How Minimalism Can Help Improve Home Comfort

Minimalism has become a way of life for many people who want to declutter their homes, pare down their belongings, and live simpler lives. It can also improve your home comfort. If you approach decor from the minimalist side of the spectrum, expect to enjoy these unexpected benefits.

Reduce Dust Accumulation

When you fill your home with more things, you can expect to attract more dust. Layers of dust settle on knickknacks, unused furniture, artwork, and more, which adds more hours of cleaning to your schedule and can cause you to sneeze every time you walk through your front door.

Dust isn’t just a domestic nuisance. It can cause respiratory distress over time by invading the lungs and discouraging deep breathing. Dust proves particularly hard on people who already have respiratory diseases, from asthma and allergies to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and other serious conditions.

If you decide to declutter your home and embrace the minimalist lifestyle, focus on removing items that collect the most dust. Shiny, lacquered surfaces are easier to keep clean than soft, porous materials. You can also use hypoallergenic linens and change your HVAC filter more often to keep your home dust-free.

Increase Airflow Through the Home

If you pack your home full of stuff, air can’t travel as easily throughout your rooms. Furniture might block air vents, for instance, which forces your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump to work harder to keep your home at your desired temperature. Good airflow can make you more comfortable at home because every room gets heated and cooled evenly.

You can improve air circulation in your house with ceiling fans, ventilation, and other strategies, but minimalism helps too. Arrange your furniture strategically so air can flow smoothly from one space to the next. Remove barriers that restrict airflow, such as heavy sideboards and large pieces of art, and pare down on knickknacks and other decor items that don’t bring any value to your home.

Gain Access to Sunlight

Sunlight can help keep your electricity bills low during the winter. When you don’t have lots of items blocking your windows, you can take full advantage of sunlight during different times of day. Additionally, access to sunlight can improve indoor air quality (IAQ) if you bring houseplants into your home.

Live plants can absorb unpleasant odors and release oxygen into the air, but many plants need partial or full sunlight. Position your plants near large windows that get plenty of sun, then start reaping the benefits of good IAQ. Choose plants that offer the best IAQ benefits, such as spider plants and chrysanthemums, or stick with easy-care plants like succulents if you’re not used to plants. Since you’ve already decluttered your home with your minimalist sensibilities, you’ll have room for both large and small plants.

Remove Stressors

When your home becomes too cluttered with things, such as furniture and tchotchkes, you might feel stressed every time you walk through the door. Open spaces give you room to stretch out, breathe, and relax, while cluttered homes can make you feel confined and even messy.

For instance, many consumers discover that they collect double or triple of everything, from kitchen utensils to throw pillows. When you pare down your belongings to just the necessities, you can find things easier and appreciate what you have more fully.

Pay attention to things that cause you stress, such as a cluttered shelf in your living room. Once you identify stressors, you can edit them from your home and create more comfort.

Edit Your Collections

Some people picture minimalism as a sterile environment devoid of personality. Nothing is further from the truth. A true minimalist still collects things, but only things that provide either value or joy. A treasured keepsake from your honeymoon, for instance, doesn’t need to go in the donation pile just because it takes up space. However, if you have a bunch of knickknacks that don’t mean anything to you, getting rid of them can help make your home feel more comfortable.

The same goes for your wardrobe. Instead of keeping every piece of clothing you’ve ever bought, pull out items that you know you’ll never wear or that you don’t enjoy wearing. A neat, organized, edited closet makes getting dressed in the morning easier and less stressful.

Minimalism has become the preferred lifestyle for many Americans. Using the above tips can help you turn your minimalist ideals into a comfortable home that offers plenty of airflow, access to sunlight, and less dust.