I'm a decluttering expert - these are my 5 favourite methods
With spring officially here, many of us will be thinking of giving our homes a spring clean, and a good clear out. Decluttering is a rewarding, but often daunting task, as it's likely to cause a bit of a mess in the process. But, by removing items we no longer need and organising what’s left, decluttering can give us a fresh outlook on our homes and leave us feeling calmer and happier.
Of course, there’s more than one way to declutter. In fact, since its popularity rocketed back in 2011 with Marie Kondo's bestselling book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying, methods have been popping up all over the world to help you plan and order the process. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but these methods can make the task a little easier. I’ve rounded up my five favourite decluttering methods below so you can see some of the options out there.
1. Ski slope method
I liked the simplicity of the ski slope decluttering method, so much that I use it myself. It was created by Anita Yokota for her book Home Therapy; as a therapist turned interior designer, she wanted to help make decluttering easier for her clients.
The ski slope method involves decluttering a single space or room with a methodical and thorough approach. The idea is that you essentially work through the room as if it were a ski slope, moving from side to side from the top of the room to the bottom. The benefit of this being you don’t take on too much at once and have a route to follow.
In her book, Yokota says: "The idea is to imagine your messy room like a ski slope. If you try to go straight down, the steep angle feels scary and overwhelming. But if you traverse the slope - skiing from one side to the other - you lessen the angle and make it down the mountain without even noticing. Instead of looking at the room from front to back, look at it from corner to corner."
I can tell you first hand that this method does make decluttering a single room feel a little easier; breaking it up into zones makes it more approachable. Although it's still a good idea to take breaks because even a single room can turn into a lengthy project. Don’t miss out any sections in the centre of the room either, which can easily be overlooked.
2. Swedish Death cleaning
Another method which deserves a mention is 'Swedish Death Cleaning'. This was first introduced by Margareta Magnusson in her book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. It sounds a bit morbid, but the intention is an important one. It’s a method of decluttering designed for those later in life, and involves removing all non-essential items to ease the process for your loved ones once you’ve passed on.
While this is the original intention, Magnusson points out that people of any age can use Swedish Death Cleaning to help declutter and organise. She says, "It does not necessarily have to do with your age or death. Sometimes you just realise that you can hardly close your drawers or barely shut your cupboard door. When that happens, it is definitely time to do something, even if you are only in your thirties."
Swedish Death Cleaning is a wide-scale method to declutter your whole home. General rules include working down in size from larger items to smaller items, saving small sentimental items for last. She says basements and attics can be good starting points because clutter is easily collected here. When sorting through, try to get rid of any duplicates, but keep what makes life ‘pleasant and comfortable’; remember, this could also be achieved by removing more items.
It's worth noting that Swedish Death Cleaning can be a long and thorough process, so pace yourself and take breaks.
3. Four-box method
The four-box method is what I’d recommend for those just starting out with decluttering, or those who are decluttering small, dedicated spaces. It’s incorporated in some way into lots of expert methods because of its simplicity and effectiveness. All it involves is getting four empty boxes out and labelling each with a purpose. There are some variations of the labels suggested but most experts include 'keep', 'throw away', 'donate' and 'sell'. Other variations include 'rehome' and 'undecided' too.
I’m not a fan of the final two labels unless you have the confidence that you will come back to the items and address them later. Otherwise, you might just end up with piles of miscellaneous items which will either just sit in a box or clutter up other areas of your home.
Once you have your boxes, go through your items and place each one into one of the boxes. You will soon see how you’re progressing by the volume in each box. If everything’s ending up in the 'keep' or 'undecided' box, then you need to have a rethink. The problem with this method is it's straightforward, but there’s little guidance in terms of the decision-making process. The next method can help with that!
4. KonMari
Probably one of the most famous decluttering methods is Marie Kondo’s KonMari method. This has been so successful that as well as inspiring a range of books, it was turned into a Netflix series back in 2019. It’s a method of decluttering a whole house by working through the items in it by category. The categories are as follows: clothes, books, paper, komono (miscellaneous items) and sentimental items. It’s important to stick to that order because the easier categories to declutter come first.
When it comes to what to keep or discard, your deciding factor should be whether it ‘sparks joy’ in your life. If it does, it still serves a purpose, but if not, Marie Kondo suggests you thank it then let it go. It’s a very emotional way of sorting through items, but ideal if you struggle with decisions, and it leaves you with a newfound appreciation for what remains.
In Spark Joy, Kondo says, "When something sparks joy, you should feel a little thrill, as if the cells in your body are slowly rising. When you hold something that doesn’t bring you joy, however, you will notice that your body feels heavier."
5. Packing Party
This is an unusual decluttering method and it does require a bit of effort, but it’s a great way to avoid taking clutter with you when you move home.
The Packing Party method was created by The Minimalists; a group of three who host The Minimalists Podcast and starred in the Netflix documentary The Minimalists: Less Is Now back in 2021. The method involves putting all of your clothes, furniture and possessions into boxes as if you're about to move home. The party part comes from the fact The Minimalists suggest you ask friends over to help you pack.
Once you've packed, only remove what you need for immediate use, such as your toothbrush and everyday clothes. Once three weeks have elapsed, you can look back over what you’ve used (aka what has the most value) and get rid of the rest, donating or selling the bulk.
It’s an extreme method, but good to give a real insight into what we need versus what we have. One thing to consider though is seasonal items which you might not need until later on in the year. You most probably own important paperwork and other items you don't need immediately but shouldn’t dispose of, so you might want to take this method with a pinch of salt!
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