Five Ways to Keep Tiny Home Clutter Under Control

We can’t wait to hand you the keys to your Teacup tiny home, but before we do, can we offer a bit of wisdom? Tiny life will be so much more enjoyable if you keep clutter under control! We don’t want to tell you how to live your life but trust us, your tiny journey will be exponentially easier if you have good habits in place. As usual, our team at Teacup wants to do our part to set you up for success. And that’s why we come to you today with our top five tips for keeping clutter under control in your Teacup!

Are you ready? Let’s do this!

1. Define what you value.

We live in a world with endless choices. And in a three-thousand square foot house, that’s not a problem because there is room to store anything that strikes our fancy. But in a tiny cottage, that system doesn’t work very well! 

Here’s what we’ve learned in our time building Teacups: most people don’t know what they value. They often think they do, but when it comes time to articulate it, they struggle. Clutter happens because we aren’t selective enough with what we allow into our lives, and to prevent it, we need to have a handle on what we deem important so we can let the rest go.

Defining what you value will take time, so don’t rush this process. If you get stuck, think about your happiest times, the activities that bring you the most peace, and the moments in life that have stuck with you. What were you doing? What objects were involved? And what made those moments so special? Once you’ve figured it out, be sure to write it down. It’s hard to argue with a written list!

2. Notice what you use or appreciate.

Do you own twenty mugs but always pull the same one or two out of the cabinet? Yup, us too! That’s because most of us have favorite things. When you spend time in a tiny cottage, you will realize there is only room for what you love. And to that end, it’s a good idea to start noticing what you use or appreciate before you downsize!

We say ‘use or appreciate’ because not everything has a logistical application. A spatula, for example, you would use, but a piece of art might only serve to be appreciated. Teacups are small, but we still feel it’s important to include cherished items even if they don’t have a practical use.

3. Clean for twenty minutes a day (or pick up fifteen items).

Someone needs to tell you this early, so allow us to do the honors: tiny cottages can get messy quickly. This is why it’s crucial to establish good tidying habits before bringing a Teacup into your life. 

There are many methods for tidying up, but one we like is to set a timer for twenty minutes a day and just do what we can. Do you want to hear some good news? Twenty minutes of cleaning goes a long way in a Teacup tiny home! You might even get some deep-cleaning accomplished! 

If you’re particularly pressed for time, though, no worries. Our other favorite method is putting away fifteen items and leaving it at that. It’s amazing what putting away a few dishes and folding the blanket on the couch can do for one’s mental health!

4. Observe what you leave the house with VS. what you bring home.

Heads up, this one will blow your mind. But it’s a great training exercise if there is a tiny cottage in your future! Here’s how it works.

When you leave the house, take a moment to inventory the items you’re bringing with you. Do you have keys? A bag? Maybe a cup of coffee? Excellent. Now, when you come home, do another scan. Did you come home with more than that? 

If you’re like most of us, you probably did! Humans accumulate things in many ways, from gifts to shopping to free giveaways, but this is the story of how clutter gets out of control. Of course, it’s unrealistic to expect to never come home with anything extra, but if you want to mitigate the amount of clutter in your life, it’s good to notice how and why these extra items creep in.

5. Have an (easy) purge system.

You will likely accumulate things in your tiny cottage despite your best efforts. And it’s human nature! So please don’t beat yourself up. You will, however, want to develop a system for regularly evaluating what you own and getting rid of anything that no longer serves you.

Your system for purging can be as unique as you are. For example, we know a tiny houser who plays a monthly game called “Twenty-five Things Must Leave the Tiny Cottage Immediately.” She calls it the panic-edition of the Marie Kondo method and reports that it’s fun because it feels like a game show. 

If that’s not your style, we know other people who keep a laundry basket in the trunk of their car and add items to it that are no longer needed. Then, when the basket gets full, they simply donate the contents.

As we said before, your system needs to be customized to fit you. The only rule is that it must be easy!

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And there you have it! Those are five ways you can keep tiny house clutter under control. Remember not to be too hard on yourself as you apply these tips. Developing new habits is hard enough, so remember to talk nicely to yourself throughout the process. 

The title of this post might refer to keeping tiny cottage clutter under control, but these methods can be applied to any size living structure. And if you start practicing now, you’ll be an old pro by the time your Teacup arrives!

We have to get going but before we do, we want to remind you of all the Teacup resources we have available! Wherever you are in your journey, we’re here to help!

If you need tiny cottage inspo, you can join us on Instagram!

If you want to know what your dream Teacup will cost, you can check out our Estimate Builder!

If you want to know if you qualify for financing, you can take our Financing Quiz! (And if you don’t qualify yet, you can read our post about getting into a better position to borrow!)

If you’d like posts such as this one delivered to your inbox, we encourage you to subscribe to this blog!

And if you’re ready to go tiny, then let’s Book a Discovery Call!

That’s all for now, but thanks for joining us, and good luck with the clutter. We can’t wait to meet you when the time is right!

Until then,

-Jen