The Guilt-Free ‘Threshold Test’ Helped Me Easily Declutter My Packed Winter Closet in 5 Minutes

I am very diligent about rotating out-of-season clothing from my closet to my storage space under the bed. However, even with that, my tiny closet, which I had purposefully built to include less than 20 inches of hanging rail, has become obnoxiously packed with winter clothing.

I will confess that my weight has been moving in the wrong direction over the last year, so some of my favorites no longer fit, and I’ve been clinging onto the hope that my New Year health kick will pull them back into play.

However, in a bid to regain control of this chaotically tight space and restore functionality, I tried the Threshold Test, a smart decluttering method, and I was surprised to find it worked incredibly well to streamline my closet with ease. Here’s how to do it in any space.

What is the Threshold Test for Decluttering Easily?

In short, the Threshold Test decluttering trick involved assessing items in a specific zone, be it a cluttered closet, drawer, or cabinet, and testing each against one question. Simply: If this item crossed the threshold of my home today, would I let it in?

Another way to frame it is: If I spotted this in a store, would I buy it? If your instinctive answer is no, then it is time to donate, sell, or recycle it.

Looking at your old items as if you were about to buy them new will help you figure out do you really like it, use it, or need it, without any emotional obligations or considerations of sunk-cost fallacy.

Resident decluttering method tester and organizing expert, Chiana Dickson, says, ‘If you look at an item you no longer like or use but leave it in the closet or other storage space because you feel guilty about the money you spent on it, you’re losing out twice.

‘The money you spent on it is gone, so you’re not getting that back. Now, keeping it only serves chaos in your home. Put aside the sunk-cost fallacy and assess the item on its merits for usage and joy. If you don’t use it, and you don’t like it, get rid.'

Why The Threshold Test Works

A lot of the time, if you struggle to let go of items or feel overwhelmed when decluttering, it can come to placing too much consideration on the various links you have with that item. You might be struggling to let go of items because they feel sentimental, it feels almost 'illegal' to declutter them, or simply because you struggle to focus when doing these tasks.

Your concerns might also include the money you spent on it in the first place, the guilt of not wearing or using it, or perhaps, because it was a gift from a friend or loved one, the added guilt that their efforts have gone to waste stops you from saying goodbye.

Reducing this bias towards keeping anything and everything is what the Threshold Test is built on. And, it’s surprisingly effective, especially in categories of items steeped in sentimentality, for instance, jewelry or trinkets, or otherwise inertia-laden categories.

Chiana explains, ‘These accumulate gradually, leading to clutter blindness, and don’t often result in “conscious decisions”. These items in your home are kept not because they are of use or well-liked, but because they are already there.'

Inertia-driven categories grow, creating chaos in the home and a building sense that you’re seriously lacking enough space.

Applying the Threshold test to specific zones that are prone to building up items that stay put in the long term, such as clothes, and focusing on smaller areas, such as in closets, cabinets, and drawers, rather than a whole room, will help you make easier progress and banish the nervous system stress that can sometimes come with decluttering.

I Tried the Threshold Test in My Packed Closet

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BEFORE

AFTER

My tiny closet is packed with sweaters, knits, hoodies, and other bulky items I have accumulated over the last few years. I tend to take good care of my clothes, washing, drying, and storing them properly, meaning it’s not often that I have to throw something away because it’s looking tired or damaged.

My winter clothing has therefore become a collection that has grown exponentially, especially through yo-yo weight gain and drops over the last few years, and has definitely become an inertia-laden category.

Applying the Threshold Test to the hanging items in my winter collection meant I was able to remove nine knitted sweaters and a bulky fleece I bought recently, but do not enjoy wearing the way I hoped, in less than five minutes.

I also combined the threshold test with the Great Over Good method, when I realised I had five white knitted sweaters. Yes, five! That made it easy to strip back that costly duplication, as there is one in particular I love, that gets all my use, whilst the others languish.

Before the threshold test, I had been putting off decluttering my closet, but this compartmentalised approach, with a really clear rule and single parameter to judge my items on, made it incredibly easy to keep or toss items.

As for the items I have removed from my closet, I listed them all on Vinted in less than 15 minutes. It’s a really easy and quick way to sell items you no longer need, especially clothing, and I love that you can print postage labels in the app, making the physical task easier than ever.

VERDICT: 10/10 for ease and effectiveness, with the bonus being that it is super quick.

What to Shop

If you're struggling with closet space, moving some clothes into longer-term storage will help. Similarly, decluttering your kitchen cabinets and other high-traffic, functional spaces will help your home feel more relaxing.