19 Things Minimalists Don't Keep In The House For A Less Cluttered Home

Going minimalist has a lot of benefits, including helping your motivation, finances, and creativity. However, while it sounds great in theory, actually adopting the practice can be a lot harder than it looks. It requires you to get rid of many of your items and learn to work with the tools you have. At some point, it might get pretty emotionally draining to toss out item after item, but if you're truly looking to adopt the minimalist lifestyle, it does have its benefits. 

Getting started isn't always easy, though. You can't just throw away the things you own without thought or a strong plan. Some items are actually important and necessary, and tossing them out without proper consideration is only going to lead you to spend more money to purchase them again. Thankfully, there are some very obvious areas where you can cut out any extras or unneeded things you have lying around, such as random trinkets, extra clothes and shoes, and physical media.

Starting the process can be daunting, but you'll have to get started somewhere. As you work, you may be surprised by how much there is in your home to get rid of, and how little you actually use or think about certain items you own. There may be particular areas that you will find simple enough to clear out. If you can identify a space that is easy to declutter, this can be a great place to start, as it will get the ball rolling and give you the motivation to continue the process.

Sometimes, it feels like you need a new pair of shoes for every outfit. At some point, you buy so many that your closet is full of ones you only wear once or twice a year. While there is some debate on how many pairs you actually need, somewhere between four to six is reasonable, as it gives you options for work, exercise, casual, and fancier events. While you can decide specifically how many you need, it may be worth downsizing if the number of pairs of shoes you have is in the double digits.

Knick-knacks are often associated with a cozy house, or your grandmother's home when you were younger. They can definitely help your space feel a little more personal and let you show off your personality, but they do take up a lot of space and make a home feel messy. They are definitely not minimalist. However, if you're not ready to fully give up your favorite decorations yet, you can also consider trying out some of the best ways to display trinkets without cluttering your home.

The kitchen is a big area where you see these kinds of items around. It's fairly common to buy a tool that's only good for one thing, such as a waffle maker. While they can definitely make cooking or meal prepping a lot easier, it also takes up space. Instead, try to focus on buying items you can use more than once and for several different purposes. Or, get creative and use them in multiple ways. You can also reuse kitchen items in your home to reduce waste if you get a little creative.

This one is a bit of a mixed bag. If you really want to go minimal, getting rid of physical DVDs, photos, books, and CDs is probably the best way to go. You can still display the photos on electronic picture frames, find music and movies on websites, and use e-readers. However, with there being a lot of debate on whether you actually own digital content like games, movies, and books, it may be worth keeping the physical options around and going for something like the DVD storage solution that'll get rid of all those bulky boxes instead.

Furniture is a great way to fill in extra space and gives you a place to store all your items. However, if you're getting rid of knick-knacks and physical media, do you really need standalone cabinets or shelves? Additionally, you can look around your home for other furnishings you might not need anymore, such as chairs or an extra standing mirror in your bedroom. And, if you don't really bring over a lot of guests, you can also look at downsizing things like your dining and living room furniture, especially if it's too big for your daily life.

Many people can think back to their childhood and recollect the one or two items that were rarely, if ever, brought out to be used. There seemed to be stuff in almost every household that was saved for special moments. However, having a secondary set of nice items takes up extra space, which makes it hard to embrace a more minimalist lifestyle. This outdated home entertaining trend should definitely stay in the past and not take up space in your house. Instead, buy yourself nice items that you will use regularly, even with guests.

Collecting hobbies is a hobby in itself. There are so many cool things to try, like the crafty DIY trend that is all the rage in 2025, and you can't really try them without buying all the tools you need to get started. The downside is, you may end up with a lot of random and very specific tools and materials that simply take up space in your home. Choose a few hobbies you will consistently do, and perhaps give the rest away to someone who might enjoy them more.

You may think that leaving your house organized is a way to balance keeping all of your stuff and looking as if you're living a minimalist lifestyle. However, if you actually make the effort to declutter and remove unneeded items from your home, then you won't need dozens of storage containers. A few can be helpful to keep you organized, but too many may convince you to collect more clutter because you have space, rather than actively working on reducing your items, which is why adding more storage to your home can sometimes be a mistake.

