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'Like old children's books': Woman offers passionate defense of 'cluttered' homes

"What if clutter wasn't chaotic, but charming, intentional, and storytelling?"

Hanna of Real Vintage Dolls House explains why minimalism isn't the answer to overconsumption.

There's no question that we live in an age of overconsumption. We're able to have a limitless number of things shipped to our doorstep with a click of a button. We are marketed to constantly, with items targeted to our preferences and buying habits. Even when we try to keep our belongings under control, stuff just seems to accumulate, creating a constant purging process that drains our time and energy.

One reaction to overconsumption has been a modern push for minimalism. Clean surfaces, sparse decor—the antithesis of the clutter that inevitably creeps into our lives—has become a homemaking goal for many people. As a result, we have a popular aesthetic of homes that feel like museums or hotels—beautiful and serene, but lacking in character and personality.

 minimalism, clean home, simple design, no clutter, clutter-free The modern home aesthetic is entirely free of clutter. Photo credit: Canva

Some people genuinely prefer that style. But one woman is offering a different perspective on "clutter" that has some people feeling seen. Hannah of Real Vintage Dolls House shares how a blog post she came across—"Basing My Life on Scenes from Children's Books" by Jo—spoke to her heart as a person who loves what Jo refers to as "good mess."

"A huge part of the inspiration for this particular blog post was the Brambly Hedge books by Jill Barkham," Hannah says, "And it got me thinking about how children's books used to feel. You know, the Beatrix Potters, the classic Paddington Bear books, The Adventures of Tintin, Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh, Rupert Bear, Milly, Molly, and Mandy. And yes, I have noticed an overarching theme here. Animals living in dens designed like our grandmother's living room."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Clutter that consists of actual trash, genuine junk, or things that belong elsewhere is one thing, but "aesthetically cluttered, lived-in, cozy" homes that feel like Grandma's house are another.

"Today, a lot of spaces seem to prioritize neatness, efficiency, and clean," says Hannah. "Whereas these examples, as Jo expresses, are art. Jo, like me, says that she doesn't actually mind a good dollop of healthy disorder, and she calls it 'good mess,' which is something that I really, really like. A space that reflects all the little idiosyncrasies of being human."

While Hannah says she delights in imperfection, she is also clear that not all mess is good and that there's something to be said for tidiness.

 hoarding, clutter, decluttering, minimalism No one wants to live with so much stuff there's no room for living, of course.  Giphy GIF by 60 Second Docs 

"I enjoy things having their place," she says. "Honestly, I do. And I do not want to be someone that jam-packs their home to the point where there is no space for calm or serenity. But I will also not do away with my shelf of old books slotted snugly into my mahogany dresser simply because a Kindle can hold them all digitally."

It's true. Modern technology eliminates the need for many physical items, from books to paper to framed photos. But just because we can do something doesn't mean we should, and some people are drawn to a more analog existence. A low-tech life often means more single-purpose items, and Hannah embraces that.

  

"I guess that does make me a maximalist," she says. "But what it doesn't make me is materialistic because this lifestyle that I'm trying to achieve also brandishes things like sustainability, skills set, craftsmanship, frugality, and the art of doing."

"Clutter is not bad," she continues. "And minimalism isn't the answer. Although not a bad thing in and of itself, that is not the saint and clutter is not the demon. And I also want to make clear that I am not demonizing anybody that embraces minimalism and rejects clutter. My inner joy comes from my home's overall aesthetic appeal."

For her, that means the charm of being surrounded by used and useful things.

"Perhaps the answer really does lie in how we use our homes," says Hannah. "I mean, let's face it, Grandma's house was a workshop, not an exhibition space. And I'm paraphrasing Jo again there, but what a great little analogy. You know, my home is not a show home. It's a lived in home. It's a work in progress. I'm a work in progress, and my home reflects that."

