This giveaway is now closed. The winners are; Emily, Cindy, Mercedes, Brandi, and Deborah!
Knickknack – a small trivial article usually intended for ornament.
Photo courtesy of Orin Zebest.
I have noticed that once you get one type of knickknack, people think that you are a collector, then for every birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc… you receive more knickknacks to add to your collection. Before you know it, your shelves are overflowing with small or large decorative pieces. One day you will look around your home and think, “Do I really love Pez Dispensers this much?”
The problem is, sometimes the first knickknack was a gift and you didn’t necessarily love it. You end up with an entire house full of items you don’t really love, or that aren’t worth the hassle of dusting every week.
I have noticed one thing that makes a big difference in a home appearing clean is the absence of dust on shelves, furniture, pictures, and knickknacks. When I got married I had boxes full of knickknacks, a few of them I loved, but most of them I just kept because people had given them to me. It didn’t take me long to realize that I didn’t really want to dust these pieces on a regular basis. Over time I kept only the pieces that were truly special to me.
If you were to visit my house now, you would find very few items on my shelves and tables. I don’t like to dust so I don’t collect knickknacks. Because there are so few things to move and clean even my toddlers are able to help with the dusting. I like things simple, and for me simplifying means less visual clutter in my home.
When was the last time you went through and decluttered your shelves, tables, curio cabinets, dressers, side tables, and fireplace mantles? Go through your home and think about the things you collect. Do they bring you more joy than the stress of cleaning them? If the knickknacks are only a source of clutter and stress find them a new home.
To help you clean those shelves, Endust is giving away five coupons for a FREE Endust product. They have a new product, Endust Free Dusting and Cleaning spray, which reduces allergens on surfaces and in the air. This cleaning spray recently received the asthma & allergy friendly Certification Mark from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, making it the first fragrance-free, hypoallergenic dusting and cleaning product scientifically-proven to work.
To enter to win a coupon for a FREE Endust product leave me a comment and tell me what you collect. Giveaway ends Saturday, May 1, 2010.
Disclaimer: I do not dislike knickknacks, I dislike dusting them. I enjoy looking at other people’s collections. My mother-in-law has a collection of Santas that is one of my favorite things in her home.
jj says
i did collect angels. i have gotten rid of some, kept a few & passed some on to my daughter that are kept in a curio.
barb says
I collect Fiesta Dinnerware now. In the past but gone now I had collected tons of: Tiara dishes sandwich glass. I also used to collect records yes old albums I had about 6,000.
meghan says
I collect snowmen & once people found out…woo! I now have like 5 rubbermaid totes full to display at Christmas. Sigh.
Emily E says
I collect itty-bitty clocks!
I’m mostly anti-knickknacks because I hate clutter, but my husband refuses to get rid of anything that was given to us as a gift, so we have a lot of stuff like that. I think I am slowly getting him to see my point of view. 😀
Vanessa says
Dusting is my least favorite chore, so I don’t collect anything and keep knickknacks to a minimum.
Anna B says
I really don’t like dusting, so I’m with the rest of you!
I collect cookbooks. Even those need to be gone through every once in awhile, though, to remember what you have and get rid of ones you got but really don’t care for!
I think we buy folks things they collect because we think it’s a sure fire answer to “But what will they really like?” Plus, we don’t have to think too much! 🙂
pam says
i am so not a collector and normally do not enjoy knick knacks but recently i have fallen in love with willow tree figurines. i also love pictures of friends and family
Sarah Blomgren says
I collect crosses . . . that hang on the wall, so they aren’t too hard to dust.
Hannah says
Right now… I mainly collect dust!!
Alana says
Hmm, I collect candles… but at least most of those burn before I have to dust them! 🙂
Deseree says
I collect spoons. Any type, but especially antique ones. My husband collects DVDs, we have over 500. He dusts those, himself… haha
Amy P says
I love glassware and I have a whole curio full of it! I also have a really cute set of asian bobblehead dolls and a friend of mine just gave me another one for my birthday so I have 3 now! I guess I have a collection now!
