaperly made. Sometimes, better quality just takes abit of research, time, and less money. Right now I am buy eggs at a specific store the 18pk at $4.29, the taste and quality of them is better than the ones at $4.99 a dozen in my neighborhood. So I drive to my daughter's neighborhood and get 4 pk of 18 because the quality and the price is better for our family.
Throw a party 🎉. That always motivates me to clean. And maybe it will motivate your husband, too? If not, at least you will get motivated. Put on some fun music and enjoy your friends.
I don’t understand the whole Clorox toilet wand single use thing. It seems like everyone is using them. Feels like the biggest waste of money to me, not to mention its environmental impact.
I misread your comment at first. I mean, she did warn us about buying single use things- but can you imagine another use for the toilet cleaning brush?! :)
3 Wave Cleaning System E-book:
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I’m exceedingly messy and am enroute to becoming a minimalist.
We had a renovation and have upgraded to a resort-style (think Miami minimalism) interior. Lots of polished stone surfaces and tiles.
But- we have a garage piled to the brim with junk we are sorting.
I noticed a very important message in this vid (trying to steer from the political). Yes, buy local. A storm is coming, and the mega-corporations will one day take it all. If you don’t want that- choose your merchants cautiously.
W
I've always told myself, to clean my house correctly, I just pretend we are moving again. Always had yard sales and moved lots of things that fit other places. Saves money moving it and clears out things I don't use any longer.
Thanks a great tip!
I'm probably looking at moving sometime next year. The amount of clutter that we've accumulated here in this 3bed apartment in the last 10 years is so overwhelping. 😖
I also, do Actually have a plan to lose weight(gained weight after health issues and physical injuries) and I have all my smaller clothes that I don't want to throw away because I know I'll need them! But cleaning like we're moving?? I need to do that ASAP, but I'm not sure how to get started. Have you seen good videos on that subject specifically? Thanks
@@DB-xo6xh Little bit each day works best for me.
Yes! We are a military family, so my mindset now is in "keep the house in show state". Not to say it's in perfect shape, but if we ever get posted, it's just a matter of maybe dusting the baseboards 😝🤪🤦♀️.
I actually AM moving (continents) and find the notion so overwhelming it's actually making my job harder. :(
One thing that helped me declutter kitchen utensils was to put everything in a box. As I used the items I put them back in their proper home, and after a couple months I was able to take good stock of what was left. There weren't a lot of items that came out of the box back to the drawer without being used first.
You addressed the "but you moved into a bigger house" comments so graciously and not defensively! You moved into a bigger house so you can have more space for family and friends and to *do* things - not *have* more things!
Appreciate Your piece re "Vote with your money" SO much. It's IMPORTANT. I haven't spent $1 with big box stores or online companies for decades. The policies of those companies is offensive to me on so many levels. I'm frugal, yet it's important to me personally to shop local, I don't mind spending more to do that. What little I *DO* spend feels like an investment in local People, small businesses, & the Environment. Thank You for all the tips, but sharing this 1 is MeaningFULL!💙
Very true. Unfortunately there are some people that really need to save pennies. I'm fortunate to have a great local community that I can help support including artisans, chefs, and people that reuse and refurbish items that would normally just be trash. Sometimes, I do spend at big places to really keep my spending at a Minimum, but its important to be conscious.
Shop local-yes! Supporting small businesses - yes! Thank you for addressing this important topic!
Problem: married 48 years….Problem: Hubs is stubborn about change….Issue: I’ve SOOOOOO moved on from all the styles and stuff we’ve accumulated and hauled around all these years. I want crisp corners, no excess, clean lines, fresh colors, overall tidiness and breathing room! Our current house gives us each a room to ourselves - but the Battle of the Common Areas rages on! And it is exhausting!
*declutter the husband* lol 😂 kidding, I guess 😅
I have a similar issue. You can literally walk around my house and the messy areas are his things and the neat areas are mine. Still, we have been making this work for 40 years. Not quite sure how!! LOL
@@DR-it9fm lol!…don’t think it hasn’t occurred to me!!
@@christinamason5335 ..Yes - it is amazing how we long marrieds live to keep the peace!!