  

Hannah quotes Jo's post as a perfect summary of her own thoughts:

"We live in a world where the acquisition of things is disastrously easy, and naturally there has been a backlash against this physical clutter, by making Things the enemy to be gotten rid of completely in order to be spiritually pure. But Things aren't the enemy. The means of production of Things is the enemy. We can have Things and make them and use tools to make them and create beauty all around us if we do it slowly, carefully, thoughtfully, and on a small scale. We can turn our houses back into hubs of creativity instead of being black holes of consumption."

Fellow lovers of the old children's book home aesthetic chimed in with their support:

"It is lovely to listen to someone who thinks like me. I do not fit in the modern world."

"My home is not a show home…it’s a work in progress.” You have articulated my undiagnosed aesthetic. Thank you!"

"An adult will see chaos. A child will see "treasures". I'm an old lady now but when I would visit either of my grandmothers in the late 1950's I would be fascinated by their lovely and one-of-a-kind belongings. And each item had a story. Everything was clean and their homes smelled like sunshine and baked bread. It was like walking into a storybook."

  Sky Reading GIF by Foo Fighters  Giphy  

"I never realized I was trying to crawl inside a children's book. The decorating and clutter and creating 'things.' But thinking about it, I can draw multiple images from the abyss. All from children's books. And exactly how I want my space to look and feel."

"Being a maximalist brings me so much joy. So many people nowadays design their homes for the next owners and I just find that depressing, I just can't relax in homes that look like a waiting room. My goal for my space is for there to be something cool/weird/interesting no matter where you look, and so far everyone who's come over has absolutely loved my house."

"Finally, a video that’s 100% me. I hate minimalism. I love cluttered spaces. Not mess, but lots of knick knacks organised neatly. I love mismatched furniture and decor. In my opinion, it makes a home feel homey and welcoming."

If minimalism is your jam, more power to you. But if you find it doesn't speak to you at all, perhaps embrace the charm of creative clutter and tell people your goal is to live in a cozy children's book.

You can follow Real Vintage Dolls House on YouTube for more nostlgia-triggering content.

@aesthetically_ally_/TikTok

Okay, this is brilliant.

When the Work From Home era began, many of us got excited at the possibility of being able to maybe, juuuust maybe, keep our home a little cleaner by doing some sprucing up in between productivity sprints. But alas, reality has set in.

Instead, there’s the constant distraction of messes that need to be cleaned up, items that aren’t where they should be, piles upon piles of stuff that seem to appear out of nowhere. All of this goes double for WFH folks with kids.

And being more aware of clutter is no doubt one of the main reasons why cleaning hacks are all the rage on social media. Besides the fact that there’s just something so primally satisfying about watching stain removal.

One super easy hack, created by a mom and therapist who goes by @aestetically_ally_ on TikTok, is being hailed as the “ultimate” decluttering method, particularly for moms. (But really, this could work for anyone).


“If you’re looking for a busy working mom hack to keep your sh*t together during the day, during the week and not feel totally overwhelmed and overstimulated when you walk into your house, keep listening,” Ally says at the top of her clip. “I can’t stand having a dirty house or a messy house. For me, that is my overstimulation nightmare.”

And this is where the “cleaning cart” comes in.

Ally then shows a simple, white rolling cart with three shelves—something you’ve definitely seen at a staples or Ikea. The idea is you can roll this cart around your home and pick up any debris that’s taking up unnecessary spaces. Toys, crafts, shoes, hoodies, etc. Then you place the cart up against a wall. And voila, a clutter free house in minutes.

Ally adds the caveat that “obviously we’re going to have to put those things away.”But still, she affirms that “t is so much nicer to just not have those things cluttering all of the flat surfaces in your house.”

“It helps so much with that overstimulated feeling that you get when you have to come in after a crazy busy day and have to start taking care of everybody and everything,” she says.

Down in the comments, people were totally on board with the idea. Many already did a form of it with laundry baskets, but really loved the ability to wheel the junk around. A few even wanted to go above and beyond by labeling each section with a family’s member’s name, so that it made reorganizing easier later.