Erin says
I collect dust. Typically under that dust is WillowTree Angels. 🙂
Andi says
I have a coca-cola kitchen and it’s full of coca cola knick knacks! Many have been given to me for Christmas, birthdays and etc. I’d like to clean some of it out, but it all has sentimental value.
Ariel says
I collect books – lots of them I read, but I’ll also get really old books just cause I love the way they look! Plus, with two little children running around, I’m not worried about them falling and breaking 🙂
Sarah @ The Domestic CEO says
The only thing that I come close to collecting is cookbooks. Recently I have decided I need to get rid of some of them though. My new favorite pasttime is to go to the bookstore and look at all the cookbooks. If I find one that I really want to try out, I request it from the library before I make the purchase.
Siri says
I collect cows. (little porcelain ones)
Meg G. says
I collect family pictures (in individual frames–I need to stop that), vintage Pyrex in my hutch, and scrapbooking stuff that, literally, litters my 3 tables downstairs.
Angela says
I collect the newer Fisher Price Little People sets…I started picking them up at yard sales when my oldest was little…they have overtaken our basement and none of my kiddos play with them anymore…it could be time to part with them 🙁
rebecca says
I collect turtles, but wish I didn’t have so many to dust as well.
Ashly Lowe says
LESS is MORE!!! I don’t collect anything!!! I don’t like dusting KnickKnacks.
It’s just to much clutter!!!
Doug says
I collect silhouettes. The dept 56 white kind.
Megan says
My husband and I collect books so every year we go thru and get rid of a bunch so that we don’t go into overload.
jinkies says
I collect milk glass. It used to be all kinds, but now I’ve decided to just keep to the original Fenton. It will help keep my collection to a minimum! I also collect books as does my husband. We probably have close to 1,000 books now…
Jessica @ This Blessed Life says
I collect apothecary jars, fake fruit, and glass jars with cork tops to store my seashells in. I’m very interested in this since I have a baby now!
Beth says
I collect picture frames. It is something that is useful, and fun to collect!
Elizabeth says
I collect Willow Tree Angels, and books!!
marney says
I collect anything with cats (including a few real ones).
Jennifer says
Thank goodness nothing, except dust bunnies! =-}
Amanda (The Coupon Clipping Nutritionist) says
I collect dresses! At one point, I counted over 80 of them! And I wear them all too!
Sue says
Children, is what we collect. No, seriously, I collect cookbooks.
Leslie H says
I collect bird figurines, I can’t help it they’re just too cute!
Melissa says
I collect books! Not on purpose but I read so fast that I am always piling up finished books! My fiance was very relieved when I told him I goodwill-ed 3 garbage bags full this week! And yes, they were VERY dusty!
Morgan says
I collect Willow Tree figurines, but I really don’t want to end up with a whole house full of them! We do enjoy buying a piece of pottery on our yearly vacation. Those pieces are really special to us.
Cindy says
OMG….my mom is the biggest culprit to supplying my household with (junk) knick knacky stuffs. If one of my kid when they were younger, showed her anything that could possibly turn into a collection…it sure did. My kids would ask me to make Grandma stop but Grandma couldn’t. My youngest son had a Coca-Cola bottle and next thing you knew, every gift for the next three years had to do with Coca-Cola, even down to a bowling ball undrilled sitting in a box today!
I mentioned I thought a collector plate of a Golden Retriever was cute because I had a Golden Retriever and next thing I knew, I have 13 more plates I haven’t even taken out of the box!! I could NOT get her to stop!!!!!
Lori says
Snowmen which only come out at Christmas time… and the biggest dust culprit here – photos. We have photos everywhere and ugghhhh I hate to dust them!
Merry Jo says
I used to collect Boyd’s Bears, but I’m actually looking for a way to get rid of them now. I agree ~ no fun to dust! 🙂
Melissa says
I collect baskets & Longaberger pottery. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one that doesn’t like to dust.