My husband is such a slob and leave things everywhere. I’m going nuts trying to keep the house and especially the kitchen clean and uncluttered. I’ve talked to him about it until I’m blue in the face without any results. I’m exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s a vicious circle that’s driving me crazy! Anyone else have this problem? 😖😖😖
Awesome tips, thank you! When I donate things I put them in a box and then I force myself to fill up the box so I start looking for things around my house to donate to fill the box. It’s like a mind trick that works for me😄
Good idea
We went 3800 square feet, to 3000 to 1500 what a nice way to declutter. Then we went to 2000 just the right size and we became less is more not a minimalist but just right. I continue to get rid of things to keep it just right for us❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
We went from 4,500 sq. ft. in the U.S. to 1,750 sq. ft. in Mexico. We donated & sold 99% of what we owned because the condo we bought was fully furnished. We only brought what would fit in our suitcases-3 trips here with 4 suitcases & 2 backpacks per trip. We feel better living with less. My mind change happened when I started thinking of possessions as inventory that has to be managed. We’re retired now, so the less we have to manage, the better.
So awesome i love empty spaces empty countertops basically having Nothing that i think is visual clutter it drives me crazy! I gave all the decor to my sisters and let me tell ya that it takes me minutes to clean and tidy every night. very little dusting and re-setting my home is a breeze. Love your channel
Thanks very much for watching Jóhanna!
Living in a small unit makes empty benches a little impossible. But I like the look as well. I have just stopped buying things I don't need or use. You are right cleaning is faster with no stuff to move.
Less decor is soooo life changing
I agree! I can’t stand having “tchotchkes” (my Jewish grandmother’s word) all over the place! They take up space, look cluttered and too hard to clean around.
I’m sort of going thru the same thing with our garden as we went thru with our house. Once we got rid of unused things we also got rid of unnecessary pieces of furniture. “See the baseboards!” was my new mantra.
Now with our Northern California garden facing unprecedented heat and drought, we are rethinking the need to have plants everywhere. We have torn out some bushes and plants that have been struggling and when we did and just covered the areas with mulch, it was a “See the baseboards!” moment in the garden. It’s looking way more intentional and open without plants everywhere and I’m enjoying it more, knowing we don’t need to water so much. There is more “decluttering” to do and I’m excited for getting our yard easier to maintain.
I need a video on finding or creating a place for everything.
I'll put it on the list Cari - thanks for watching :)
@@cleanmyspace I agree with Carl 🌟
Thank you so much for sharing Melissa!! Years ago I used to be such a "holding onto stuff just in case one day" kinda girl lol!! One day I had to clean and had an "AHA moment" when I learned the quote "Clutter creates not only chaos, and also a chaotic mind!!" This is SO true so I cleared a corner of clutter and saw some space, OMYGOD🤩!! Then and there, I got rid of everything that no longer served me and have lived by "minimalism" ever since!! "Minimalism" and open space feels SO freeing!!❤️🥰🙏🏼🙏🏼
Voting with my dollars has been life changing in terms of clutter for me! I refuse to use Amazon and fast fashion (amongst a few others) on principle, so I have to work harder to buy things. Often, the work required means I never get round to it. If I really want/need to, then I do - it just reduces the things I sort-of-want or wanted-briefly 🎉
Great video!! Just when I needed it. Having a clutter free home is so much more important than a potential something might be used one day. I think a lot of this holding on comes from our childhood, background, hard beginnings, how our parents never throw away things as there were times in life when money were really tight and it was really hard to buy anything.
I think one thing that's been a bit of a journey for me is balancing my dislike of the minimalist aesthetic with my need for a minimalist mindset. I am absolutely a maximalist at heart, but in terms of wanting fifty pictures on my wall and a pile of quilts on my bed... not in terms of wanting a stack of mail on my kitchen counter or twenty bottles of nail polish in my bathroom. I have become really good over time at designating a place for everything and not accumulating more of whatever that item is than its space can hold. Like I have a cabinet for all my jigsaw puzzles, but when I get a new puzzle, it means an older one has to be donated because there's no more room in the cabinet, and I'm not going to allow them to take up more room in the house. I also don't bring in any decor that isn't special to me. I have a lot of art on my walls, but none of it is mass produced, it's all from actual artists, or something my kid made, or a portrait of my pets, etc. I have a really hard time feeling comfortable in what most people would think of as a minimalist space, so I just keep working on that comfort/function balance.
