Japan is responsible for some of the top decluttering tricks, like the Osoji cleaning ritual that refers to a ‘big clean up’. And as someone who loves to constantly look for tips and tricks on tidying up my home, I came across a principle that was totally new to me, but incredibly intriguing.
Danshari is less of a cleaning hack and more of a cleaning philosophy. It asks you to open your mind to decluttering beyond just tidying up. It has a literal translation, when broken down, that makes it easier to understand.
Dan means refusing to acquire unnecessary things, shi means disposing of things you don’t actually need and ri means to separate your emotional desire to want things and keep things.
It’s a total shift in mentality that should help you declutter with a clearer mind, meaning you won’t only rid yourself of clutter, but you’ll keep it that way. And when I asked the experts what they thought, I was enlightened by their answers.
Stop the clutter before it starts
As mentioned, Danshari asks you to declutter by splitting the work into three main principles; to refuse, to dispose, and to separate. So, it’s not just about reducing the existing clutter that you have, although that’s a great positive of it, but it’s about preventing future clutter from entering your home.
“The Japanese approach to decluttering, known as Danshari, is more than merely tidying up, it is in fact recasting how you think of your possessions,” says Scott Schrader, cleaning expert at CottageCore.
“What the concept accomplishes, more effectively and powerfully than other decluttering philosophies, is that it is based in mindfulness, rather than aesthetics; you are not just tackling the mess in your home – you are clearing mental space.”
Ultimately, it paints decluttering in a completely different light than just a clearing out job that’s over once you’ve tided up.
By readjusting your mindset around how you look at clutter and how you can actively prevent clutter from returning, Danshari helps you for the long-term.
How to do it
Watch On
Saying you can adjust your mentality with Danshari is one thing, but actually putting it into practice will take a bit more effort. Thankfully, you simply need to follow the three steps of the philosophy; refuse the clutter, dispose of the clutter, and separate your mindset.
Schrader builds on this by explaining: “For anyone who feels they have too much stuff, Danshari can provide that reset button – use it to take a step back, and start again.
“Take small steps: one drawer, one shelf, at a time; one emotional or material attachment at a time. Those moments of calm and clarity that follows, is not just visual; it may create a greater psychological impact as well.”
So, start small, like practicing the ‘1% rule’ or practice ‘slow decluttering’ and really take your time, because shifting your mindset isn’t an easy thing.
Isabella Flores, a cleaning expert at Sparkly Maid San Diego, says: “This style is a great alternative for folks looking for sustainable change rather than a quick fix… In my experience, helping clients adopt these principles, I’ve seen lasting transformations in home organization and wellbeing.”
And, from my own personal experience with Danshari, I can say that after putting small parts of the philosophy into practice in my life, it has begun to transform my home entirely.
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