Lily says
I used to collect Dreamsicles; I call them fat little angels. Just love them, but hate dusting them and my house.
beki says
I unfortunately collect dust. 🙂 and a few roosters…but I won’t let that get out of hand.
Dawn says
This almost made my lemonade come out my nose when I read it…sooo true! I moved to North Carolina in 2000 and went to the outer banks for the first time. While I was there I bought a small replica of each lighthouse we visited. BIG mistake..ever since then people must think that I want to own a small replica of every light house in the WORLD! I honestly cant even tell you how many I own…but I had to have my hubby build me a shelf just for them!!! Boy, would I love some Endust…you cant imagine the dust those little trinkets collect!
Marisa says
I collect willow tree figurines and picture frames.
April in CT says
I used to collect teapots, but moving every few years being in the military cured me of that! Now I keep only what I absolutely love so there is less to dust. I’d really love to try this product!
Michelle says
I used to collect country primitive items. But after have our first child, I realized that I can’t have as much around because I’m always trying to keep her from scattering them around the house!
Tami says
I collect hippos. I thought that would be safe since you don’t see as many of those as say, cows or chickens! But I only like certain hippo collectibles so now I have to convince my darling mother-in-law that I’m too old for stuffed animals.
Vindiciti says
Apparently, I collect everything. I can’t tell exactly what, though, since it’s all in boxes. LOL! No, really, I collect crows. It’s a family thing. Yes, I love birds in general, so it works. Everything else though? It can pretty much go. If I can ever get it out of PCS cardboard, which I’m not sure I can since we’ve moved twice in two months and are due to PCS again this fall.
Julie says
I collect picture frames and tea sets. I agree…the collecting is fun, but the dusting is not!
Denise@TogetherWeSave says
We collect nothing… my daughter has a class project to bring in something she collects and we are having a hard time coming up with something.
Jessica says
cookbooks and my kid’s “artwork”.
Angela Maddox says
I collect magazines and books but I am getting better about not keeping them forever just because. 🙂
Valerie S says
I collect fairy figurines and my husband collects beer tap handles.
sarah says
I collect anything to do with firefighting particularly those christmas firehouses.
Kristen says
I collect books 🙂
janet says
seashells…and they are horrible to dust!
Erin says
I use to collect David Winter cottages. Now I wish I just had the money I used to buy them all 🙂 If anyone is interested in a great collection, give me a holla…lol.
Lisa R says
I collect nativity sets but only display them at Christmas time. The rest of the year I’m like alot of the other commenters, I only collect dust!
Erin says
I collect clear spaces, experiences, and (lately) kittens…we just got two new babies in our family last week, bringing our pet total to 13. Don’t need the coupon, just happy to discover another home carer who says NO to collectibles.
Sheila says
I don’t collect anything. On purpose, anyway. 🙂
Leslie says
I used to collect giraffe figurines, but now I collect candles mostly. I don’t buy ones that go with decor, colors, etc., but ones that I like the scent of when burned.
justine says
Technically, I guess you could say I collect letters. I have a stack of letters (the old-fashioned paper kind) that people sent me from YEARS ago. I don’t dust them, of course… they’re in a basket in the attic. Every time I go to throw them away, I stop and read several and decide I can’t quite bring myself to do it yet. Thankfully, I’m not currently adding to the stack – just pitch the little guys after reading them the first time.
Also, I don’t move knick-knacks to dust. Thus, not having many doesn’t really help the dusting process, it just makes the house look cleaner when I do dust 🙂
Beth says
Through high school and college, I collected angels and candles. I’ve abandoned those…The only “collection” I have now is Willowtree figurines. I only have a few- but they were given on special occasions from my husband. I also have a few candles lingering around, though I wouldn’t say this is a collection.
