The 1-3-5 decluttering method is a, productivity-based, structured approach designed to reduce overwhelm by breaking down cleaning into manageable daily goals: 1 Big Task (e.g., clearing a closet), 3 Medium Tasks (e.g., sorting, organizing, discarding), and 5 Small Tasks (e.g., tossing trash, donating). It allows for consistent, incremental progress rather than trying to overhaul an entire space at once.
The idea is straightforward: each day, focus on completing one big task, three medium tasks, and five small tasks. By narrowing your focus, this rule helps you prioritise what truly matters, without feeling overwhelmed by an endless to-do list.
Shared by Holly Blakey of the @breathing.room.home, the 1% rule involves doing just one small thing to make your home better. The habit definitely leads to a more tidy home, but, more importantly, it also creates a more peaceful emotional state.
Developed by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists, the 90/90 rule is simple: If you haven't used or loved an item in the past 90 days, and don't see yourself needing it in the next 90 days, it's time to let it go.
The 12-12-12 decluttering method is a simple, game-like strategy to tackle clutter by finding 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to return to their proper home (36 items total), creating momentum and making organizing less overwhelming, and can be adapted with different numbers like 5-5-5 or 20-20-20. Created by Josh Becker of Becoming Minimalist, it turns decluttering into an achievable challenge for any room, helping you make quick progress without getting stuck.
The rule, coined by David Allen, productivity guru and author of Getting Things Done, basically says that anything that can be done in 2 minutes or less should be done right then and there. This has countless applications to housework — especially to decluttering.
Be clear about the sentimental items that should have a place in your home. You only have so much space to store them all. "Family photos, heirlooms, and keepsakes are often decluttered because they feel like clutter, when the real challenge is deciding how to honor the memory," says Hines.
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"The fork decluttering method is a streamlined approach that categorises items into four distinct groups: Functional, Optional, Replaceable, and Keep- worthy," says Caroline Caron Dhaouadi, founder of Homefulness.
The Most Effective First Room: The Kitchen
Among all the choices, the kitchen is one of the best rooms to declutter first.
With OHIO, you can use a method that makes it easier to tackle existing piles or handle incoming papers. The idea: You commit to handling each item only once. As you open a letter or pick up a document from your pile, you make an immediate decision: file it, act on it, delegate it, or discard it.
Most people probably think the hardest thing to declutter is sentimental clutter. While it's true that presents its own challenges, I actually think the hardest thing to declutter is aspirational clutter. This type of clutter is tied to your actual identity!
The 50% rule for clutter is a straightforward decluttering method that challenges you to reduce the number of items in any space (drawer, closet, room) by half, aiming to keep spaces only 50% full for easier management, better organization, and a less overwhelming environment, often by removing duplicates, unused items, or things you no longer love, creating breathing room and simplifying decision-making.
27 fling boogie: This is another clever tool to help you declutter. Walk through your home with a garbage bag and collect 27 items. Do not stop until you have 27. Then close the garbage bag and throw it away.
The 5 Most Common Clutter Personalities
The '1% rule' is definitely about shifting your mindset to teach yourself that by making simple improvements and avoiding burning out or getting bored by tackling everything in one go (or not tackling it at all), it's the consistency that is key. If I found something in a room that needed to be put away, I did it.
Try a few days of decluttering 10 items a day from just your closet and see where that gets you. If the clutter is more of an all-over issue, you can challenge yourself to declutter 10 items a day from around your home for a full week, 10 days, or even a month if you're up for it.
Getting rid of clothes that "have holes, stains, or are simply past their prime" will help you "free up valuable closet space," explains Leah. Damaged items are no longer useful, explains Phillip. Instead, it's more useful to recycle these unwearable items and have more room to store items you actually wear.
The 20/20 decluttering rule, popularized by The Minimalists, helps you decide on "just in case" items: if you can replace an item for less than $20 and in under 20 minutes, you can safely let it go, freeing up space and reducing clutter without much regret. It's designed for small, everyday items like extra kitchen gadgets, old cables, or unused samples, not sentimental or high-value possessions, making it easier to start decluttering by tackling lower-stakes items first.
3 heartfelt ways to let go of sentimental items