Okay, so. I need to talk about the clean girl aesthetic. You know the one. The Pinterest boards with the white beds and the matching sets and everything looking like a boutique hotel. I saw it and honestly? I felt overwhelmed. Like, that’s not my life. My life is more “toy strewn across the living room” and “coffee mug rings on the end table.”
But here’s the thing. I wanted that vibe. That calm, intentional, put-together feeling. And I didn’t want to spend $2,000 doing it. So I got curious. Real curious. I started scrolling, taking notes, and um, okay, I made some mistakes. But I also figured out how to get 90% of that look for way less than you think.
First, let’s talk about what the clean girl aesthetic actually is. It’s not about being spotless. That’s the misconception. It’s about intentionality. It’s about choosing a few key pieces that make your space feel curated. It’s neutral tones, natural materials, and everything having its place. But here’s where I diverge from the influencers: you don’t need to throw out all your stuff. You just need to edit it.
I learned this the hard way last year. I bought a $40 woven basket. It was cute. It was aesthetic. And it sat in my living room for three months because I had nowhere to put it. Lesson learned: function first, vibe second. Always.
So let’s start with the foundation. The clean girl aesthetic lives and dies by your storage solutions. And I don’t mean those $80 acrylic bins from The Container Store. I mean the stuff you can get at Target. Or Walmart. Or honestly, your local dollar store if you’re savvy.
I found these woven-looking bins at Target. They were $5 each. Five dollars! They look like the $30 versions everyone else is buying. The trick is color. Stick to beige, cream, white, or light gray. That’s it. I have three of them in my living room now. One holds blankets, one holds my kid’s books (the ones we actually read), and one holds random stuff that needs a home. It looks intentional. It feels calm. And it cost me $15.
Now, about those cleaning products. Because the clean girl aesthetic isn’t just about how things look. It’s about how they feel. You want your space to smell good. To feel fresh. But you don’t need the $60 room spray from Goop. Seriously.
I wrote about this in my post on cheap vs expensive cleaners. The verdict? Dollar store white vinegar and a microfiber cloth will get you 80% there. The other 20%? That’s where you splurge on one nice thing. Maybe a fancy hand soap. Maybe a scented candle that doesn’t smell like a Yankee Candle factory.
Speaking of candles. Let’s talk about lighting. Because the clean girl aesthetic is all about that soft, natural light. But you can’t control the sun, right? So you control what you can. I got these clip-on LED lights from Amazon. They were like $12. I clipped them to the back of my bookshelf. Now when I turn them on at night, it looks like a cozy library. Not a dusty corner where I stack bills.
They’re Govee lights. You can control them with your phone. I have them on a warm white setting. It makes everything look softer. More expensive. More “I have my life together.”
But here’s where I need to take a stance. Because everyone says you need to declutter first. And yeah, okay, that’s important. But I think the order matters. I tried decluttering my whole house before buying anything new. I lasted three days. It was too overwhelming. Too vague.
What worked? I focused on one corner. Just one. My little reading nook by the window. I cleared off the side table. I put everything in a box. Then I went shopping with a specific list. Not a Pinterest board. A list. Three items: a small lamp, a storage basket, and a plant.
I found a lamp at IKEA for $9.99. It’s simple. White. No bells and whistles. Perfect. The basket I mentioned earlier. And the plant? I killed my last three plants. So I got a snake plant. They’re indestructible. This one was $12 at Home Depot. It came in a plastic pot, which I left in the basket. Looks intentional. Zero effort.
That’s the thing about the clean girl aesthetic. It’s not about perfection. It’s about editing. It’s about choosing one thing and making it count.
Let me tell you about my kitchen. This is where I really went off script. I saw these matching oil dispensers and salt cellars. They were $25 each. Um, no. Instead, I took my existing olive oil bottle and put it in a simple glass pitcher I already owned. I decanted my vinegar into a matching one. On my counter, they look like a set. They cost me $0. The aesthetic? Achieved.
The same trick works for spices. I had these random spice jars. Some plastic, some glass, all different sizes. I bought a set of uniform glass jars from Amazon. They were $15 for 12. I spent a Saturday afternoon transferring everything. My spice rack now looks like it belongs in a magazine. It took me two hours. But every time I walk by it, I feel that little spark of pride. That “I did that” feeling.
