The Difference Between a Clean Home and a Simple Home

When I first heard about minimalism, many years ago, I considered it nothing more than a new way to talk about being clean and organized. Sure, minimalism sounds cooler and more aspirational, but in my mind, it was more or less the same thing.

Now, this isn’t entirely wrong. Minimalist living almost certainly means having a cleaner and more organized home, but it’s a slightly different frame of mind.

Minimalism isn’t just about cleaning up the messes— it’s about identifying the sources of unnecessary complication and cutting it out at the root. It’s about addressing the clutter from both a practical and emotional standpoint. It’s about designing your life for whatever is good, beautiful, and true, so there’s less room for anything else.

In short, minimalism is about pursuing simplicity in all its forms.

What’s the difference between minimalism and being clean

That’s a great question, and I’m glad you asked. Here are some of my reflections from practicing simplicity in my own life.

Minimalism doesn’t require constant effort

Some people love to constantly be cleaning and organizing their home, and more power to them. But it should be clear that this is a hobby for them, not a necessity. To have a clean home doesn’t mean it’s easy to maintain, and isn’t that one of the most beautiful things about minimalism. The more you simplify, the easier life becomes.

Minimalism removes instead of reorganizes

Organizing a closet and adding more shelves can make a space more visually appealing, but that doesn’t mean you’re the problem has been solved. Our intuition tells us that the more we complicate something, the less likely it will remain that way in the future. A truly minimalist mindset involves finding what you can get rid of, instead of shuffling it around.

Minimalism makes room for more of what you want

Many people associate minimalism with rules and restrictions, but that’s not the way I think about it at all. To me, and to every thoughtful person I know, minimalism is about making room in your life for more of what you want and less of what you don’t. That requires that you know what you want, and are willing to cut out the clutter, but that’s a small price to pay to get more of what you love.

Minimalism requires intentionality, but not necessarily aesthetics

In the past I’ve underestimated the role that aesthetics plays in minimalism. With fewer possessions, each one plays a larger role in the overall feel of a room, and so that means it’s ever more important that the design clicks with you. On the other hand, an organized and clean house can still be cluttered and far from what we’d call minimalist. In this way, minimalism requires an extra dose of intentionality to design your home as you want it to be.

Minimalism goes beyond surfaces and embraces the inner life

Creating a simple home is about much more than just the visible parts of your home. In practice, that might mean clearing out your email inbox, cutting down on phone time, and decluttering your computer desktop. But minimalism also speaks to an emotional reality: one where you are free from the unnecessary drama and chaos of daily life. Minimalism is about harmony and rest— not just aesthetics.

Minimalism tries to prevent clutter, not just react to it

A key difference I’ve noticed in people who are deeply committed to a minimalist lifestyle is that they are always on the lookout for clutter. In order for things to pile up requires that we have a place to dump them without ever putting them back in their spot. With minimalism, we are striving for a place where there is a place for everything and everything in its place.

Minimalism is about the whole life, not just the home

As I’ve hopefully made clear, minimalism is about so much more than just having a clean home (though it definitely includes that). The minimalist perspective is one of constant alertness to clutter of all kinds: possessions, but also emotional baggage, physical objects, and dated ideas. It’s a lifestyle commitment that goes deeper than merely keeping your house in order.

Minimalism isn’t just about appearance, but also how you feel

When people are busy putting their homes in order, it’s usually for the obvious reason that they don’t want other people to think they’re messy. Minimalism, however, is about something even deeper than appearance. It’s about creating a peaceful atmosphere and designing a life for better experiences. In my opinion, this approach is likely to stick because it’s about positive benefits you’ll experience, and not just trying to avoid something you don’t want others to see.

Minimalism is a state of mind, not just a state of being

This point goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. To say that minimalism is a state of mind is to suggest that it’s a way of seeing the world. This means that you’re constantly on the lookout for “clutter” in all its forms. You see this in the way minimalists talk about the subject— they are constantly thinking about trade-offs, inconvenience, and ways to make life more simple.

Minimalism is deeply personal, not just practical

With cleaning, there’s a right and a wrong. Nobody wants to live in a dirty or greasy home— we all basically understand the lines that shouldn’t be crossed. With minimalism, it’s different. Each person will have their own version of simple living that they implement and pursue, which means a part of themselves is being expressed. Minimalism is about a set of values, not just rules.

Minimalism is about less, not just more

Finally, we come to the crux of the matter. The reason minimalism is different than merely cleaning a home is that minimalism is about reduction, whereas cleaning is about organizing. Organizing a messy home can make it look better, but it’s not really addressing the root problem of having too much stuff. It’s just moving it around.

Cutting out the clutter is a simple idea with many benefits. It makes us feel better and lightens our mood. It reduces the daily challenges of life such as finding things or keeping the house clean. Best of all, it removes one more thing in your life that you have to manage, leaving more time and energy for what’s most important.