Vicky says
i have collected Troll dolls, Avon decanters, BOOKS, magazines, records, CDs, many things. But now, with the internet, i collect informatiion. It doesn’t even matter what its about–i or someone i know will need it one day!! (not that i will know where it is stored–i have 5 boxes of Disks, 5 notebooks full of CDs, and 2 harddrives full–so far! LOL). So i have decided i need to get organized–so now i am collecting e-mails and articles on organization.
🙂
candi says
I have way too many cake pans, thats really the only thing I collect. I lovethe old wilton ones:)
Joy Taylor says
I collect Coke glasses etc.
Whitney says
I’m not sure I collect anything really. Maybe quilting supplies, but technically that doesn’t sit around where I have to dust! Thanks!
heather says
I am also against clutter and dusting all of the little knick knacks (figured that out early when I was little and had to dust all of my grandma’s). I would have to say that I collect books, even though I go through those pretty regularly and get rid of some.
Lisa says
Can’t say I collect anything, I prefer having less things to clean around. I do love snowglobes though! 🙂
Nikki says
I collect books – love a good library!
Tonya says
I have a small collection of music boxes, angels (from piano students) and lace handkerchiefs. I love the hankies the best since they fold up flat and can also be used. I also give them away as gifts during significant seasons of someone’s life–a death, moving away….
Diana says
I don’t really like to collect things, I don’t like having things around.
Katie says
I collect books, especially cookbooks and picture books.
Brandette Winblad says
I am kinda like you, I don’t necessarily collect a certain thing. I just have a few pieces that mean so much to me. I like to keep our house fresh and clutter free, so I don’t have shelves (other than my office book shelves) and very little sits on our coffee table.
Julie says
I started collecting Christmas books for the kids…
Mercedes says
I collect pictures of my loved one, that i hope to one day scrapbook!
Kathy T says
Most of my married life I was given Precious Moments figurines. I do like them but through the years there wasn’t space and many got broken. I still have a nice little collection but thankfully they are not overwhelming – still need to be dusted though 🙂
Dawn says
I collect snowmen.
Southern Gal says
Dust. Dust bunnies. So I can collect memories.
Seriously, I collect books. Don’t all homeschoolers?
Tina Hunter says
I collect cookbooks.
Brandi Jones says
I have a collection of books, that I have enjoyed reading.
Andrea Watts says
I collect sunflowers.
Carmen at Old House Kitchen says
Hubby buys me Willow Creek angels and moms with children. Those angel wings are a pain to dust!
Shawnna says
I have recieved 6 Willow Tree statues as gifts. I guess that qualifies as a “collection”.
Caryn says
I collect music boxes -very good at collecting dust and very hard to keep clean! They are currently in boxes since I have nowhere to display them.
Julie Cutshaw says
i collect black bear items for my lodge theme decor thanks
sewitupjulie at gmail dot com
Sherry A. Gilland says
i like collecting deers now it use to be angels, we have a fireplece that we never use so my deers go in and around it
sherrya1210 at yahoo dot com
Lana says
I collect dinnerware. Right now I am collecting Pfaltgraff Filigree. It is a challenge and fun looking for the peices as I only buy them from yardsales and thrift stores.
kristy says
I also keep collecting to a minimum because of the dust factor. I enjoy admiring collections of family and friends.
Rebecca says
I used to collect cow things….don’t have the time and money to do that much but my kitchen is pretty with the cow things I do have. I don’t collect anything else anymore….just what my kids give me in the way of art or the pottery classes my middle daughter takes through our homeschool group.
Dedra says
We collect things from my husbands mission trips. He goes on at least one a year and usually to a different location each time. He always brings back some small item and we have them displayed on several shelves. I too hate dusting, but do love to see all the unique things he has brought home over the years.
Cinnamon says
I collect coupons. I try to use them so that they don’t collect dust!
