The simple 'Floor Decluttering Method' easily reduced visual mess in my small, open-plan living space and was so impactful

Whether you find yourself constantly tripping over items or unintentionally creating piles in every corner, the Floor Decluttering Method is definitely a great place to start to bring physical calm into your home and mentally soothe you.

By focusing on what's on your floor first, you'll be in a better position to continue decluttering elsewhere with less stress and more focus, experts say.

Here, a professional organizer reveals exactly what this decluttering tip is, and I gave the Floor Decluttering Method a go myself to see if it actually works.

What is the Floor Decluttering Method?

The Floor Decluttering Method is a simple method driven by one predominant rule: focus your decluttering efforts on getting as much as possible off of your home's floor.

As Linda Samuels, certified professional organizer and founder of Oh, So Organized!, says, 'The floor decluttering method focuses solely on decluttering, clearing, and editing items on the floor by first removing trash, recycling, and empty boxes or bags (if necessary), and then taking away items that belong elsewhere.

'The aim is to continue decluttering until all remaining unwanted items are cleared from the floor.'

This uncomplicated tip is said to show how decluttering can change your life by making your space feel more open in moments.

Pros and cons

There are a number of pros that come with undertaking the Floor Decluttering Method. Firstly, the method is incredibly easy to execute, even if you're decluttering while you feel overwhelmed.

It gives you a clear instruction and, in turn, a clear goal and plan of action to follow. This can be an incredibly useful form of guidance for people who might not know where to start when decluttering, feel overwhelmed when decluttering or for people who declutter more effectively if there's a set goal in place.

'The floor decluttering method is especially helpful when you’re feeling overwhelmed by clutter because it narrows the decluttering scope,' says Linda. ' A person concentrates solely on removing items from the floor, which has a clear and defined boundary. This makes the project seem more achievable and helps a person to avoid making decluttering mistakes.'

Turning your attention to decluttering your home's floors first is also a smart move to declutter without making a mess and to stop clutter from getting in the way while you're trying to tidy up.

'Clearing the floor first will create more space with better flow, provide more room to move around, and decrease tripping hazards,' says Linda.

There aren't any major red flag cons against The Floor Decluttering Method, but if you're someone who prefers to declutter entire spaces at a time instead of focusing your attention on one particular part of a space (in this instance, the floor), the Floor Decluttering Method might not be for you.

'People sometimes prefer to declutter all areas and surfaces of a room in a circular clockwise pattern instead of following a floor-only approach,' says Linda. 'But fortunately, there are plenty of decluttering methods out there to suit a person if this one doesn't align with their home organizing ideas.'

Who is the method good for?

The Floor Decluttering Method can be undertaken by anyone who has items on their floor, but according to Linda, it may be particularly beneficial to people if:

• If you're prone to placing items down on the floor when they get in, resulting in piles of items accumulating.
• If you have to try hard not to trip or fall because of floor clutter.
• If you can't enter a room or space because the clutter on the floor obstructs entering [for example, it might be blocking a door].
• If you recently moved house, moving boxes can clutter up a home's floors, but it can be tempting to neglect tidying tips and instead live out of boxes for a while.
• If you're looking for a starting point when it comes to decluttering, the Floor Decluttering Method can be used alone or combined with other strategies.

If you find it tough when it comes time to hoover and deep clean your home, that's likely another sign that the Floor Decluttering Method could be for you. The more there is sat on your floor, the more you have to navigate around or move when cleaning.

I tried it, and this was the result

To be honest, before talking to professional organizers about the Floor Decluttering Method, I didn't realize how much stuff had accumulated on the floor of my home.

I quickly realized after casting an eye over my space how the majority of those items didn't need to be there, but since they had been on the floor for so long, I had become 'clutter blind' and didn't even notice them anymore. It's like they were a part of the room's furniture.

I chose to try out the Floor Decluttering Method on the combined living and sleeping space in my small studio flat, as that's the area where I spend most of my time, but you can also use the method to declutter a home room by room.

I began by looking around the space and taking note of what was unnecessarily sat or stored on my floor: two luggage cases that I had used to help me move in, a couple of rolls of wrapping paper propped up by a mirror, a cushion, some loose cables, a couple of bags of items I've been meaning to donate, and a piece of canvas artwork I took down from my wall were the main culprits.

After identifying the items that were sitting on my floor, whether they were directly in the middle of the floor or propped up by a wall, I worked to remove them by decluttering these items out of my life, or storing the items elsewhere.

It shocked me how fast I noticed a difference in my space, especially because in my mind I didn't have a lot on the floor anyway. But seeing the floor plan of my living space expand before my very eyes was both rewarding as well as mentally refreshing, and by far one of the most valuable decluttering lessons I have learned.

If you're wondering whether decluttering is worth it or you're feeling like a space is closing in on you as a result of clutter or mess, I highly recommend trying this method and tackling any rogue items on your floor.

You'll rapidly regain a sense of control over each room, which is great as a standalone benefit or as a motivator to continue working through a larger, longer-term decluttering project.

Floor decluttering essentials

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the expert

Linda Samuels

Linda Samuels, CPO-CD^®, CVOP™, ICD® Master Trainer, founded Oh, So Organized! in 1993, a global professional organizing company based in New York. Linda helps overwhelmed individuals who are challenged by disorganization get unstuck and organized with compassionate, nonjudgmental, personalized virtual one-on-one sessions, workshops, and publications. She is the author of The Other Side of Organized, the Professional Organizer Mentor for Revel Coach, and writes a blog about organizing and life balance. Linda is an active member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD), where she has served as president. Media features include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and HuffPost.

If decluttering your floors worked wonders for you, learning how to declutter countertops could be a great next step.

Much like the core focus of the Floor Decluttering Method turns your attention to getting as much as possible off of your floors, this additional method helps you to reclaim your functional counter space and reduce visual clutter in your kitchen or bathroom.