Still, a few shared concerns that this could easily become “doom piles,” or "Didn't Organize, Only Moved” piles, commonly associated with people dealing with ADD/ADHD, which never actually get sorted and become more overwhelming in the long run.

However, an article from Real Simple has some expert backed tips to keep those piles from taking over, which can be helpful for those in the ADD/ ADHD community, or just folks trying to avoid bigger messes.

One trick is to keep a small, manageable sized basket, and to not let it overflow. This is where a small, compact cleaning cart could really shine.

Other suggestions include using a timer and emptying out the cart or basket in 15 minute increments, or implementing a reward system for emptying out said cart. Essentially, creating easy-to-accomplish, bite sized tasks, and finding a way to associate with something pleasing. A good basis for any goal, really.

Perhaps in an ideal world we wouldn’t need things like cleaning carts. But we live in reality. And reality is messy. We are all just doing our best to juggle multiple, simultaneous responsibilities while holding onto our sanity. If rolling a cart around and throwing junk in it helps that cause, even just a little, then it’s probably worth trying.

By the way, Ally has more tips where that came from, which you can find by following her on TikTok.

Pop Culture

5 hacks for deep cleaning your house with the least amount of effort

A few simple adjustments can make cleaning less of a chore.

Photo by Katie Pearse on Unsplash

Cleaning doesn't have to be a dreaded chore.

There are some people who actually enjoy cleaning, but it’s fairly safe to say that most people don’t. Most of us like things to be clean, but we don’t necessarily like the actual cleaning part it takes to get there. 

Not everyone can afford to hire professional cleaners, so we’re stuck doing the cleaning chores ourselves—the normal everyday housekeeping as well as the seasonal/occasional deep clean. Some of us were trained by our families to do it, while other people have to learn on their own.

For the latter folks, crowdsourcing some tips for making the cleaning process go more smoothly with less effort is a great way to make it less daunting. Someone on Reddit asked people to share their best hacks when deep cleaning the house, and more than 1,000 responses yielded some best practices worth trying out.

Here are people’s most popular cleaning hacks:


Declutter, declutter, declutter

The more stuff you have to clean, the more cleaning you have to do. That may sound obvious, but it’s not something we necessarily think about when we’re looking at our belongings we’ve either become attached to or have mindlessly collected over the years.

So the first step in deep cleaning is to get rid of things we don’t actually use or want anymore. You don’t have to become a total minimalist, but less is more when it comes to keeping a space clean.

“Declutter, declutter, declutter. Having fewer things to collect dust makes general cleaning so much easier, let alone the awful stuff like vents or behind heavy appliances.” – WassupSassySquatch

“Definitely. I realised when I treated us to a one off cleaner after 4 years of having kids that I spent the whole day prior decluttering and tidying so they could clean most efficiently. Well, if it was always that tidy or empty we could deep clean every week without overwhelm. So, it's the stuff. Moving the stuff before you can even clean.” – aga8833

Carry Hefty bags as you go

As an addendum to the "declutter" advice, have bags on hand for donating and for throwing away. Be ruthless about your belongings. Most people have too much stuff and hold onto things they'll never use because they think they might someday or because they don't feel like it's worth throwing away. If you don't have bags to put them in, you definitely won't move past those lines of thinking, so keep them with you as you clean and use them liberally.

"Lots of hefty bags and don’t be precious- throw it all away/ donate it." – trou_bucket_list

"Don't hold on to junk that you never use, because you don't want to create waste by throwing it out. It's already waste, it just lives in your house instead of a landfill. Donate it if you can, sure, but sometimes it's easier to just throw it away and give yourself grace for it." – happypolychaetes

One room at a time, from the top down

Cleaning one room at a time breaks the whole house into smaller parts, which makes it seem less overwhelming. And starting from the top down means you clean any dust or debris that falls as you go, ending with the floor so nothing gets left behind.

