This came up on a decluttering post where someone shared her preference for first purging excess stuff, and only then deep-cleaning the stuff you choose to keep.
Of course, if you’re going to want to donate some of the stuff you’re purging, some cleaning of that stuff may still also be necessary.
Regarding optimizing our quantity of stuff…
in Permaculture design we talk about the importance of being able to remember what we have, and where it is stored. This is known as the Permaculture design principle of “Stocking.”
For me, and maybe for some of you, keeping track of my stuff and where it is stored is much easier if I don’t have too many things.
It’s hard for me to keep track of a large number of things. Be it shoes, clothing, sewing supplies, beads, tools, etc. – there seems to be an optimum quantity of everything, beyond which I find it hard to keep track.
And if I can’t keep track, it’s almost like never having it in the first place because I can’t find it to use it! Or even remember in the first place that I have it! to use it!
Do I believe in “minimalism” as some superior chic aesthetic? No. (BTW I sometimes describe my aesthetic as “ornate minimalism.”)
Do I believe there is a functional level of “stuff” that we can handle (which may vary from one individual to the next, and also will depend on how many people are in one’s household)? Definitely!
It might be sort of like an inanimate object version of Dunbar’s number.
I like to be on friendly terms with my stuff. To really love, appreciate, and use each item. Or, in the case of crafting supplies, to at least have identifiable categories that I am on familiar friendly terms with.