A simple place to start is with your least-worn clothes, as that's where the majority of decluttering will happen. 'Start with pulling out anything that hasn't been worn for the last 6-12 months. Ask yourself why and then decide if you want to keep it or donate it. Ask questions like does it fit?
Start with the first big step in this process: Take every single thing in the room and move it out. Make sure to arrange like items together. This will make it easier to sort them later.
When applied to our homes, the 80/20 rule suggests that we roughly use 20% of what we own around 80% of the time. The remaining amount serves little purpose, taking up space and mostly just gathering dust. Think about it - how many of the utensils in your kitchen crock do you use daily? Probably very few!
Quite simply, the six-month rule for decluttering suggests that if you haven't used an item in the past six months, you can let go of it. For some very seasonal items, it might not apply, but it's a useful way to frame decluttering and help you to clear out things you rarely use.
The researchers found that a “sufficient” wardrobe consists of 74 garments and 20 outfits in total. As an example, they've suggested six outfits for work, three outfits for home wear, three outfits for sports, two outfits for festive occasions, plus four outdoor jackets and trousers or skirts.
In a recent survey from ClosetMaid, the average American woman has 103 items in her closet. However, with all of those clothes, you'd think we'd be more satisfied. The results of this survey of 1000 women revealed: 21% of our clothes are unwearable.
'The best room to start decluttering is where two things converge: the area that is causing you the most stress and the place that you live in the most,' she explains. 'The attic or a tucked away closet might be messy and nagging you but if the kitchen, entryway, or primary bathroom is too - go there first!
Declutter big things first
Think things like furniture, large toys, unused exercise equipment, etc. Removing these big items makes a significant impact on the space quickly. Often making it feel less overwhelming when you see how much progress you can make by only making these few decisions.
Ruthlessly declutter by tracking your wardrobe
Every time you use a piece of clothing, turn its hanger the other way. Creating an easy wardrobe is that simple! Set a date (perhaps every six months or once a season) to toss any clothing you haven't used within that time frame.
The Institute describes it as a “sufficiency wardrobe”, and it should be made up of six outfits for work (with up to four items per look), three pieces for home lounging, five sports outfits, four outdoor jackets and two party looks.
For most people, 40 to 50 items are plenty enough, including 4 to 5 pairs of casual pants or denim jeans.
Depending on your laundry schedule, you might need more than 5 pajama sets. But for most people, 3 to 4 pajama tops and bottoms are more than enough to meet everyday needs. Keep in mind that you don't need to wash your pajamas too often. You should wash them only when you need to.
But what does a basic shoe wardrobe look like? And what is the minimum number of shoes that a woman can own and still cover all her bases fashion-wise? In my opinion, 12 is the magic number. At a dozen pairs of shoes, you've covered everything from dressing up to chilling out.
Nothing lasts forever, including your clothes, but how long should you expect a garment to last? According to the International Fair Claims Guide for Consumers Textiles Products, assuming normal wear, you can expect most of your clothes to last somewhere between two and three years.
With the following easy tips, you can improve your fashion style, save money, and protect the planet. The number of casual pants you only really need and wear is 4 to 5, even though most women own 7 pairs of pants on average, and men 6 pairs. Add 2 pairs of formal trousers to complete your wardrobe.
Simply by dealing with an item immediately, whether it is your shoes, incoming mail, or your used coffee mug, less clutter will be created. One touch, one movement, equals less effort overall. This rule can also be applied when you are purging, editing, and organizing.
There's a saying that goes, “If it won't matter in five years, don't spend more than five minutes worrying about it.” If you're someone who gets stuck on what to declutter and what to keep, remind yourself of this rule to keep things in perspective.
When struggling to make decluttering decisions, the 20/20 rule says you should consider letting go of an item if: You can replace it for less than $20. And you can replace it in less than 20 minutes.
The 90/90 rule for minimalism encourages you to keep only items you've used or will use within 90 days. This minimalist rule is all about timing.
Probably not, but it should! Spring cleaning may get all the hype, but fall and winter are actually the best times of year for decluttering your home and garage.
Fashion is also a visual medium, and while we don't divide our outfits in 9 equal sections, applying the Rule of Thirds requires diving our outfit in three equal parts to visually create a ratio of 2:1. This ratio is basically the Golden Mean, simplified.