I've struggled with this too! I feel like I'm a cozy minimalist, where I want less in my home but want to be surrounded with the things that bring me joy!
Minimalism is what you decide.
This is an awesome comment; agree 100%!!
Sounds like you embrace what I’ve heard from an author I can’t remember her name but she’s on youtube, too, she gets into the “container” rule. Fitting all your puzzles into a closet but if they are overflowing onto a kitchen counter or the floor then that’s clutter. If pictures are on the wall, then the wall is the container. Mail on the counter is a stressor for me, too! I need to get better at dealing with that stuff.
You may be thinking of Dana K White, a very wise and hilarious person, a true role model of mine.
I'm so glad to hear you say that it's what pleases me and what makes me comfortable. Everytime I had people help me they wanted to do it there way and I always find myself telling them that this was my home and not an abandoned home. Seems they could never understand I just needed help. 😟
I have been watching this Wonderful San Diego couple, who cleans out dumpsters and donate to different charities. Pretty Cool, trying to lessen the landfills!! Joan
I actually wish i'd taken a picture of my computer desktop, which was *drowning* in papers (many of them in a stack, but just as many if not more, in wild disarray) and sundry items totally not meant to be on my pc desk i'd just put there "for a moment" --i can't count how *many* moments...turned into days...into weeks...until i started watching this video. It took me almost an hour and a half to sort the papers into "junk" and "not" junk, business and pleasure, et cetera; you get the gist of it. Now i'm quite happily sitting at my amazingly clear desk, with a satisfied smile (should i mention the seriously aching back now?) and about to pop a pain med, but am sooo happy i powered through that. It had been a LONG time coming! My caregiver will be soo happy to see my now clean desk. 😁🥰 Thanks for the gentle reminder of what we can do, even in little bits (although i knew if i stopped, it would never get done!).
Congratulations 🎉🎉. Great job 👍
Top effort! Mine is due for the same treatment when I have finished my last assignment.
There's a local charity near me that does porch pick up once a month- such a life saver for decluttering. I have a bag in my closet that gets an item or two a week added then goes out for pick up!
I love this- what a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
That’s the way we decluttered when we were selling our home and downsizing to a condo.
Love this video.. Sometime ago, we did some decluttering and to this day, we are so happy without all the stuff we gave away or sold. It is such a great feeling. Clutter=misery in my opinion. Our house looks so clean and refreshing 😍 We only have what we need not want and so far it's worked out.
Maria L.
My middle school wood shop teacher had a handmade sign that hung over his office window that said, "A place for everything and everything in it's place." So, so true. Rest in peace Mr Cantrelle & thank you for your words of wisdom. 🙏🏼
Hi Melissa,
I would greatly appreciate if you could do some videos on:
1. Various sizes of beds and bed skirts...to use them or not and whether they are required.
2. What type of trash cans to be used for a small family living in an apartment, as I hate to use so much plastic besides hating the fact that the trash sits for coupled days stinking the house....plastic ones or steel ones - which ones will be budget friendly and good to look at and all....
3. How to store the left over pieces of vegetables like onions, tomatoes etc. when it cannot be used all at once to cook. I am facing these little issues as the onions are so big and when I have to use only a quarter of it at one time.
Thank you for all you do for us.❤
We need a Honey Do List outdoor holiday decorating video this year 👍🏻
One tip I really adopted and try to uphold constantly is to avoid centres of nucleation :D HOWEVER, it's a double edged sword... Just like crystals which need "something" to cling to to grow or an event to push the oversaturated solution of something to form crystals much is with space at home. If you have a nice, pure, clear and clean surface it will stay like that until you drop your first random item on it. Then that item will act like a magnet for all other items and soon you'll have a cluttered surface, be that a shelf or a drawer or a top of a cabinet...
I try to avoid that by not leaving random stuff around which could act as centres of nucleation for other stuff :) Which means I do try to find a place for everything and put it back to that space after use.
I said it's a double edged sword and it's true because much like with oversaturated solutions you can also oversaturate your living space by constantly putting things away (out of sight out of mind) until it's too late. One time you will bump your "solution" and everything will crystalise (in other words, you'll open that cabinet door or pantry door and everything will come crashing down!)
So be careful but try to avoid leaving stuff around which could attract other stuff. That is how junk drawers are born.
