Today, I’d like to share 10 things I realized I didn’t really need—and actually felt relieved to let go of.
More space, less cleaning, and a simpler, more comfortable everyday life.
Here are 10 things I’ve happily done without.
① TV
Having a TV had always seemed completely normal to me. I’d had one for as long as I could remember.
But about five years ago, at my family’s suggestion, we decided to put it away and see what happened.
That’s when I discovered just how much I liked life without a TV.
Before that, I would automatically turn on the TV as soon as I got home from work. I’d have it playing in the background while eating dinner or doing housework, half-watching without really paying attention.
Before I knew it, time would pass, and I’d find myself thinking, “Wow, it’s already this late?”
Once I stopped watching TV, I started enjoying my meals more, and I found that I could get my housework done much more quickly.
That gave me time after dinner to read, or to dim the lights a little, stretch, and have a relaxed chat with my family.
Since we started spending our evenings this way, I’ve also noticed that I sleep better.
Another thing I really like is not being constantly exposed to negative news that happens to be playing on TV in the background.
I get the information I need from books, the internet, and conversations with family and friends.
And if there’s a TV program I really want to watch, I can always watch it on demand, without commercials.
Of course, if you love TV and enjoy having one at home, there’s no reason to get rid of it.
But if turning on the TV has simply become a habit, why not put it away for a while and see how you feel?
You might be surprised by how comfortable it is.
And as an added bonus, I no longer have to deal with the surprisingly annoying job of cleaning around the TV!
② Vacuum Cleaner
This was another thing I had always thought was absolutely essential.
But when my vacuum cleaner broke, I decided to see what would happen if I simply didn’t replace it.
And you know what? I was fine without it.
For everyday floor cleaning, I mainly use a flat floor mop.
Every morning when I get up, I quickly go over all the floors in the house.
This picks up the dust that has settled on the floor overnight.
Cleaning first thing in the morning means I can get rid of the dust before it gets kicked back into the air as people start moving around.
Every now and then, when I feel like it, I also give the floors a proper wipe with a damp, well-wrung cloth.
The best part is that I don’t have to worry about making noise, so I can clean whenever I want.
And there’s no vacuum cleaner to empty, which makes things so much easier.
I can also move straight from cleaning the floors to cleaning the entryway and toilet, so the whole process flows nicely.
It’s surprisingly simple and convenient.
③ Mats and Rugs
I got rid of all the mats in my home—the kitchen mat, entryway mat, bath mat, and toilet mat.
In the kitchen, if I notice anything on the floor, I simply wipe it up with a damp cloth right away.
I also clean the entryway and toilet floors every morning as part of my regular floor-cleaning routine.
After taking a bath or shower, I dry myself while I’m still in the bathroom, so there’s no need for a bath mat.
If water drips onto the floor, I simply wipe it up with the towel I just used.
Mats can be surprisingly inconvenient.
They’re often thick, and even after washing them, they can take a long time to dry.
And because they’re not something you can wash every day, dirt and grime can easily build up.
So I think it’s worth considering the radical option of simply getting rid of them.
It makes cleaning the floors much easier, too.
④ Humidifier
I used to use a humidifier during the winter to deal with the dry air.
But one day, I noticed that the windows were dripping wet with condensation, and I decided to stop using it.
I started thinking, “Wouldn’t this just make it easier for mold to grow?”
Instead, I began drying my laundry indoors during the winter.
Once the laundry is dry, the room starts to feel fairly dry again, but I decided to accept that as simply part of winter.
Sometimes I notice that my throat feels dry, but then, after a little while, it naturally feels better again.
And even after giving up the humidifier, I didn’t find myself getting sick any more often.
So I decided to trust the body’s natural ability to adjust to its environment and let the humidifier go.
And, of course, that also means one less appliance to clean and maintain!
⑤ Dish-Drying Rack
This was something I gradually gave up.
When we moved house, I first replaced our dish rack with a dish-drying mat.
I would put the freshly washed dishes on the mat, dry them with a cloth, and then hang the mat up to dry.
I thought, “This is nice! It takes up so much less space.”
Then I discovered a minimalist who didn’t even use a drying mat.
Wait… you just put the dishes directly on the counter?
I was a little surprised, but I decided to give it a try.
And it turned out to be perfectly fine.
After washing the dishes, I simply place them next to the sink, wipe them dry with a dishcloth, and put them away.
That’s it.
It really couldn’t be simpler!
⑥ Multiple Trash Cans
I used to have a trash can in every room.
But collecting them all and taking the garbage out on collection days was more of a hassle than I realized.
Now I have just one trash can—in the living room.
I use a trash can that holds a 45-liter garbage bag, and I keep extra bags underneath it.
When I’m cooking, I put vegetable scraps and other food waste into a plastic bag hanging next to the sink. At the end of the day, I put the bag in the freezer.
Then, on garbage-collection day, I simply throw it away along with the rest of the household garbage.
No trash-can cleaning required!
And since I no longer have several trash cans to move around, cleaning the floors has become much easier, too.
⑦ Toilet Brush and Sanitary Bin
I’ve never been a fan of toilet brushes.
Water can splash around when you use them, and somehow, I just didn’t like having one sitting in the bathroom all the time.
I’ve found that the toilet stays surprisingly clean if I simply give the underside of the lid and the toilet seat a quick wipe with toilet paper after using it.
I actually learned this trick from watching a minimalist’s video!
Every now and then, I give everything a more thorough wipe with a wet wipe, and that’s all I need to do.
I also got rid of the sanitary bin because it just got in the way when I was cleaning.
Instead, I simply wrap sanitary products in toilet paper and dispose of them as needed.
It hasn’t been a problem at all.
⑧ Food Storage Containers
I rarely make meals in advance, so I hardly ever use food storage containers.
Basically, I try to use up the ingredients I buy on the same day.
There’s also a concept in Ayurveda that freshly prepared food contains more “ojas,” or life energy, and that the ojas decreases as time passes after the food is cooked.
So I like to cook fresh ingredients while they’re still fresh and eat the food while it’s freshly made.
In the end, I’ve found that this way of eating can actually make life easier.
For things like hijiki seaweed that I prepare in advance, I use glass containers and make sure to eat them within two or three days.
⑨ Iron
I’ve never really enjoyed ironing.
So I try not to buy clothes that need ironing in the first place.
For the suit trousers my family wears, I hang them upside down from a clip hanger to help smooth out the wrinkles.
No ironing required!
⑩ Books I’ve Finished Reading
This was actually the hardest thing for me to let go of!
I kept thinking, “Maybe I’ll read it again someday…”
So I found it really difficult to part with books.
But one day, I finally decided to let some of them go.
And something unexpected happened.
As soon as I let them go, new information started flowing into my life.
I think that by letting go of my attachment to those books, I somehow became more open to receiving the things I truly needed at that point in my life.
I also realized something else.
I had let go of the books as physical objects, but I had already taken in everything I needed from them.
I may not remember every word or sentence, but somehow, what I had learned had become part of me and was quietly finding its way into my everyday life.
That made me realize that I could safely let go of books once I had finished reading them.
Of course, there are books that are simply too special to part with.
Those are worth keeping.
But for the rest, letting them go can be surprisingly liberating.
I think that by doing so, we can discover what truly matters to us.
In Conclusion
So, what did you think?
Was there anything on this list that made you think, “Maybe I could live without that, too”?
Everyone has their own idea of what makes life comfortable.
But the more I think about it, the more I feel that the way we relate to our possessions is closely connected to the way we choose to live.
I hope something in this article gives you a little inspiration!
Thank you so much for reading to the end. 😊