Mdc says
I collect cookbooks. All types of cook books !! I especially enjoy reading and learning from the TONS of kid friendly books. Kids ~ gotta love em 🙂
Diana says
I collected socks for a long time. You know, the cute kind with animals, or jingle bells, or fuzzy yarn, or other funky stuff? I’m pretty much over that stage now, and am trying not to start any new collections that will turn into clutter, but what to do with baskets full of used, don’t-really-want-to-wear-anymore socks! I would love to try this endust product since my husband has very bad allergies and I’m always trying to find new ways to keep dust and pollen out of our home 🙂
TESS says
I collect small clocks & pitcher& bowl sets I would love to try the endust.
Christina says
I don’t collect a lot. Mostly, I help my kids grow their lego and matchbox car collections. I have many knick nacks that were given to me. Like you, I display a few and store the rest. I hope to sell them on ebay someday and make a fortune. 😉
Linda B says
I have enough books that I guess you could say I “collect” them!
CarolH says
My aunt collected glass paper weights and my sister and I split her collection when she passed away. I do like them but don’t like dusting them.
Sheila Gregoire says
Books & pictures are my weaknesses.
I recently redid my living room and threw out a ton of knick knacks. And candlesticks that didn’t look very good. It was very freeing!
For me, it’s the dust issue, too. I just don’t like dust, and knickknacks really do collect dust. But I had a problem throwing stuff out, too, because much of it my mother-in-law gave me. A lot was passed on from my husband’s childhood, but I think she cared about it more than he did. A ton of baseball trophies from Little League, where he basically sat on the bench all season. Do you know how hard baseball trophies are to dust? Finally I threw them all out.
In fact, I searched through all my knickknacks and found key ones that friends and relatives gave me, and I kept one from each person. I placed them smack on the middle of my mantle, so they can see it everytime they come in the house. And I threw everything else out. So now they know I value what they gave me, and they don’t wonder where the rest of the stuff has gone!
Sheila from To Love, Honor and Vacuum
Jennifer Lyons says
I used to collect elephant figurines….I have a ton of them in boxes now because I have a small child and nowhere to display them…..I really like them all though, so I am holding on to them until he is older and I can get one of those display cabinets 🙂
Bree says
I can’t say that I have a collection of anything. I like decorations but not into collecting things for display. I have a hard time deciding what to put on my shelves just because I dont know what it is that I want to look at everyday! I guess the closest thing to a collection is my Polish Pottery dishes, but I use them all as my everyday cook and dinnerware.
Kimberly says
I need to de-clutter but I feel guilty giving away things I’ve been given.
Deborah says
I have too many collections. I collect tea pots and tea cups. Baskets and photo frames that all have family photos in them on one hall wall.
I also love candles and our 780 Sq. ft. house is full of little things here and there all over. But it’s a kind of decorating that you see in country stores and little tea rooms and I love it!!
I don’t have children, although I work full time so I probably should dust more. But for me it’s not really a chore. I just take one day about every two weeks and dust the whole house and then vacume all the dust that falls to the floor.
If I had kids, a ton of stuff would have to go since they would just break it all.
I must admit though that people comment all the time about how nice and inviting our house is. I like to stage things and make them look homey. I guess I’m the exception to the rule on here.
I love my stuff. It’s all gifts, and yard sale stuff though noting fancy or expensive.
Jackie says
I collect Dept 56 Dicken’s Village Houses. They’re fun to put up when the snow flys but when it’s time to DUST and store them during the summer…..not so fun..
Melissa says
I do not like to dust. In fact, I think I would rather clean toilets! 🙂 My youngest son is allergic to dust and has asthma, so it’s a perfect excuse for me not to stir up dust.:) I would love to try this product.
As for things I collect, I collect salt cellars. These are small vessels with tiny spoons that predate salt shakers. At a meal, everyone had his own cellar by his place setting. Most of the ones I collect are shaped like swans. My favorite is a sterling silver swan from Russia with a matching spoon with a swan on the handle of the spoon.
Mari says
I collect Willow Tree figurines. They are very special to me!
amybee says
I collect dachshund knick knacks.