Excellent point on centres of nucleation 👍 Last year after my sister had her baby, she tried her best to "put things where they belong" and it turned into a bigger mess just as you describe. She called me one Saturday morning and asked me to help her find better storage solutions for my nephew's things. We watched Clean My Space, But First, Coffee, and The Home Edit. Most of the junk drawers became empty after three days and we reused gift boxes, and other large boxes to organize everything. I asked her to please don't buy him anything else until he is older. I love how you describe the small stuff can attract bigger stuff like magnetized. I would have never thought of that. Thank you!
Love you Melissa. You were on to this lifestyle of minimalism -- making the "things" in your life work for you years and years before it became such a trend. I value your videos.
Thank you so much for really try to help others with your videos.
I hope I can give it a good try and stick to it , I have NO excuse ; especially being an empty nester !!!
Sometimes, it's so easy to say "ok, I'll just stop for a minute and finish up later...later NEVER comes.😔
OMG CZcams has been good to you! look at that house, its enormous! you're welcome.
Thank you, Thank YOU, THANK YOU! Wow! I needed this more than I knew! I do exactly what you say at the end of the Video. I leave clutter, let it build up, and then it is a drama/nightmare to rectify! I took notes, will save this video and hopefully conquer this challenge!
Bullshit! Gimmmmmmeeeeeeeee a brake!
You should mention neighborhood Buy-Nothing groups! They're great for getting rid of clutter and also getting or borrowing things you need without buying a new one. :)
For me I hate the thought of wasting money if I bought something and then donate it or throw it away. Your example of the hair products though reminded me that of you try makeup or hair products and don't like them, almost every store will let you return for a refund. That helps my money mind set, but also I have stopped being so adventurous with products and stuck to what works to avoid it altogether.
Perfect timing! Thank you decluttering motivators!!
Thanks for watching Sarah!
Shortly after I reduced the stuff in my house, my sister visited. When she opened my kitchen cabinets, she said “what happened to all your dishes?”. She was shocked that I had donated about 75% of my dinnerware, flatware, and serve ware. She worried that I gave away perfectly good stuff and would have to buy a new item when I actually needed it (at some unknown time in the future). It was so cute…
I love the basket idea to put stuff in to donate! I'm going to do this! I love your videos 😍❤️
Great tips and inspiration. Our nice, but unused stuff goes straight to the back door. We don't have an intermediate spot ... the "gone" decision has been made. Often it's just smallish things and many will fit even in a extra starbucks bag. Even if only 3 things, the next stop is my car trunk. Then it is donated, even if only 1 small starbucks bag on the very first trip going in the right direction. That trip is always, no matter how small, utterly satisfying! The stuff from those trips would add up to a "mountain."
The Vietnam Vets, Salvation Army, and other donation centers will come to your house and pick up for you! Schedule it online, place your things on the porch (or designated area for pickup) and later it's gone!! Have done this many times with the Vets. They always appreciate it and saves me the trip. 😊
It was good to see that you were finally able to put those life jackets to use!
Don't even kid with your yellow pineapple you know you love that thing. You are amazing I love your channel it has helped me so much in my cleaning business!
I love the yellow pineapple have seen it everytime you are in the kitchen. 🍍
Could you please do a pantry organization video. I have a really deep pantry that we keep trying to make work better
I don’t want my home to look like a stark sterile doctors surgery.
I like my precious things around me that look beautiful and make me happy. A home should show someone’s individual personality.
I love the footage of you guys hanging out in the life jackets! Hilarious!!! 🤣🦺😂
Always do the 3wave have taught my daughter's to do it. Don't believe in de cluttering , I like the urge to purge better. Stop buying crap and there is no need to "declutter" buy things that will be used not because it is in fashion. Wonderful video. Love your work.
It may help you free up your bottleneck of donations if you store things in the holding area....in a box, use something that you can leave there instead of unloading your nice tote at or before you go to the donation place.
The last one to see something without is such a good test to see what you really need
Can you show us how to organize and declutter your daughters toys? That would be super helpful.
You shouldn't do that at all, the daughter(s) should do that.
