30-day minimalism challenge: 210 + 105 fewer items
20 days later after participating in a 30-day minimalism challenge to have fewer items – what was the outcome?
Tag: creating less garbage
Have you seen the ad of Tru Earth Laundry Eco-Strips?
After watching this video – you will know more than enough about Tru Earth laundry eco-strips and you will be sold. We definitely are!
The 30-day minimalism challenge to get rid of stuff!
If you haven’t heard about minimalism, then it is your time to jump on and find out what a fun thing is a 30-day minimalism challenge!
We chose a word to describe this new year. It is action. In addition to that, we will challenge ourselves. Just trying to enjoy every day as much as we can – share, love, laugh. We are volunteering, saving, and sharing food, not spending any money, and trying every day to get something out of the freezer. Plus we are not eating animals. A huge help while saving lives and mother Earth.
Get rid of stuff!
We live in a cute, but not so spacious apartment. Ever since we moved in – things just appeared. We are trying to get rid of them, as we do not want to clean, arrange, move them or just be afraid that something is going to fall on us. In other words – we want to get rid of stuff. Hence, the 30-day minimalism challenge is exactly for us.
This game or challenge is created by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus, who we know mostly as the Minimalists. They are challenging people to get rid of stuff, which clutters their homes in a fun way.
How to start with the 30-day minimalism challenge?
The minimalists recommend finding a friend, family member, or co-worker who’s willing to minimize their stuff with you next month. The idea is very easy: each person gets rid of one thing on the first day. Two things on the second. Three things on the third. So forth and so on.
We started our minimalism challenge on the 20th of January and have been on it for two weeks, including today.
While thinking of getting rid of stuff, we may think on small items in our drawers and toiletry cabinets, but The Minimalists share their tips, so basically, anything goes:
Collectables.
Decorations.
Kitchenware.
Electronics.
Furniture.
Bedding.
Clothes.
Towels.
Tools.
But just be warned that one person’s 30-days minimalism challenge includes getting rid of 465 items! If you have too many things, then you can take the challenge again next month 😉
It is getting harder!
Giving away few things in the first week may be not so complicated, but it will get harder each day. I started with a little basket that was just sitting there on the counter and doing nothing. Gone!
Be persistent and go through ALL drawers, closets, pantries. Do not forget anything. Look around you and ask if this is what you really need? When was the last time you used this item?
We are doing this just to challenge ourselves and to get rid of things, so winning is not our goal here. But originally the idea is that whoever keeps it going the longest wins. If both of you make it to the end, then you are both winners.
Share your success on The Minimalist’s social media using #minsgame hashtag.
What to do with the stuff?
We have been gathering the things at the moment to a cardboard box and since today we are starting to actually take the things out. Our plan is to put together a box of small things, which may be of interest to passersby’s in a busy street. Then we will share the photo with our nearby friends and see if they want anything.
Some of the bigger things we are getting rid of we have been trying to sell or trade for months, so we know that selling or trading doesn’t work. Since we do not throw things in the garbage, but share instead with friends or strangers, putting out a cardboard box with a sign free – works the best for us.
So, donate, sell, share or put out, it is up to you. We didn’t do that what the Minimalists recommended – every material possession must be out of your house—and out of your life—by midnight each day. But we are confident that we do not want any of those things, and they will leave our household sometime soon. I wouldn’t have been able to take these photos to show our success so far.
Find out more how to “play” the 30-day minimalism challenge from The Minimalist’s YouTube channel:
Also we recommend this very inspirational video, which definitely gives you good tips on what to get rid of:
Conclusion
The 30-day minimalism challenge is not over for us. Though we didn’t take photos of everything we are getting rid of you can still get a little overview of what we have been giving away. We will share more photos in our follow-up post. Not sure if we can take it until the end, but we will try our best.
Jump on board! Let’s do it!
Paper waste and recycling 411
“Prefer paper to other materials, as it can be recycled”. But how many of us really know about paper waste and its recycling?
How much garbage do we really create?
You are what you eat, but how about how much garbage you create? Let’s dig into our little garbage container and peek what is in the three bags.
What to know about a shampoo (bar)?
Nature lovers headache: who would have known that a transfer from your everyday shampoo to an all-organic shampoo bar can be such a hassle?