DeAna says
I collect nativity sets and Santa Claus figurines that only come out at Christmas. But I’m very, VERY particular about what kind I like. My mother-in-law did not know just how particular I was and bought me a rather large nativity set, one that I would never have picked out for myself and I didn’t like it at all. It even made me cry. I have since then dropped as many hints as I could about my collections, how picky I am, and that I don’t want to have too many because they’ll end up looking cluttered. My husband even made sure to let everyone know to not bother “indulging” in my collections because they might be in for a disappointment if I don’t like it. Since then — thankfully — everyone has backed off.
Leatrice says
I don’t need to collect anything because our 4th son does it for me. He loves chess and has countless chess sets from all over the world with lots of little pieces proudly displayed on every shelf in his room in addition to his penguin and Lego collections – with still more little pieces. Needless to say, when it comes to dusting his room, it is an all day affair and I gladly assign the job to him 🙂
Emily M. says
I used to collect Star Trek memorabilia. But I now have 2 boxes that have been untouched for 10 years. I decided I’m not so much of a Star Trek collector anymore. Still a fan, just not a collector. I’m even ready to sell it all off. 😉
Sidero says
I collected Precious Moments when I was a kid but definitely have outgrown them. Unfortunately, I don’t have the heart to get rid of them and when people see my collection they keep buying me more!
JCsMom says
I collect ceramic teapots!
Rachel Davis says
I collect things that have dolphins on them and books. I used to collect shot glasses but sold that collection last year because I was tired of having to dust them.
Katey Larson says
Knicknacks are a tough thing for me. I have some that I love and some to just fill a space that seemed empty. My sister and I are having a garage sale soon to hopefully clean out the knicknacks and other furniture you just take when your newly married and have nothing else. 🙂
Kimberly says
The only thing I’ve ever collected is stickers when I was a child. I’m not a fan of collections, probably because I’m a cheapo :).
Kasey says
Endust is a great product. That is what I use, since it doesn’t have a funky smell that bothers me.
As for collecting, I don’t collect much of anything. The money and the space wasn’t worth it. Anything I have, mostly from when I was little is packed up and in the basement. Now I decorate with picture frames and pictures of my kiddos and horses.
Jennifer J says
Plants! I love my plant collection!
Amy says
I collect porcelain dolls–talk about a pain to dust!! And, I have a bear collection that started with a gift and grew because others thought I liked them…
Lynne says
I collect Shelley Maytime China!
Elizabeth says
You would hate my home as we collect lots of things. My collection is cookie jars!
Lauren says
I collect my daughters clothes. I don’t care what anyone says about keep clothes your kids have grown out of I love them and I’m praying I have another little girl some day to wear them again.
Laura says
I like teapots and teacups – especially in lavender and purple.
I tried to place a comment yesterday and it just set there – so hopefully I am not commenting twice. I will try again right now.
Lynda@meandmypinkmixer says
I collect cookie cutters and cookbooks. I could sit and look at the cookbooks forever!
Sheree says
cookbooks and thimbels
La Yen says
Christmas Santas are our big ones. And I am running out of space…
stacy says
I collect Jim Shore knicknacks…angels are also a favorite.
Kristina says
I am the same way. When we moved to our current home, I didn’t even unpack everything. We stored our coffee table when our daughter realized that there were drawers in it and that she could open them by pulling on those little knobby things… as grammy showed her one evening. (I thanked her for that.) Once that happened Katie’s fingers started getting pinched, odd objects would find their way into drawers, and most importantly, we lost our hiding place for remotes and other electronic stuff. So away it went. (The table, not the kid.) It’s so much faster to clean and I don’t dread it anymore! Same goes for the bathroom; everything is in drawers and it’s easy to do a quick wipe down. Plus, when Katie “cleans” the counter with her toothpaste, I don’t worry about anything getting soggy.
NO REASON NEEDED says
As a cookbook collector, I thought I’d invite you to participate in the cookbook giveaway being hosted at my blog.
Have fun with it,
Carol