I Tried the Upside-Down Decluttering Trick in My Messiest Kitchen Cabinet – It's the Simplest One I've Tried, But it Worked Shockingly Well

When I was in my 20s, I hung onto every scrap that had some sentimental value or meaning for me.

But now, I love nothing more than blasting through a brilliant new decluttering method to sniff out the extra, unnecessary items taking up valuable cabinet space in my compact kitchen. Even better if the technique helps you easily ditch things without much mental effort.

That’s why I gave the Upside Down decluttering method a go in my most high-traffic kitchen cabinet, where I keep coffee cups and glasses, and I can confirm it made it a breeze to know what to get rid of without any procrastination or self-doubt.

What Is the Upside Down Decluttering method?

Simply turn things upside down, set yourself a window to monitor usage, for instance, a week, and anything still left upside down at the end of that time can be sold, donated, recycled or trashed.

Professional organizer Rebecca Jo-Rushdy of Spark Joy & Flow says, ‘One nuance I’d add is that the Upside Down Method works best when it’s used intentionally. For some people, items are already stored upside down (bowls, glasses, mugs), so the visual cue can become confusing unless it’s clearly defined at the start. The real power of this method is the visual signal – and visual cues are incredibly effective, particularly for neurodivergent folks.’

Instead of going upside down for your visual cue, try a sticky note, much like the Post-it Note decluttering method, and use that as your visual cue. I particularly like the little Beachside Cafe Collection Post-it tabs available in multiple colors from Amazon as they are small and don't leave any residue behind when peeled.

Rebecca adds, ‘I see this method working especially well after someone has “KonMari’d” and reduced the overall volume of belongings. It’s ideal for items they’re on the fence about. When everything has already been "joy-checked" once, the upside-down approach becomes a gentle second pass rather than an overwhelming first step.’

If you have found decluttering to be overwhelming, find it difficult to let go of sentimental items, or struggle to stay focused when streamlining your home, this is definitely one to try.

How to Do it

KonMari® Master Consultant Rebecca offers a few practical tips to make the most of this ingenious low-stress method that banishes the hard decision-making part of decluttering.

• Give it a clear time frame: Often, 30-90 days works well, depending on the category and seasonality. If it’s a high-use area, you might find that a few days are enough.
• Apply it to high-rotation areas: Such as mugs, glasses, bowls, containers, spices, or utensils.
• Be consistent: When an item is used, return it to its normal orientation – this creates an immediate, satisfying feedback loop.

‘One thing I strongly recommend pairing with this method is an exit strategy,’ Rebecca adds. ‘Keeping a donation box or bag nearby makes all the difference. Without that, single or loose items we don’t actually enjoy using have a habit of migrating back into cupboards – much like clothes we don’t love but keep wearing because they’re still in the wardrobe.

‘By the next joy-check, the decision becomes easy and often obvious. The Upside Down method removes pressure, builds awareness, and creates momentum, which makes it effective when used with intention.’

If you are using this technique in a busy space such as your kitchen or entryway, keep a small cardboard box from an inbound package to hand that you can fill with items you’ve decided to donate. The box can go straight in the car and to the thrift store when it’s full.

Alternatively, you can keep a chic lidded storage box, such as a pretty wicker one from Walmart, or a strong shopping tote, available from Amazon, that you can reuse time and again in decluttering projects around the house.

I Tried the Upside Down decluttering method

I instantly knew which area to test this on. I have two shelves of cups and glasses in my two busiest kitchen cabinets, and every square inch is valuable storage space that needs to be used wisely and maximised for efficiency. Unlike some, I don’t keep mine upside down after washing, so this method worked fine for me.

However, it’s one area that has been more difficult to cut down on previously, as many of the coffee mugs have been gifts to my teacher husband from his pupils and relatives, or part of my collection of beloved glass tea cups. Sometimes, it can be hard to declutter sentimental items.

But the reality is that there are only three people who live in my house, and only two of them need coffee mugs. Though we used to have guests a lot when we first moved in together, that was nearly 15 years ago, and our lifestyle has changed, especially since we moved out of the city where the majority of our friends live, to a quiet village 100 miles away.

Now, only my in-laws really come to our home, and they don’t care which coffee cup we give them a hot drink in. The bottom line is we rarely need more than two cups, so why are we wasting so much of our prime cabinet space?

I gave myself a week to test the Upside Down method and simply turned all cups, and mugs lip down. Within three days, it was obvious to me that my husband Andy and I were only using a handful of our favorites. Andy only went for the two enormous cups, one with Best Dad on it, a gift from our daughter, the other an ode to his favorite football team, Arsenal. He’s never giving that up!

As for me, I thought I loved all my large glass mugs (I’m Iranian by heritage, and drinking hot drinks out of glass is in our genes). But what I discovered was that actually, I only like the wide base ones. So I have been able to let go of my slim base ones, even though they are so pretty, and they’re all going to charity. As they’re large, this freed up a third of the shelf alone.

I have kept a few cups for my husband, and in case we have a couple of visitors, but the rest have been trashed, recycled or donated. As for our set of glasses for water, we’re keeping all six as they double up as dinner guest cups, and all three of us in the household use those daily.

With this simple method, I easily decluttered two-thirds of my busiest kitchen shelves, meaning I can now relocate items that are currently in our base cabinets, but that I use a lot, such as small bowls, to a more accessible spot. It’s especially important as I have chronic pain, and bending at the knee or waist causes me pain and injury.

Verdict: 10/10 for ease and effectiveness. I didn’t have to think about a single item that was decluttered, as the visual cues speak for themselves.

Other Applications of the Upside Down Method

Robin Antill, founder of 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, has 44 years of design and organization experience, and advises trying an Upside-Down Day.

He says, ‘For one day, flip everyday items upside down, such as books, shoes, mugs, and even picture frames. The following day, flip them back as and when you use or enjoy them. Here you will instantly see what you use the most and what just seems to be there, cluttering the space. Those items that remain untouched can be recycled, donated, or rehomed somewhere more practical.’

You can also do a variation of this in your closet with the Reverse Hanger method. Simply turn all hangers the other way so that when you use and rehang an item, the hanger is the opposite way. This way you'll be able to easily visually monitor the items you ignore, and when the season changes, know which clothes are worth storing longer term, and which it's time to say goodbye to.

What to Shop

Meet the Expert

Rebecca Jo-Rushdy

With a background from Parsons School of Design, NYC, Rebecca is a KonMari success coach and professional organizer who helps clients around the world to declutter their homes, hearts, minds, and workplaces so they can instead become sanctuaries that spark joy and flow. Rebecca loves how accessible the Upside Down method is.

If you are, or suspect that you may be neurodivergent, try our Sunday Butterfly decluttering method, learn how to create an ADHD-friendly home, and implement ADHD-friendly cleaning checklists and dopamine-inducing cleaning playlists to ease the mental load of chores.