Cleaning up is the easy part. Keeping it that way? That is a war of attrition. You cannot fight chaos with a broom if you are still inviting more clutter in through the front door. 📉
We asked the pros—people whose jobs are staring into the abyss of messy homes and ordering it—to name the everyday purchases you need to stop making right now. Not “reduce.” Stop.
Here is the list.
The “Just In Case” Hoards
Take your cleaning closet. Or cupboard. Whatever you call it. Professional organizer Cathy Orr wants you to audit it. Seriously. Look at that mountain of specialized sprays.
“Many products now can do double duty. You don’t need a specific bottle for every surface.”
She’s right. You likely don’t. Most of those niche cleaners can be replaced by a few high-quality staples that do it all. Check what you have. Use what exists. Only restock what actually works.
The same goes for your pantry of disposable bags. Those plastic zip locks? Ebony Deloatch hates them. And she’s not wrong. They are a money sink.
“They can be washed, dried, and used again and again.”
Switch to reusable alternatives. Ones that handle heat too. Suddenly your trash can is smaller. Your kitchen counter is cleaner. Magic. Or just basic efficiency.
Kitchen Clutter Killers
Do you have two sets of dishes? Three?
Martha Gonzalez, a pro who organizes for a living, thinks you probably have too many plates. That fancy crystal china? It gathers dust. It sits in the cabinet. Every time you open the door you feel that tiny pang of guilt. Why? Because you are paying storage fees for happiness that rarely visits.
Keep one set. The one you love. Use it every day. Use it for Thanksgiving. It won’t break. The other sets can go.
And while we are there. Toss the single-use gadgets. The avocado slicer. The egg separator. The strawberry huller.
Gonzalez calls them “solutions to non-existent problems.” A $100 chef’s knife does everything those plastic toys do, but faster and sharper. Keep the knife. Recycle the gadget. It is not hard math. 🍆
Then there is the Tupperware nightmare. We have all been there. The lidless containers. The orphan lids found in the silverware drawer three weeks later. It is maddening.
Gonzalez has a number for this. Eight to ten containers. Total. For a family of up to four. That’s it. Uniform sizes. Matching lids. Stackable. Anything more is just clutter wearing a plastic mask.
The Stuff That Does Nothing
Cables. Oh god, the cables. You know that drawer. The one with the USB from 2008 and the charging brick for a phone that no longer exists.
Cathy Orr says purge it. Keep only what is currently plugged into something you use. Buy a new laptop? Check what chargers you have first. Before you buy new ones. If the box fills up again. Toss half of it. Repeat. 🔄
Finally, look at your decor. That seasonal pumpkin. That trendy mirror that cost you too much at the outlet store.
Gonzalez is blunt here. Ruthless, even.
“Only keep items with utility or sentimental value. Beauty alone does not justify its space.”
If a decorative bowl isn’t used. If a picture doesn’t mean something deep to you. It is dead weight.
Minimalism isn’t about living in an empty room. It’s about removing the noise. So your home doesn’t yell at you.
So ask yourself. What are you buying tomorrow? Does it actually stay? Or will it just become the thing you clean around next week?
Think about it. The store isn’t going anywhere.
