When decluttering, don't toss valuable heirlooms, important documents, sentimental photos, usable electronics (check for data!), quality media (like favorite movies), dust bags for nice items, or useful gift bags; instead, focus on removing excess clutter first and save sentimental items for later to avoid getting overwhelmed, but always properly dispose of hazardous materials like batteries and chemicals.
Don't be too quick to toss items with deep personal significance, such as family heirlooms or cherished photographs. Even in a digital age, certain physical documents remain crucial. Minimalists advise keeping important records like birth certificates and tax documents.
The 5-5-5 Rule for decluttering, popularized by Steph of The Secret Slob and Apartment Therapy, is a quick, low-pressure method that involves setting a 25-minute timer, picking five different zones in your home, and spending just five minutes tidying or decluttering each zone before moving to the next, making it ideal for tackling daily messes without feeling overwhelmed.
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!
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.
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 Most Effective First Room: The Kitchen
Among all the choices, the kitchen is one of the best rooms to declutter first.
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Adding too much furniture
Filling a room with furniture is inconsistent with the concept of minimalism. Furniture pieces — such as couches, tables, and chairs — tend to be bulky and take up a lot of visual space. With minimalism in mind, select furniture that will serve more than one purpose in a room.
Starting too late, not establishing clear goals and trying to do things all at once are some of the biggest mistakes you should avoid when decluttering before moving. Instead, you should do things early (at least eight weeks in advance), create and stick to a to-do list and declutter one room at a time.
The "333 rule" in clothing refers to two popular minimalist fashion challenges: the viral TikTok trend of creating outfits with 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 shoes (9 items total) for many combinations, and Project 333 by Courtney Carver, which challenges you to wear just 33 items (including clothes, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, but excluding underwear, sleepwear, and workout gear) for three months to reduce decision fatigue and declutter. Both methods encourage mindful consumption and creating versatile capsule wardrobes from existing items.
You see, all those baggy trousers and stained shirts in landfills don't just lie there forever. They decompose. As they do, they release landfill gas, a toxic brew of air pollutants that includes the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane.
There's no single "right" number of t-shirts a woman should own, as it depends on lifestyle, laundry habits, and personal style, but a common recommendation for daily wear is 10 to 15 versatile t-shirts, supplemented with options for workouts, lounging, and special occasions. For a minimalist, 5-7 might suffice, while others prefer many for variety, focusing on having enough for a couple of weeks and different activities like sleeping, exercising, or going out.
The 5 Most Common Clutter Personalities
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.
The 333 method philosophy revolves around one simple rule: you choose 33 items to wear for 3 months. This includes clothing, accessories, outerwear and shoes, but excludes essentials like underwear, sleepwear or workout gear.
How to Declutter Fast: 6 Simple Tips and Tricks
“Cluttering is another behavior typical in folks with ADHD. Leaving items out as visual cues is a common way of compensating for an unreliable memory or inadequate time-management system, but to the untrained eye it can resemble hoarding,” she says.