The Most Popular Decluttering Method of 2024 That You Should Try Now (Use It Anywhere!)
It feels as though 2024 was the year for finding the perfect decluttering method. From clever rules to numeric tricks, people everywhere adopted these viral decluttering and organizing tips to make it easier to keep their homes extra tidy — but one stood out among the rest.
The most popular decluttering method Apartment Therapy readers kept coming back to is none other than the “90/90 rule.” It’s also one of my personal favorites (and yes, I’ve tried many). Here’s why people can’t get enough of it.
Why the 90/90 Rule Is So Popular
The 90/90 rule was originally coined by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists, and it asks you to pose these two time frame-based questions about each (nonseasonal) item you’re considering getting rid of: Have you used it in the past 90 days? And if not, will you use it in the 90 days ahead? If the answer to both of those questions is “no,” then you should feel free to donate it guilt-free.
It makes sense why this method was so big this year: Any decluttering task, monumental or tiny, can feel daunting at first, so it helps to have something simple yet specific — like the 90/90 rule — to help make the process painless. When thinking of items in terms of how often they’ve been used or will be used, it paints a clearer picture as to whether or not you really need it taking up space in your home.
Another great part of the rule is that you can use it pretty much anywhere: your closet, dresser, pantry, cabinet, garage, hallway storage, bathroom, or even the fridge. Once you experience the magic of the method in one part of your home, you’ll see why it works so well and want to use it for every space in your home that you can.
How the 90/90 Rule Works
Here’s how writer Jennifer Billock and her husband totally cleared out their closet — donating two full trash bags full of clothes — in under an hour using the 90/90 rule.
Originally, their closet felt overwhelming, with plenty of tees and pairs of pants going unworn. They’d outgrown some items of clothing, and others, like a dress Billock didn’t even like, were still there only because she’d paid to have a tailor hem it.
As Billock began applying the 90/90 rule to everything in their closet, she was quickly convinced it could make a difference. Billock wrote that she “liked the uncaring clarity of the rule” and got to work. In no time, the entire closet had been tried on and scrutinized, and the “donate” pile was lush.
The results speak for themselves. “We can both find things a lot quicker, and we both let go of delusions that one day we’d wear certain clothes again,” Billock wrote. “And on the plus side, I found a stack of skirts I’d stuffed in the back of the closet that I forgot about, and I’m excited to wear them again.” A win-win-win!
They cleared out nearly half of the closet, but she didn’t stop there. After trying it on her wardrobe, Billock used some free time in a doctor’s office waiting room to try the 90/90 rule to clean up her phone. She deleted app after app, game after game, and gave the boot to anything that hadn’t recently been used or wouldn’t be used soon. “It’s nice not to scroll through 10 pages of apps just to find the one I want,” Billock wrote.
The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed with clutter, whether physically or virtually, take the opportunity to try this beloved process to allow yourself to let go of what you’re not actually using. And let us know in the comments below if you find a new use for it!
The January Cure Is Here to Refresh Your Home in Just 20 Days
Sign up for the free 2025 January Cure program to refresh your home and receive a free checklist for everything you need to get rid of in time for the New Year. It all starts on January 6.