I must admit that honestly for the longest time, I really didn’t give much thought about what I was washing my hair with. If it was in a container, it promised many good things and it was meant for hair, I was okay using it! I mean, how wrong can one go with a shampoo anyway. Right? Shampoo bar-say what?
By now I have found the hard truth on my own and it is not pretty. Transitioning from consumer products to all-natural products may be a bit complicated. The new items may not give the wished results. It may even give worse!!
Let me share my painful path from using any shampoo to an all-natural shampoo bar.
Why did I decide to start using a shampoo bar?
Since the late spring of 2018, we have been trying not to bring plastic home. Though we were really committed to not buying plastic, we oftentimes still did. Mostly when buying groceries. Also, we weren’t really committed to the whole idea, ass we were thinking like a usual Aldi, Lidl, or any grocery store user. If it was not there to grab plastic-free, then it probably doesn’t exist.
We agreed to use up what we already had in plastic containers and plastic packaging. And then make a change gradually, when we run out of different items. It took us some time to get to change our plastic toothbrushes to bamboo ones. We just recently made the switch to a toothpowder, as we used up our last tube of organic toothpaste that we cheaply stocked up on when leaving Bulgaria in the summer of 2017. Unfortunately, we are still using plastic razors, given to us by friends, so…anyways, back to shampoo containers.
My first shampoo bar – let the…misery begin!
When the last non-fuzz shampoo bottle was finished, I asked for a shampoo bar as a present for my birthday. I was so excited, as I knew the bar will come in a tin box. Or at least in a cardboard box. Well, it didn’t! It came in a little plastic bag. Oh, well. At least I tried. I wish this could have been the least of my worries with this new shampoo bar!
I took my new bar out of the package (less plastic packing than an average shampoo container) and it really felt like something special. The bar consists of wheat proteins and yellow clay. I loved its shape and size – a perfect fit for my hand and easy to apply. It lathered very well and smelled fresh, not like the average shampoo. I was happy and satisfied when drying my hair.
After a few hours of drying, I felt that my hair felt dirty. It didn’t feel anything like before washing – it felt worse! I thought okay, this is my own fault, as I thought I didn’t rinse my hair properly. I have had this issue before in my younger years – too eager to get out of the shower. My hair is really thick and long, so probably I need more care when rinsing.
When my hair was completely dry, it all looked clean and felt nice. Except for the area near my neck, the nape, which seemed to have quite a big section of smelly sebum infused clumps of hair. Since most of the time I keep my hair in a ponytail anyway, it wasn’t a big problem for me to chew through.
Here we go again!
After a week (I wash my hair once a week), it was time to wash my hair again. I washed as before and rinsed. More thoroughly this time. No luck – still the same results as before! I continued like this for almost two months. Putting so much effort each time to rinsing thoroughly. I divided my hair into different parts to concentrate more on each section.
I forgot to research the hair washing problems with a shampoo bar before washing my hair. So I kind of got used to this. And also hoping that different times would give me different results. I also believed that this was some kind of transition period anyway. I started thinking that perhaps this particular bar is not meant for my hair type.
On one fine day, I remembered to research the problem. When I found out, what was the cause of it – I was blown away. This is a common issue and it takes just a few easy steps to solve this disaster. Thanks to Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve, it all made complete sense! I made the following discovery:
Commercial liquid shampoos and conditioners often contain synthetic silicones and silica that coat your hair, to make it “feel” nice, but leave a residue in your hair. Styling products and your own natural sweat and oil production can add to residue build up.
The detergent shampoos with loads of SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) are very good at stripping EVERYTHING (even those natural oils we want) and ridding your hair of residue.
Clarifying your hair is a way to remove the build-up some products leave on your hair which can make your hair dull and lifeless. Regular household baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate aka Baking soda) is an easy clarifier to use.
Source: CVSAS
Baking soda to the rescue – once again!
My hair was emitting all the crap that I had been using for years. Once I realized this – it gave me back my hope! I didn’t blame myself anymore on the fact that I didn’t know how to wash my hair. Nor did I blame the soap. There were now solutions to try and I was ready to change the situation.
Hard water and/or residue from previous products can cause shampoo bar adjustment problems. To tackle both of these problems, baking soda rinse can make miracles.