“Top down. One room at a time. Pace yourself.” – Straight_Calendar_15

“If you clean the counters first, you don’t have to worry about messing up the floor since you’re saving it for the end. If you clean the floor first, you could end up dirtying it again as you clean the counters.” – o_in25

Wear a headlamp

Headlamps aren’t just for camping or spelunking—they can be super handy for cleaning as well. Even in a lit room, there are nooks and crannies in bookshelves and corners where you can’t see dirt, dust or cobwebs unless you shine a light on them.

Why bother if you can’t see it normally anyway? Because dust can create a mild, stale odor that keeps your house from smelling fresh. This hack may not save you time or energy, but it will make the end result far more satisfying.

“Clean wearing a head torch - if it looks good under such good light, it'll look sh*t hot under normal lighting. It's great for finding cobwebs on walls / ceilings too as they throw an obvious shadow.” – Dougalface

“I’ve done this while cleaning inside my car. I kept cleaning and cleaning and it still looked dusty and awful so I gave up. When I came back the next day under normal lighting it looked brand new again.” – Potatobender44

Pump up the jams…or ‘Hoarders’

Yes, cleaning is a chore but that doesn't mean it can't be fun and energizing. Turning on some of your favorite music, whether that's upbeat dance tunes, powerful symphonies or fun fiddle music, can make cleaning a whole lot more enjoyable. Turn it up loud to drown out any grumbling thoughts and get moving.

Alternatively, put on episodes of the television show “Hoarders,” which can be a great motivator, especially during the decluttering part.

“Listen to music while you do it (earbuds or headphones while vacuuming).” – SRB112

“This is a little strange but I like to put on runway show music in the background when I clean, usually its super long and kinda questionable energetic music so you can do 25 minutes of cleaning and feel like a supermodel all in one. (balenciaga has some good soundtracks imo love or hate the brand)” – NickyThePerson

“I play a hoarders marathon in the background while cleaning…” – Last_Sundae_6894

“Put Hoarders on the TV while you clean. I stg within 10 minutes I'm ready to throw everything away.” – Halbbitter

Happy cleaning, everyone!

Representative Image from Canva

Spring cleaning really can be a fun refresh. Here's how.

If you’re itching to declutter around this time of year, you’re not alone. According to the American Cleaning Institute, 80% of Americans plan to spring clean this year, which is a more than a 10% increase from just 3 years ago. Guess all that working from home will do that to ya.

However, just because many of us are participating in spring cleaning, that doesn't mean we’ll be maximizing it. With the constant decision making, plus the emotional toll at letting go, it’s a daunting task that can leave folks feeling drained, rather than refreshed.

But with a few small tweaks, spring cleaning really can be the cathartic, freeing activity we long for it to be.

Sofia Vyshnevska, a housing expert and co-founder at NewHomesMate, shared her 5 ultimate life hacks for easy and hassle-free spring decluttering. Try one—or all—of these super simple strategies for a clean home and a clear mind.

The Reverse Hanger Trick

spring cleaning, decluttering, cleaning tips

This is such a cool way of honing a personal style too.

Representative Image from Canva

In a sea of wardrobe decluttering hacks, this one stands out for how it “effortlessly streamlines your wardrobe,” says Sofia.

Here’s how it works: turn all your closet hangers backwards at the start of spring and only turn back those you wear throughout the season. Once summer nears, go through your clothing and donate or sell any items that are still facing backwards. You can even rinse and repeat this throughout the year.

Considering that so many of us have way too many clothes that we don’t actually use, this trick could really come in handy for gleaning the pieces that actually suit our taste and lifestyle.

“If you’ve gone months without picking it out, chances are you never will.”

The Four-Box Method

spring cleaning, decluttering, cleaning tips

Because our brains can't do all the compartmentalizing.

Representative Image from Canva

Ever gotten halfway through an organizing frenzy when that adrenaline suddenly wears off and you’re sitting in a pile of random stuff with no idea what to do? This is a great way to keep that compartmentalizing going even when the motivation disappears.

