I used to think I was pretty good at letting things go. Then I opened my kitchen cabinets and found a pasta maker I bought in 2021, still in the box.
That’s when I realized the problem isn’t knowing you have too much stuff. The problem is deciding what actually counts as too much. And that’s exactly where most people get stuck.
The 90/90 rule fixes that. No philosophy degree required.
Two Questions That Change Everything
The rule comes from Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, the duo behind The Minimalists. It goes like this.
Pick up any item in your home. Ask yourself two questions:
Have I used this in the last 90 days? Will I actually use it in the next 90 days?
If both answers are no, it leaves.
That’s it. No drawn-out debates, no “but this was a gift,” no “maybe someday.” Just a clean yes or no based on real behavior, not wishful thinking.
Why 90 Days and Not Some Other Number
This is the part most people overlook, and I think it’s what makes this rule genuinely clever.
Ninety days is roughly one season. So if something hasn’t been touched in a full season and you can’t point to a specific reason it’ll be used in the next one, you’re not decluttering a useful item. You’re just releasing something that already stopped being useful a while ago.
It accounts for seasonal shifts without letting you off the hook forever. A winter coat sitting untouched in June is fine. A fondue set untouched since three winters ago is not.
The “Just in Case” Trap
Here’s what the 90/90 rule is really fighting: the just in case mindset.
Most clutter doesn’t come from things we actively want. It comes from things we’re afraid to regret getting rid of. The bread maker, the second set of dishes, the drawer full of cables that may or may not go to devices we no longer own.
There’s actually a deeper reason this happens. Clutter has a real effect on stress levels and the longer you hold onto things you don’t use, the more mentally heavy your space becomes.
The 90/90 rule forces you to be honest. Not just about what you own, but about how you actually live versus how you imagine you might live someday.
Most of the time, those two things are very different.
How to Apply the 90/90 Rule Room by Room
Don’t try to do your whole home at once. That’s how you end up sitting on the floor surrounded by everything you own, feeling worse than when you started.
Pick one zone. A single shelf, one drawer, or a corner of the closet. Run every item through the two questions and make a decision. Then stop for the day.
A few rooms worth paying attention to first:
- The kitchen: Gadgets multiply here faster than anywhere else in the house. The 90 day filter works beautifully because kitchens are used daily. If something hasn’t made it out of the cabinet in three months, it probably isn’t earning its counter space. Once you’ve cleared things out, organizing your kitchen cabinets makes it much easier to keep them that way.
- The closet: Clothing is emotional, so go slower here. But the same logic applies. If you haven’t worn it in 90 days and don’t have a specific occasion coming up where you would, it’s taking space from things you actually reach for.
- Storage areas: Basements, attics, and garage shelves are basically graveyards for things that survived previous purges only because they were out of sight. These are worth revisiting.
When the 90/90 Rule Does Not Apply
The rule is a tool, not a mandate. A few categories that need a different lens:
- Seasonal gear like snow blowers, holiday decorations, or summer equipment. Give these a full year before deciding.
- Emergency supplies like first aid kits, flashlights, or backup batteries. These stay, period.
- Sentimental items like letters, photographs, or anything tied to a person or memory. These deserve their own separate session, not a quick yes or no in the middle of a closet cleanout.
Don’t mix emotional decisions in with practical ones. Everything slows down when you do.
What a Decluttered Home Actually Feels Like
Here’s the part that surprised me most the first time I tried this.
Once the clutter clears, cleaning gets faster. There’s less to move, less to organize, less to dust around. The home starts to feel like it’s working with you instead of against you.
If you’re just getting started and the idea of decluttering feels bigger than it should, these simple tips to beat clutter can help you ease in without the overwhelm.
That alone is worth the two hours it takes to get started.
And when the declutter is done, House Keep Up Chicago’s deep cleaning services are the best way to make your home feel completely fresh.
When the 90/90 Rule Does Not Apply
The rule is a tool, not a mandate. A few categories that need a different lens:
- Seasonal gear like snow blowers, holiday decorations, or summer equipment. Give these a full year before deciding.
- Emergency supplies like first aid kits, flashlights, or backup batteries. These stay, period.
- Sentimental items like letters, photographs, or anything tied to a person or memory. These deserve their own separate session, not a quick yes or no in the middle of a closet cleanout.
Don’t mix emotional decisions in with practical ones. Everything slows down when you do.
What a Decluttered Home Actually Feels Like
Here’s the part that surprised me most the first time I tried this.
Once the clutter clears, cleaning gets faster. There’s less to move, less to organize, less to dust around. The home starts to feel like it’s working with you instead of against you.
If you’re just getting started and the idea of decluttering feels bigger than it should, these simple tips to beat clutter can help you ease in without the overwhelm.
That alone is worth the two hours it takes to get started.
And when the declutter is done, House Keep Up Chicago’s deep cleaning services are the best way to make your home feel completely fresh.
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