It's easy to hold on to things when you think that you may one day need them. For example, you may be loath to toss out a ball of yarn you've had for years, or a random tool you haven't ever used, because there may be a day when it could come in handy. This mentality certainly pays off sometimes, but more often than not, you are left with dozens of things taking up space that you will never use, such as these commonly stored items you should toss to declutter your garage.

Too many times, we keep around clothes that used to fit, or you're hoping to wear if you hit your weight goals. Unfortunately, this just leads to clutter, and potentially a bunch of clothes you will never get to. Instead, buy a couple of very nice outfits to make you feel good about who you are now, and leave it there. You'll be left with less clutter in your wardrobe or closet. You can then donate those items, or repurpose old clothing in your home and garden if donation isn't a possibility.

It may surprise you that you can go minimalist even when it comes to cleaning supplies. It makes sense to have specific products for every room, appliance, and material, but you really don't need too much. Instead, find cleaning solutions and tools that are multi-use, such as the best all-purpose cleaners worth buying for your kitchen. When it comes down to it, you really don't need that much. A spray bottle, brush, broom, dustpan, mop, a couple of cloths, and scrubbers are most of the tools you will need.

Stationery is such a delightful thing to have. There is something about a nice notebook or a reliable pen that can just make the world feel right. On the other hand, soon enough, you may find your desk overrun with loose papers, sticky tapes, and documents over time. To handle this problem, first go through everything and make sure you're not keeping anything you don't need. Then, look at easy ways to keep all of your paper clutter organized in your home office, such as tagging and filing important information. Also, consider where you can go digital.

One thing you may not think about when choosing to go minimalist is to reduce the amount of food you have in your home. It is necessary, and for the most part, you go through and rotate items regularly. However, pretty much everyone has an expired can or two that they bought and haven't used, or didn't finish on time, such as certain spices and maybe canned pantry staples. Go through your pantry and toss out anything you and your family haven't eaten that is expired to help your kitchen look a little less messy.

If you're having a hard time convincing your kids to get rid of their old items, start slow. For example, easy steps to declutter a home full of toys before the holidays include getting rid of anything broken. You can also sit down with your children and let them choose which items to toss. Pick a number, and have them get rid of that many toys and decor they no longer want. To make it easier, start with a low number, like five, and simply repeat every few months until the clutter is more manageable.

Now, this doesn't mean you can't have expensive items. But if you find yourself keeping them around just because of how much you or someone else paid for them, this could be your sign to let go. That, or you should get into the habit of actually using the item, and not just saving it for special occasions. Life is short, so wear an expensive watch or put on your pricy perfume for a normal day out instead of waiting years for a day that may not come.

Mugs and cups have a way of magically appearing in abundance in a home. You don't really go out and get extra plates and bowls, but somehow, new mugs and cups always find their way into your shelf. While many are probably pretty cute, they can start to clutter up the kitchen. Consider narrowing down your mugs and cups to a more reasonable number. If you have favorites you don't use often, but you still love, try out some creative ideas before throwing out old coffee mugs.

A couple of plants here and there aren't bad, but if your home looks like a jungle and they take up a lot of space, maybe you need to consider removing a couple, especially if you're gunning for a minimalist lifestyle. To determine if you need to get rid of a couple of your plants, try and see how you're spending your days. If it takes a long time to care for all of your flora, or you're starting to find them tiresome rather than a breath of fresh air, consider giving away some.

Throw pillows and cozy blankets definitely make a space feel homier, but they take up room and can sometimes feel a little crowded. While it can be handy to have a couple, too many is just extra work, and you lose out on valuable space. However, there are a few benefits to these cozy pieces, including fixing your posture, so keeping a couple around can be helpful. To make the most of your cozy gear, be sure to choose the best throw pillows for your home decor and health.

If you're looking to have a more spacious house and follow a minimalist lifestyle, home gyms can quickly get in the way. Of course, that's not to say you should get rid of all your exercise equipment, but you may want to focus only on the ones you use regularly. Or, perhaps switch to maximizing your space with a DIY home gym box for workouts and storage instead of bulky equipment. Try to focus only on keeping the items you use regularly, and see if there are smaller alternatives to what you already have.