10 Decluttering Principles That Are Truly Life-Changing (Plus 5 Rules to Follow)
Apartment Therapy’s Decluttering Cure is a free two-week decluttering program that’ll help you achieve a tidier home. Sign up here and get all 14 assignments delivered to your inbox.
Before you can actually physically declutter anything from your home, you have to make sure you’re emotionally prepared for all of it. That’s because decluttering can be both physically and mentally demanding; it requires you to make a lot of decisions on items that may have meant a lot to you at one point or another. To get ready for all the decluttering you plan to do, you must set up a guiding principle and lay out some ground rules. Here’s how.
Day 2: Set up a guiding principle and ground rules for decluttering.
The assignment is twofold: You’ll need to establish a guiding principle and set some ground rules before you can declutter anything. Having these two things in mind will help you in times of difficult decision-making — now and in the future.
Establish a guiding principle.
A guiding principle can be a word, phrase, rule, statement, or philosophy that will resonate with you and keep you on track. Here are some ideas (but feel free to create your own, or have multiple!).
- Words centered around what you’d like your home to be in the end can be highly motivating. Consider words like “beautiful,” “minimal,” “peaceful,” or “organized.” User feral_housewitch shared in our community forum that they love the words “useful and/or beautiful” as a guiding principle.
- “Less is more,” said architect Mies van der Rohe (which aligns with a more minimal lifestyle!).
- Marie Kondo’s philosophy of keeping things that “spark joy.”
- “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful,” said William Morris.
- “It won’t be perfect in one day,” said user akinnyc3405 in our community forum.
- If it’s simple to do, do it now to prevent clutter accumulation.
- “Clutter isn’t just the stuff in your closet; it’s anything that gets between you and the life that you want to be living,” said professional declutterer Peter Walsh.
- Hollis Miller, Apartment Therapy’s director of email and acquisitions, loves this lyric: “I’ve got everything I need, and nothin’ that I don’t,” from the song “Homegrown” by the Zac Brown Band.
- “Decluttering doesn’t just happen once,” said user mymanchome in our community forum.
- “A place for everything, and everything in its place,” said Benjamin Franklin.
Set some ground rules.
These five ground rules will come in handy when you are stuck on a particular item. You’ll want to ask yourself the following questions when decluttering:
- Have I used this item in the past year? If it hasn’t been worn, used, or appreciated since last fall, it might be time to let it go.
- Will I use it in the year ahead? Be honest and think about if you’ll use it instead of if you might use it. If you don’t have a real need/plan, then the answer is no.
- Would I buy this again today? Be mindful of your current tastes, habits, and priorities. Other factors to consider: Does it work or fit, or do I own a better version?
- If it’s broken, is it worth fixing? You’ll have to weigh the cost and benefit of taking the time to get it repaired. You could also set a deadline on when you’ll fix these items. If it’s not done by then, get rid of it.
- Would I keep this if I moved? Would you take the time to pack, move, and unpack it? When forced to think about what stays and goes in a big move, we’re a little more decisive.
If you find yourself answering “no” to most of the questions, then it’s a sign that you should get rid of the item, whether you donate, sell, or toss it.
PRO TIP: In addition to these five ground rules, consider any others that might help you. For instance, when it comes to the closet, consider applying the 90/90 rule or the $20 rule.
What’s your guiding principle? Share it with us in our community forum!
More ways to participate in the Decluttering Cure:
- Sign up for email updates.
- Visit the 2025 Decluttering Cure page and catch up on assignments.
- Download the Decluttering Cure calendar.
- Join the conversation by checking out the Decluttering Cure board in our community forum.
- Check off that you’ve completed this task and track your overall Decluttering Cure progress here!
- See all the winners from our 2025 Organization Awards to get your home organized.
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.