Let’s be direct about money because transparency matters. Clear Home Clear Mind is run by five regular people – Carol’s retired, Lawrence works in tech, Theresa’s a dental hygienist and single mom, Nicholas works for a nonprofit, Frank’s recently retired. None of us make our living from this website. We do it because we all went through decluttering journeys and wanted to share honest experiences with others drowning in stuff.
But websites cost money. Hosting fees, domain registration, technical stuff adds up. To help cover these costs without making this a business that requires actual income, we use affiliate links and show some ads.
Here’s how it works: if you click a link on our site and buy something, we might earn a small commission. You pay the same price either way – the commission comes from the retailer, not from you. We’re talking small amounts that help offset expenses, not income that changes anyone’s life.
We participate in or may use these affiliate programs:
- Affiliate Window (Awin)
- FlexOffers
- Commission Junction (CJ)
- ShareASale
- Webgains
We also use Google AdSense for ads. If you use an ad blocker, that’s fine – most of us do too sometimes.
What matters is we only link to things we actually have experience with or genuinely think are useful for decluttering and minimalist living. We’re not writing articles because certain products pay better commissions. We’re not getting paid for positive reviews. We’re not compromising honest experiences for affiliate revenue.
When we link to something, there’s a real reason. Maybe Carol used that storage solution during her decluttering. Maybe Lawrence sold his stuff on that platform. Maybe Theresa found that organizing system helpful with kids. Maybe Nicholas discovered it aligned with sustainable living. Maybe Frank used that estate sale service. The point is, links are based on actual experience, not commission rates.
Our rule: if we wouldn’t recommend it to a friend dealing with too much stuff, we don’t link to it here. We’re not trying to maximize affiliate earnings by pushing products. We’re sharing honest experiences about living with less, and sometimes that includes pointing toward things that actually helped us.
This isn’t a shopping site pretending to be content. The goal is sharing real decluttering experiences from people at different life stages. If that occasionally involves affiliate links to help cover basic costs, that seems reasonable without compromising our ability to be honest about what works and what doesn’t.
If you’d rather not use affiliate links, search for products directly. We’re not going to guilt anyone – we appreciate you reading honest perspectives from regular people dealing with clutter instead of aspirational minimalism content.
You can ask about specific links. If we’ve mentioned something and you want to know more about our actual experience with it, why we recommended it, whether we earn commission, or what alternatives might work, just ask. We’re happy to explain the reasoning.
Running a website costs money. Sharing decluttering experiences takes time. We’re using affiliate marketing to offset costs without making this something that requires generating significant revenue or compromising our ability to honestly say when something doesn’t work or isn’t worth the money.
Bottom line: we use affiliate links to help cover website expenses. We only link to things we actually know about from our decluttering journeys. We’re not here to sell you organizing systems you don’t need. If you do use our links, we appreciate it – those small amounts help keep the site running so we can keep sharing honest experiences from regular people living with less.