Cleaning only with water and baking soda. One towel instead of two for showering. Storing clothes on the floor. Further liberation from possessions. The most beautiful massage of my life.

November 8, 2024.

Hi! I woke up around 7 AM and fell asleep around midnight last night.

Gloves, which are mainly intended for older days, I store directly in the rain jacket. One glove in one side pocket and the other glove in the other side pocket.

The long merino underwear and the hat, I store directly in the backpack.

I am also freeing myself from the basket where I store the clothes. The clothes are now stored directly, like I lived in the shared apartment, on the floor.

After considering the microbiome on the body, the knowledge about microorganisms in the household, and maintaining a positive attitude toward these microorganisms, I have made a decision I’ve never made in my life before: Cleaning, only with water (and baking soda).

This makes the citric acid and its corresponding glass container unnecessary. Also, the spray bottle, where I had diluted citric acid with water for cleaning around the house, is no longer needed. Now, I just dampen the cleaning cloth and clean directly with it.

Baking soda stays for stubborn stains or as an odor neutralizer. I’ve moved the baking soda into a fabric bag to get rid of the heavy glass container with the bamboo lid. This way, I can transport it more easily, and the fabric bag can't break like a glass container.

A kind man picked up the two glass containers for baking soda and citric acid, and we had a conversation about minimalism. He said he had never encountered such extreme minimalism. I explained to him why I do this – who knows, maybe I inspired him a little?

He can't imagine living in an empty room. I can totally relate to that. An empty room creates a lot of pain. We are then forced to focus on ourselves instead of the things around us. There’s no opportunity to identify with external objects. I feel the same way—though I’ve gotten a bit used to it by now. I have nothing against beautiful decorations, nice cups, houseplants, lighting, and so on. I just don’t want to own all of that. I don’t want the responsibility of taking care of it. I’d rather go to a café than own one at home. I’d rather be in nature than own all the plants at home. I’d rather sleep in a 5-star hotel than own a 5-star hotel with a luxurious bed, wardrobes, and all that stuff at home. I’d rather go to the hardware store and rent a drill than own one myself. I rent an apartment or a house instead of owning one. I rent a sports car instead of owning one. Borrowing / renting instead of owning is the motto.

Since I shower infrequently, I don’t need two towels. Those are necessary if I were to shower daily, but that's not the case for me. When I do shower, the towel will be dry by the time I wash it for the next shower.

I am grateful today for:

• That I received the best massage of my life so far.
• That I was able to free myself from more possessions.
• That I spent a lovely evening with Julia.

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