I've tried out a lot of different decluttering hacks from the 'pomodoro' technique to the '90/90 rule' and yet, I still keep coming back for more. Granted, my social media algorithm now knows I love to declutter and because of that, I get a lot of targeted posts about this very thing.
And so, when the 'declutter domino effect' made its way into my feed, I had to take a closer look. Despite the hack's name being a bit of a mouthful, it's actually fairly simple. Fortunately, it didn't involve any actual domino building because I'm trying to clear up mess, not make it. Here's how it works and what happened when I gave it a try.
How to use the declutter domino effect
Instagram account, @sidebysidedesigntexas, has over 360k followers and it's no surprise as you can work your way through thousands of photos and reels of the tidiest homes I've ever seen. Amongst all of this inspo, there's a reel about the 'domino decluttering effect' – and that's where my interest was officially piqued.
As shown above, it's pretty simple. The decluttering hack asks you to begin by decluttering just one small drawer. Then, you'll end up decluttering another drawer that then leads to an entire cabinet. Then, your whole wardrobe. Like a line of dominoes, once you've hit one, the others will follow. So, once you start cleaning, you'll be encouraged to keep going.
As Side by Side Design puts it: "That's the beauty of the 'declutter domino effect', momentum builds with every small win. You begin to see and feel the difference."
Adding: "This is why I always tell clients: You don't have to do it all at once. Just start somewhere. That little spark? It creates a ripple effect you didn't even know you needed." Inspired, I decided to give it a try with some more of the Houston Home Organizer's advice at hand.
How it went
There's three initial ways that the 'declutter domino effect' can start out. You can begin with one junk drawer, clear out one shelf in the bathroom, or fold that overflowing laundry pile.
I opted for the laundry pile because it was staring at me in a room I also needed to do some decluttering in. Simple enough, I put the laundry away and felt like I was on a bit of a roll. What helped me here though was already having a declutter checklist ready to go of all the places in my home that I needed to tidy up.
Having completed the laundry pile, I moved onto the drawer where all my miscellaneous items go to live. No, I don't need the old receipt that I've had crumpled up on the edge for months. No, I don't need my daughter's glue stick or her pile of hair clips in there. Soon enough, I was moving onto the third thing on my list and I felt, dare I say, incredibly productive.
Soon enough, I was moving onto the third thing on my list and I felt, dare I say, incredibly productive.
Now, here's where I started to get a little distracted. I was feeling pretty proud of myself, but I also feeling like I deserved a break. That's how decluttering tends to go, right? But, instead of giving myself a break and, in turn, breaking my domino chain, halting the topple, I told myself I'd do three more things.
Picturing the dominoes toppling as I went was a great incentive that kept me going and before I knew it, my house was looking a lot cleaner and my mind was feeling a lot clearer.
I'm a huge advocate for trying out different techniques to convince yourself to declutter, whether that's incentive or ticking off a list that boosts your productivity. The 'declutter domino effect' is a fun way of gamifying the tasks at hand and it's definitely one I'll use again.