My recommended rescue regimen for the first month, when transitioning to a bar shampoo:
- Make a simple baking soda clarifying hair rinse using:
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 – 2 cups warm water
- Make your hair wet under the shower and then add the above-mentioned rinse.
- Wash your hair with your shampoo bar – just circling the hair edges on the scalp and scattering the lather all over the head.
- Sprinkle a bit of baking soda on your fingers and massage it on the scalp. Do it in several areas of your head.
- Rinse your hair thoroughly and dry.
- Spray some ACV-water (3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and a half cup of water) mixture on damp my hair.
After a month I stopped doing everything else, I just continued using a bit of baking soda on my fingers and my scalp, while washing. I haven’t had any problems since. But I haven’t dared to stop using baking soda while washing altogether, as the experience was too painful to go through again.
Share your experiences and tips in the comments, please!
Some valuable links to help your transition to a shampoo bar smoother:
- What is an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse and when to use it – Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
- How to wash your hair the best using shampoo bar – hair washing techniques
and
First steps on shopping plastic-free
A year ago we decided to cut down bringing plastic into our home. How did we do on our first trying plastic-free shopping more than a year ago? We are glad to admit, that we are glad past is not present!
What about organic waste?
I didn’t tackle the organic waste subject in my previous post. From several ways how to manage your organic waste, with our little tips below, you can easily find yours!
Cleaning your mattress is easy as baking soda
Now we are happy owners of a free bed plus many other items of furniture. How to clean the mattress and what keep to mind, when caring for new old things?
The five items we got were free, but for the van rental, we had to pay – 50€. Divided by the items, each item cost us 10€. Not bad, not bad at all. Plus on top of it, we got a mirror and two floor/doormats!
Anyway, one thing you definitely have to keep in mind, when getting things for free, is their condition. They may come from a neat household, well-taken care of and tidy. Or from a smoker’s home, with stains, smells, and signs of wear. If you have never brought free furniture into your home, it may be a bit scary, as the items may need some work. In our case, the mattress needed the most care.
You may be thinking, why talk about about a bed (or you may wonder why to save one from a landfill), as this is what we just use when sleeping. That’s it, this is the reason we need to talk about it and take care of it. I hope this post will help people like myself. I had to do thorough research on the internet to complete my cleaning task.
Get to know your mattress
Our mattress came with a cover and an extra cover. These were both dirty. Had stains and everything smelled of cigar smoke. Pretty gross – for many a garbage, but for us a treasure, which needed a little TLC. I wasn’t sure if the cleaning was going to work out. Really, how was I supposed to get rid of the smoking smell??? Google to rescue. After my many unfruitful searches, finally, a treasure revealed itself – Clean My Space. I really enjoyed their video and the “leading actress” does a great role, talking about cleaning and maintenance.
What to keep in mind while cleaning the mattress and maintaining it:
*cleaning mattress is not only necessary, when getting a used mattress, but it has to be carried out with every one you are owning and using to sleep on, even if they are brand new and once came from the store, like brand new;
*mattresses become extremely dirty, as we sweat every night a lot, which all will be stored in the mattress, therefore the airing of mattress and your bedclothes is very important;
*turn and flip your mattress every season;
*no water/liquids on your mattress, especially on memory foam mattresses, use a fan to try any wet spots;
*get the protector to protect your mattress, wash it and clean often;
*most mattresses are not cleanable, as they do not come with a cover, you can zip off
Cleaning a mattress without a zip-off cover
If the cover can’t be zipped off, then you should follow these steps:
*vacuum the mattress, to get rid of whatever may be there; do that at least once a season;
*deodorize your mattress, while shifting baking soda on your mattress and letting it sit for a little and then vacuuming it off, adding few drops of essential oils, will add a nice aroma to the cleaning;
*spot cleaning and stains, better tune in the video to get a complete overview of the stain types and how to handle them, but the main thing to know is, tackle the stains ASAP.
Take a look at the video HERE.
Clean My Space is an awesome outlet for all cleaning related questions you may ever have, check them definitely out!
The place where we are living at the moment is not our permanent home. So, therefore, all these mishaps are easier to handle. As we really do not want to bury so much money into something we are not going to use in the long run. Remember you can use these tips in your permanent home. Don’t be afraid of trying.
Read more on how we managed to get the cigarette smells out of our old new mattress in our future posts!