I Tried the Five-Five Decluttering Rule to Stop Closet-Clutter Before It Even Starts – I'm Shocked That it Works
Two simple questions prevent the need to declutter later
I love to shop, and I am definitely prone to impulse purchases – especially when it comes to clothes and accessories. As a result, I always feel like I am decluttering my closet, and feel guilty about my 'wasted' purchases every time.
That is why I am trying the five-five rule to help stop clutter before it starts. It is a simple shopping trick – ask yourself if an item will go with five items you already own, and if you will still love it in five years. If you can’t find a clear answer to either, you leave the garment on the rack or remove it from your digital basket.
What Is the Five-Five Rule and How Does It Help With Clutter?
I first heard about this preventative clutter rule when watching luxury fashion and lifestyle vlogger Je Suis Lou on YouTube. She uses the rule when making larger investment purchases for her wardrobe, helping her to navigate the traps of luxury shopping.
For occasion wear, she also asks herself if the item could work for at least five different occasions, thereby eliminating single-wear pieces. It’s a great decluttering method that mitigates the need to declutter while helping to save money at home.
The rule isn’t just good for those big-tag items, either. As Cathy Or, professional home organizer and owner of The Uncluttered Life, explains, this edit-the-cart approach is a great trick to prevent overconsumption of clothing, full stop.
‘The 5-5 shopping rule for clothes is a great way to approach this need for clothing sustainability. Anything we can do to reduce our overall consumption, especially of fast fashion, is a win for the environment,’ she begins.
‘I do think this is a great approach to reducing clothes clutter. I know that when I purchase clothes that are well-made, I tend to keep them longer. I also keep clothing that I’ve spent more on longer than inexpensive items that may be cheaply made. I am a clothing minimalist. I own very little, and what I do own, I wear until it’s worn out.’
How to Use It For Your Closet or Home
This handy trick stops clothing clutter before it builds, saving time and money.
Much like the capsule decluttering method, asking yourself if a new piece will fit with at least five other items is fairly easy. If five outfits do not immediately come to mind, it's probably something to leave behind.
For example, while going out ‘window shopping’ with friends (a dangerous concept in itself), I found a great quality white shirt. I could think of well over five outfits it would work with immediately, plus by virtue of being a solid basic, it was a safe pick for something I would still use in five years, so I brought it home.
When trying on a new dress in the same store, I struggled to think of five accessories I had that would make it different enough to wear for five occasions beyond a vacation I was planning, so the dress went back on the rack, saving me over $100 up front. Thinking back on it, I probably wouldn’t have loved it in five years, either.
I also apply this rule to buying accessories such as shoes and jewelry (my real Achilles heel). I only buy pieces that I see myself reaching for weekly, if not daily, and it is a godsend for my bank account for those higher-priced categories.
Tricks To Master the 5-5- Rule
In order for this method to work and really put an end to decluttering a closet, you need to set yourself some solid rules to break bad home habits and cut spending.
For Olivia Parks, owner and lead organizer of Professional Organizers Baton Rouge, there are four key steps to this shopping rule:
- Look at what you already have: ‘If you already have something very similar, it's likely a sign you don't need it and should skip purchasing it,’ she advises. It also helps to optimize storage to prevent duplicates. I do this through switching seasonal clothing and keeping some in underbed storage bags, from Walmart, to free up space in my small closet.
- Stick to what you actually wear: ‘Focus on pieces that fit your everyday style and wardrobe,’ Olivia urges. ‘If it doesn't match or go with what you reach for most of the time, it probably won't get much use being worn.’ When trying to work out if I will still love an item in five years, I think about which items I have had in my closet the longest. If the new item shares a feature of those long-loved pieces, be it in style, color, or fabric, there is a good chance this will be a new staple for me.
- Use the one-in-one-out rule: ‘When you bring something new into your closet, choose one item to donate,’ Olivia suggests. ‘It keeps your closet from getting overcrowded and only contains items you actually use and love.’ I have also recently tested the one-in-two-out rule, and it's been really good for slow decluttering without much effort.
- Think it through first: Finally, Olivia echoes the advice of Lou: ‘Before buying a new piece of clothing, take a moment to picture five occasions you'd wear it. If you can't think of them, it's likely not worth purchasing and adding to your closet.’
What to Shop
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
These under-bed storage bags on wheels are easy to pull out, and maintain good ventilation for items to prevent mold or musty bedroom smells. Switching out-of-season clothing and storing clothes long-term is a space saver.
For items you cannot hang, such as sweaters, use zip-up garment boxes with clear fronts so you can still see and access items easily, while protecting them from damage. Packing with scented pouches, also Target, makes them smell fresh months later.
I love layered coat hangars, as they help to save space in my small closet, and let me hang items together to make getting ready in the morning easier. Having uniform hangers also eases the visual clutter in a closet.
Vacuum storage bags are ideal for seasonal storage, keeping clothes and household linens safe from pests and moisture, without them taking up valuable storage real estate.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) Certified, these laundry pods are certified healthier for use in your home, helping to cut out toxic laundry room items. They also protect clothes from excess wear by offering the perfect dose every time.
This bestselling book from New York Times bestselling author Marie Kondo packs so much decluttering information into a mere 200 pages, in a readable and digestible format that's accessible to all readers of all ages.
Meet the Experts
Cathy is a cofounder of The Uncluttered Life and the Declutter Deck, recently featured in FabFitFun. She is also a certified master in the KonMari method.
Olivia Parks is the Owner + Lead Organizer at My Professional Organizer Northshore, a home organizing company in Mandeville, LA. She and her team work with individuals and families, organizing and decluttering all areas of their homes. Her company has worked with over 500+ clients.
The five-five rule is a great, low-effort way to tap into the underconsumption trend without completely cutting out shopping for those of us who love it. Pair the hack with the six questions to ask yourself before buying anything, and your home and closet will be perfectly curated.