I'll never be anywhere near a minimalist, but I'm trying to get closer to the idea. I've been purging holiday decor the past few years but still have too much. I've shifted to quality vs quantity, and 'fall' (instead of 'boo') that can be out Sept-Nov, and 'winter' vs anta that be up Dec-Feb. I live in SE FL, so I plan to pull all the fall stuff out of the attic to donate to a thrift shop this weekend. When I pull Christmas stuff out, there will be another massive purge of small things in totes, but the big stuff is going this weekend. I'm spending the next two 'hurricane' days doing another purge of my closets/drawers. We may be moving to the Midwest in May so purge is the word between now and then.
Stay safe.
Love how you made use of those life vests! LOL!!!
I would like to know how to declutter when you have a spouse who is a borderline hoarder. All his overwhelming stuff are his treasures. I have so much anxiety and embarrassment dealing with clutter. Not easy when one spouse wants order and the other chaos.🤷🏻♀️
czcams.com/video/zRD0YCATz7Q/video.html
This is Matt Paxton -- this Is a podcast about hoarding and how it begins and the mindset that these people have.
Hoarders: it's never about stuff-- it's about the people involved.
Examples
You might keep 100 baseballs because one day you want to be a coach for a baseball team
You buy boxes and boxes of watercolors because you want to host a sip and paint
You collect pink things and accessories because you want your child to have the perfect barbie tea party.
Not me watching this at midnight, stopping halfway though the video and starting to declutter a box of nonsense in my closet.
Love your mop, Melissa!!
Love the sofas in video keeps dust mites down you can wipe them down like fabric they like to live and pillows throws bedding curtains
Hi there sweetie pie hope you are well I agree with you I tidy up after dinner and before I go to bed it is good start to the day love from Eugenie xxx🌞🏡🌾💓
Love your channel
😄
Love this! Do you have a diy for cleaning marble floors and marble shower walls with your mop? Love the mop!
Baking soda and vinegar
Room for living life ❤
If you want some motivation, just watch an episode or two of "Hoarders". Then, when you agonize over keeping some thang you really don't need, you'll flash back to the show where the hoarder was doing the same. It really helps.
Watching Hoarders always puts me in the cleaning mood! 🥰
I love ❤️ watching the show Hoarders on CZcams
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I learned a lot about cleaning 🧹 from a single video and plan to clean my bedrooms since my birthday is coming up this Thursday the 6th. I will be turning 39 years old! Time definitely has been flying even though it seems like it slowed done since the pandemic 😷.
My donations go into a donatable box or reusable bag. When it is full, it goes. I donate every few weeks.
Excellent video. Just about every point is valid & the action items are doable. But how do we stop the accumulation of stuff at the source? How do we stop our pathological consumption because we need the hit of dopamine from some retail therapy?
To be fair, our old house was bigger and it looked much more minimalist and organized. We are now in London England for a couple years for my husband's job, and even though we have less (we had to get rid of stuff for the move), the house seems more cluttered because it's smaller 🤷🏻♀️
Yes, I live in a condo with no pantry, no linen closet, small closet, my washing machine and water heater in my bathroom. I decluttered a lot but it still feels cluttered because I don't have homes for everything based on lack of storage. I think for me I'd have to buy tons of storage units to put all my items in but then it seems it would just be walls of storage units haha it's getting better but I'll probably still have somewhat of an issue of storage
Vote with your dollar all the way👍. Support local businesses and products made in usa.
Woohoo, first!
Second! Lol
Thanks! Great info. Your examples are very helpful.
Thanks for watching!
So on time. Want to declutter my home but I find it harder with kids stuffs...
Minimalism doesn’t mean having less space…just having necessary and meaningful things ❤😊
The life jacket snippets were hilarious, love it 😂
It's your home live your best lives
Boy what a kick in the pants u r. I’m in process of pitching. I’m 78 & don’t want my children to come in, pick up something n go “y on earth did mom keep this?” & feel like they have to keep it for sentimental reasons. But do want them to know what really is important-like good jewelry rather than Costume. What a struggle this is though. Thank you for the inspiration/encouragement to do what’s best for my motivation - my kids. lol, not planning on going soon!!! 😊
Great advice!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video!!
Thanks for watching it Stephanie!
Nice work! Thank you
Life jackets ! 🤣🤣🤣 so many reasons to buy some for use around the home!!!
I love your tips but that lovely sofa set just makes almost me cry, every time. Could you get a quality leather conditioner maybe with a little tint... it needs some tlc!