Sort everything you own into four boxes: keep, donate/sell, trash, and relocate.

Much like Marie Kondo, Sofia advises to “make quick decisions and don’t let sentimental value cloud your judgment” and you’ll have a clutter-free home in no time.

And if sentimentality is clouding your judgment and making parting with things difficult, read on…

The Rehoming Hack

spring cleaning, decluttering, cleaning tips

“You’ll likely realize that you didn’t miss these items and letting them go isn’t so hard after all.”

Representative Image from Canva

This is a great way to discover what really should be taking up space in your heart, and your home.

“Whenever you find an item you no longer love, but feel you should hold on to, place it in an empty box and, once full, put it away out of sight. Give it a few weeks, then go back and sort through them again,” Sofia suggests. “You’ll likely realize that you didn’t miss these items and letting them go isn’t so hard after all.”

And if there’s still some hesitation, you could also take a photo of these items and create an album which takes up a lot less space while still giving you all the joy the actual item previously did.

Tactical Tidying

spring cleaning, decluttering, cleaning tips

Instant gratification can be a great tool.

Representative Image from Canva

It can be tempting to start our spring cleaning by delving into the messy pantry or tucked away storage areas, but with “tactical tidying,” you go for the most visible areas first. That way you’re “constantly reminded of the difference it makes, which will provide the motivation you need to get the job done,” instead of tired and deflated in a couple of hours.

Zone-Based Decluttering

spring cleaning, decluttering, cleaning tips

Don't try to do it all at once.

Representative Image from Canva

Zone-based decluttering also helps us avoid the all-too-common “decluttering fatigue,” explains Sofia. Rather that trying to cram all the cleaning into a single weekend, spread out each room, or zone, throughout a couple of days.

Here’s an example of what zone-based decluttering might look like.

“Start by removing debris and organizing your patio furniture to get your outside space ready for the warmer weather. Tomorrow, get to work on the kitchen—clear the countertops, tidy your cabinets and clean out the refrigerator. Next week? Tackle the storage spaces, organize your electronics, and scrub your upholstery. Then on to your bedrooms, where you need to declutter your nightstand, change your bedding, and switch out your winter wardrobe.”

It’s easy to see how this helps us actually go through the clutter without subjecting ourselves to burnout. Cause at the end of the day, spring cleaning should be energizing, right?

As a bonus, Sofia added some thoughts on the four main types of clutter and how to remove them in a way that good for us and for the planet:

  • Clothing: You might not want it, but there’s likely someone who does. Don’t toss it in the trash until you’ve checked whether local charities, shelters, or thrift stores will take it off your hands.
  • Electronics: Don’t make your clutter the planet’s problem. Recycle any unwanted electronics through a certified e-waste recycling center to avoid causing environmental harm.
  • Furniture: if it’s in usable condition, sell it online or donate it to a charity, shelter, or community center. Otherwise, contact local waste management to find out how to dispose of or, better yet, recycle it.
  • Non-perishable food: Don’t do the easiest thing; do the right thing. Rather than throwing it away, food banks, shelters, and community organizations will happily take any food you don’t want.

Lastly, but very important in today's world—let’s talk about the importance of digital decluttering. 

spring cleaning, decluttering, cleaning tips

"Once you’re done spring cleaning your home, it’s time to clear your inbox and clean your desktop.”

Representative Image from Canva

Walter Gjergja, Shaolin Temple secular monk, mindfulness and well-being expert, and co-founder of the personal trainer app Zing Coach, wisely notes:

"Clutter doesn’t just invade our space; it invades our minds too.…those with cluttered lives tend to procrastinate on important tasks — and digital clutter is no exception. Once you’re done spring cleaning your home, it’s time to clear your inbox and clean your desktop.”

To do this, Gjergja suggests deleting unimportant emails, organizing your files and uploading any you don’t frequently need to cloud storage, plus deleting any unused apps from your home screen.

“You’ll be surprised just how much decluttering your digital space can free up the mind."