Written by Cora Gold, Editor-in-Chief of Revivalist
It’s easy to fall victim to consumerism and overconsumption. Embracing minimalism isn’t just about reducing clutter — it’s a lifestyle choice promoting sustainability and mindfulness.
A minimalist home is simple, functional and not cluttered with unnecessary possessions. It’s also a lifetime commitment that requires upkeep.
Here are some practical tips to help you maintain a minimalist home that lasts.
Tips to Maintain a Minimalist Home
Opt for Neutral Tones
Opting for neutral tones in a minimalist home enhances calmness and cohesion, creating a timeless look. Shades like whites, beiges, grays and soft earth tones can make spaces feel more open and airy, which allows you to be more flexible with decor. Neutral colors harmonize effortlessly with different styles and textures, allowing you to update or rearrange your space without making extensive changes.
Multifunctional Furniture Can Change the Game
Multifunctional furniture is perfect for a minimalist home, offering practical solutions that maximize space and reduce clutter. Pieces like sofa beds, storage ottomans, extendable dining tables and coffee tables with lift tops serve multiple purposes, making them invaluable to maintaining an organized and efficient living area.
By integrating furniture that adapts to various needs, you can create a versatile space that accommodates different activities without excess single-function items. This approach saves space and streamlines your home, ensuring each piece is functional and essential, enhancing the minimalist aesthetic and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.
Use Natural Materials
Choosing natural materials is a key aspect of minimalism as it sets the tone for your entire space. Natural materials like granite, marble and natural wood offer a sophisticated backdrop and are long-lasting.
Granite, one of the world’s hardest substances, is known for its resilience and durability, making it an excellent choice for countertops and flooring. Marble, with its classic and upscale appearance, adds a touch of luxury and refinement while remaining minimalist. Wood is warm and organic, bringing nature indoors and enhancing the uncluttered atmosphere. By choosing natural, high-quality materials, you can create a foundation for a beautiful home.
The Five-Minute Rule
The five-minute rule is a powerful strategy for keeping your home neat and tidy. It emphasizes immediately handling tasks that take five minutes or less to complete. By tidying up or putting items away as soon as you notice them, you prevent clutter from accumulating and save yourself the time and effort required for more extensive cleaning sessions later. This proactive approach creates a habit of continuous organization, making your living space consistently tidy and functional.
Here are tasks you can easily complete in five minutes:
- Wiping surfaces
- Tidying your desk
- Picking up toys
- Packing away laundry
- Putting dishes in the sink or dishwasher
- Packing food away
- Sweeping up something you spilled
- Putting dirty clothes in the wash basket
One In, One Out
While this rule may feel like a little much in the beginning, it’s an excellent way to avoid clutter and accumulating unnecessary possessions. The one in, one out is a simple yet effective principle for ensuring every new item you bring into your space, you commit to removing an existing one.
By balancing new acquisitions with eliminating older items, you maintain a sense of order and purpose, avoiding overconsumption. This rule also promotes a mindful approach to shopping as you become more intentional about what you bring into your home.
Apply this rule to the following areas:
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Kitchen appliances
- Toys and games
- Furniture
- Electronics
Make Sure Everything Has a Place
Ensuring that everything has a designated place is crucial to maintaining a minimalist home. When each item has a specific spot where it belongs, it becomes easier to keep your living space organized and clutter-free. This habit saves time when tidying up and reduces the mental load of deciding where things should go. Clear, consistent storage solutions allow you to quickly locate and return items where they belong, creating an orderly environment.
Declutter Regularly
Regular decluttering is essential for keeping your home well-organized and ensuring your space remains free from unnecessary items that can accumulate over time. You can create a functional and enjoyable environment by routinely assessing and eliminating possessions that no longer serve a purpose or bring joy. Remember to be ruthless. Regular decluttering sessions reduce stress and anxiety, making it easier to stay focused.
Here are some items you should regularly sort through:
- Clothing: Discard or donate items that no longer fit, are out of style or you haven’t worn in the past year.
- Paperwork: Shred or recycle old utility bills, receipts, documents and other scraps you no longer need.
- Books and magazines: Donate or sell books you’ve already read or are unlikely to reread and recycle outdated magazines.
- Bathroom products: Dispose of expired or unused cosmetics, toiletries and medications.
- Pantry: Check expiration dates and discard old or unused food items.
- Digital files: Remember to declutter your devices, too. Regularly delete unnecessary files, emails, photos and apps to keep your digital life orderly.
- Toys and games: Donate or discard toys and games that your kids no longer play with or are broken.
- Sentimental items: Review and let go of items that no longer evoke positive memories or hold significant meaning.
If You Don’t Use it, You Don’t Need it
Use this concept as your guiding minimalism principle. That waffle maker lying on your counter you haven’t touched since the day you bought it? Those books on your coffee table you’ll never read? Toss it. Keep only the items that serve a practical purpose or bring you genuine joy.
By evaluating your possessions through this lens, you can identify and eliminate items that merely occupy space without adding value to your life. Letting go of unused items declutters your home and lets you focus on what truly matters.
Get Help
Maintaining a minimalist home doesn’t have to be something you do alone. Seeking help — whether from your partner, children or even a professional — can make the process more manageable. Involving family members in decluttering and organizing — especially if it’s their clutter, too — lightens the load and highlights the importance of responsibility. Everyone can contribute to creating and sustaining a clutter-free environment, making it a collaborative goal.
Alternatively, hiring a professional organizer or cleaning service can provide expert guidance and tailored solutions, ensuring your space is functional and nice to look at. Whether through family teamwork or professional assistance, getting help can streamline the process to a lasting, minimalist home.
Kickstart Your Minimalism Journey
By following these practical tips, you can create a minimalist home that lasts and enriches your daily life. Embrace simplicity, prioritize quality over quantity and adopt a mindful approach to consumption and living. Through conscious choices and thoughtful design, you can create a sanctuary that embodies the true essence of minimalism for years to come.
About the Author
Cora Gold has a passion for writing about life, happiness and sustainability. As Editor-in-Chief of women’s lifestyle magazine Revivalist, she loves to share her insights and find inspiration from others. Follow Cora on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.