I don't need it. I don't use it, but i do love it🤔🤯
I prefer the term "slovenly housekeeper" to slob;) haha I am a recovering slovenly housekeeper too.... first step is admitting/seeing the problem lol!!
I miss Chad, can we see him on camera soon! ❤😊
I just got kittens this year. No problem keeping my surfaces clean. Everything is on the floor but my surfaces are clean.
Great video ❤️
That's something I have to work on.
Im pretty minimalist since loosing everthing in a fire - my s.o. not so much, he alsways finds "useful" stuff or free free ugly kitten or sheep mugs. I realized: Arguing does nothing. And: He does not even realize, when one of these "found objects" "vanishes" after a while. They just "disappear" and he never asked for them again. Not once.
I have a similar system like the wait station. Like we want to have another child so some of the most costly items in good condition I’m saving and if they fit in the box i have a 2yr label. If we don’t have another one in 2yrs I’m giving the stuff away.
We sold our house and moved into one half the size. We've unpacked everything but the pictures in frames, and we have around 10 large boxes. I love our bare walls and don't want to cover them up. What to do with all these photos?!!
Put them in an album.
@@charlottemajewski5992 These are large photos in frames. But - I'm going to be photographing (digitizing) all the photos in all our albums as well as these giant photos for all our kids to have.
The life jackets 😂
Does anyone know where I can get Mellissa's striped black and white sweater? 😊
What if there’s a flood? Don’t sell those life jackets! 😂
lol
Can u plz tell where did U get that pretty necklace from 🥰
Thx
I think it's really hard to stay on top when there is children. Also, living with a husband who is a hoarder is very difficult. You have any advise for that? MY children are grown, one just moved out and the other is at home going to college.
Do you watch ClutterBug or Minimal Mom? If not, they both have lots of invaluable tips for getting their spouses on board, but basically they had to start with themselves.
I agree to start with ourselves, give him time and he will notice the benefits. It may take a few years. Patience wins.
It's important to set boundaries. You get a bedside table that is yours alone. You get a dresser that is yours alone (no one else is allowed to put anything in or on it). Setting boundaries is sooo important when you are living with a hoarder. Then you can focus on the areas that belong to you. Interestingly, I found that as I downsized my things, my husband's junk bothered me less. But the boundaries are key. So so important to claim your space!
I feel your pain. My late husband was a serious hoarder. The weekend after the funeral a team of 11 people came and worked with me all day to clear out 3 rms. That hoarding disorder is a mental illness . He will only change when he realizes he has a problem. In the meantime. Hollow out a room in your house for yourself to be your sanctuary. Make it clear to him that he cannot store anything in there or the doorway, ever. This is necessary for your sanity.
Yes still trying to teach husband you don’t need to keep cardboard boxes in office use a nice bin or out of site.
I can’t put a third of my crap away, that’s why I was watching this video!!!
Yeah, local purchases!
Can you post updated footage, please?
To me inexpensive dose Not mean cheap. It means less money at a better price. Cheap means less money now and then more money again because it is cheaperly made. Sometimes, better quality just takes abit of research, time, and less money. Right now I am buy eggs at a specific store the 18pk at $4.29, the taste and quality of them is better than the ones at $4.99 a dozen in my neighborhood. So I drive to my daughter's neighborhood and get 4 pk of 18 because the quality and the price is better for our family.
6:29 yes, stop giving your money to companies who don't share your values, and who seem to sneer at you.
Let me suggest the best book I found about the best experience with less:
“Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less”
my husband wont do house chores, how can I keep myself motivated
Throw a party 🎉. That always motivates me to clean. And maybe it will motivate your husband, too? If not, at least you will get motivated. Put on some fun music and enjoy your friends.
I don’t understand the whole Clorox toilet wand single use thing. It seems like everyone is using them. Feels like the biggest waste of money to me, not to mention its environmental impact.
And some people have had hefty plumber bills from the disposable piece getting flushed.
I misread your comment at first.
I mean, she did warn us about buying single use things- but can you imagine another use for the toilet cleaning brush?!
:)
Many libraries loan out lifejackets of all sizes, for free.
I have 5 bags of donations that I need to take they've been sitting in my room for weeks lol
4:51 -- cute.
Really missing the clean with me videos....