Now, let’s talk about textiles. Because the clean girl aesthetic is big on cozy throws and nice towels. But you don’t need to buy new ones. You just need to organize what you have. I took all my blankets and folded them the same way. I stacked them in that $5 basket. They look like they match. Even though one is from Target, one’s a hand-me-down, and one I bought at a thrift store.
For towels, I bought a set of six white ones at Walmart. They were $12 for the pack. I folded them in thirds and stood them upright in a simple cabinet. When you open the door, it looks like a spa. Not a cluttered bathroom.
The trick is consistency. Everything the same color. Everything folded the same way. That’s 70% of the aesthetic right there.
But here’s what nobody talks about. The clean girl aesthetic requires maintenance. And I don’t mean deep cleaning. I mean the little things. The 15-minute reset that I wrote about in my evening routine post. That habit? It’s what makes the aesthetic sustainable.
Because if you spend $100 making your space look cute and then let it devolve into chaos, what’s the point? The aesthetic is about the feeling. The feeling of calm. Of control. And that only lasts if you maintain it.
So my advice? Start small. Pick one area. Maybe your nightstand. Maybe your entryway. Spend $20. Get one basket, one nice candle, maybe a small plant. Arrange it. Live with it for a week. See how it feels.
Then expand. But only if you need to. Not because Pinterest says so.
I also want to mention something that’s not very aesthetic but is very real. The clean girl aesthetic can feel… exclusionary. Like if you have kids, or pets, or just live in the real world, you can’t have it. That’s not true. My house has kid art on the fridge. My dog hair is everywhere. But my reading nook? It’s calm. It’s curated. It’s mine.
That’s the stance I want to take. You don’t have to do the whole house. You don’t have to have a perfect life. You just need one corner that feels like you. That’s the whole point.
Now, about those Amazon products I mentioned. Let me give you the real rundown. The Govee lights are legit. I’ve had them for eight months. No issues. The snake plant? Obviously can’t go wrong there. The glass spice jars are thin but functional. I knocked one over. It didn’t shatter. The IKEA lamp? Still going strong.
What I don’t recommend? Those fancy cleaning sprays that are just vinegar and water in a cute bottle. Make your own. It’s literally the same thing. I mix one part vinegar to one part water, add a splash of lemon juice, and pour it into a spray bottle I got for free at a conference. Works great.
The other thing I want to mention is the vertical space. The clean girl aesthetic loves open shelving. But open shelving shows everything. So you need to edit what you put on it. I installed some simple brackets from Home Depot. They were $3 each. I put up a small shelf above my desk. On it? Three books with matching spines, a small plant, and a candle. That’s it. It looks curated because it is.
If you don’t want to install shelves, think about your bookcases. I took all the random books off my shelf and arranged them by color. Just the spines. It looks like a library. It took me an hour. I didn’t even need to buy new books. I just needed to arrange them differently.
Oh, and baskets. We talked about baskets. But let me be specific. The ones I got are these woven-looking storage cubes. They’re 13 inches square. They fit perfectly on my shelf. The brand is “mDesign.” I got them on Amazon. They’re $15 for two. They hold so much. And they make everything look like it belongs.
The final piece of advice? Don’t buy into the “all white” trend if it’s not practical for you. I have a white rug in my living room. It was $20 at IKEA. It’s not clean girl aesthetic anymore because it’s gray now. From the kids. From the dog. From life. And I’m okay with that. Because the aesthetic is about the feeling, not the perfection.
If you want white, get white that can be hidden. White towels in a closed cabinet. White sheets on your bed. White dishes in your dishwasher. Save the white for the things you can control.
So. Your action plan. This weekend, pick one spot. Spend $20. Get a basket, a plant, maybe some lights. Arrange it. Take a picture. See how it feels. Then decide if you want to keep going.
That’s it. That’s the whole strategy. No $2,000 budget. No perfect life required. Just a little intention and a willingness to edit.
And if you need more budget-friendly organization ideas, I wrote about organizing your home without expensive bins. The same principles apply. Function first. Aesthetic second. Always.
One more thing. The clean girl aesthetic is really about your mindset. It’s about looking at your space and seeing potential instead of chaos. It’s about choosing one thing to control when everything else feels out of control. That’s the real value. The rest is just stuff.
Okay. I’m going to go reset my reading nook. It’s gotten a little messy this week. The basket is overflowing. The lamp needs dusting. The plant… well, the plant is fine. As always.
That’s the life. Imperfect, but intentional. And that’s good enough.
