The Grossest Decluttering Rule I’ve Ever Heard Of Is Actually Brilliant
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As much as you might try to declutter your life à la Marie Kondo, it can be a little easier said than done to toss your sentimental college T-shirts, a favorite pair of shoes that are falling apart, or even old beauty products that you’ve tried only once. Even as the mountains of stuff pile up, finding a new home for the untouched books and electronics that are gathering dust on your bookshelf can seem extremely overwhelming. Where do you even start? How do you know that you won’t regret what you’ve thrown out?
If you’re someone who’s tried every trendy decluttering hack and still struggles to clear out their space, an ADHD organizing TikToker is going viral for sharing an “ingenious” — if a little gross — rule that makes your decision to keep or toss something much easier, and may help you avoid those feelings of declutter-regret later on.
In a TikTok, ADHD influencer @adhdorganized presented the “poop rule.” As wild as it sounds, it’s a simple test that could change the way you declutter — and it’s thankfully exactly as bad as it sounds.
In the video, the creator revealed that the premise of the “brilliant” hack has nothing to do with the bathroom. Instead, when you’re purging items in your house, the “poop rule” is when you simply ask yourself if whatever item you’re holding is important enough that you’d clean poop off of to keep it.
The creator said this clarifying trick inspired her to get rid of toiletry items that she’d otherwise have a hard time tossing, and she recommends having a friend tell you they’re on their way over to your house so you have a mental deadline of how long you have to declutter.
Viewers quickly flocked to the comment section to share their thoughts on the hack, with one calling it “Marie Kondo’s ‘Does it spark joy?’ made more visceral.” Another wrote that the hack had “changed her life,” while some people joked that this was actually a real-life situation for them. “I have a toddler and two senior pets so this feels like a pretty reasonable metric actually,” one follower wrote.
On the flip side, there were quite a few people who were so repulsed by the visuals that they said they wouldn’t be able to keep anything in their homes. “I am throwing away my whole house,” one person shared, while another complained, “I would only save two entire things in the whole world if they were covered in poop.”
If you want to try this TikTok decluttering hack but can’t get past the gross visuals, consider using @Leopard_Llama’s version of the rule, which is asking yourself, “Would I buy this if I saw it in the store right now?” Good luck decluttering!
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
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We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said