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I pride myself on keeping my home organized, but even I have a few clutter-prone spots. My husband and I have been meaning to tackle our linen closet, which is overflowing with things like bedding, skincare products I test for work, travel-sized toiletries, and far more cough drops than anyone actually needs. I knew it was becoming a real problem when my husband FaceTimed me when I was in Europe because he was having a hard time locating a tube of Icy Hot in our cluttered space. When I heard about the Core 4 decluttering method, I decided to put it to the test and see if we could finally get our closet under control.
This organizing strategy is simple, but effective. It can be a little time-consuming, but I was shocked at how much tidier the space felt after a few dedicated hours of organizing. I'd recommend this method if you're overwhelmed and not sure where to start. While looking at all your stuff in a big pile feels stressful initially, it actually makes it easier to decide what stays and what goes.
Below, I share what I learned from trying the Core 4 decluttering method and tips for putting this strategy to work in your home.
What Is the Core 4 Decluttering Method?
Like its name might suggest, the Core 4 decluttering method breaks down organization into four easy steps: Clear out, categorize, cut out, and contain. First, you’ll want to clear out trash or any items that don’t belong in a particular area. From there, you’ll want to group like-minded items and purge anything you no longer need. (Psst…that’s the “categorize” and “cut out” steps.) Once you’ve sifted through all your stuff, you can organize your belongings with bins, dividers, and labels.
My Experience Using the Technique
Part of the reason our linen closet got so out of hand is because it’s a very intimidating space. I mean, on any given shelf, you’ll find an avalanche of bedding, cacophony of cosmetics, and free-floating First Aid essentials. Our linen closet is pure chaos, so I took the “clear out” step very literally. I removed every, single item so I could have a fresh start. (And I even wiped down each shelf for a clean, blank canvas.) Truthfully, seeing all of our stuff splayed out on our hallway floor was the most terrifying part of the whole process. “Oh, no,” I thought. “What did I get myself into?” But, with the help of some really great podcasts, I persisted.
The easiest way to proceed with the “categorize” and “cut out” steps was to handle the biggest stuff first—a.k.a, bedding. My husband and I had a very honest audit of the sheets we actually like to use—he’s a big linen guy, while I’m a sucker for bamboo bedding—and put everything we didn’t love into big donation bins. I even found an unused set in the depth of our linen closet and gave them to a friend who came over later that day. Our ruthless purging took our glut of 15-plus bedding sets down to a more manageable rotation of five. (I know, that’s still a lot, but baby steps!)
Once I conquered the biggest physical hurdle, the “clearing out” step felt a lot less scary. In fact, I even rediscovered old sunglasses and costume jewelry I once loved but got lost in the clutter.
Perhaps my favorite part about the Core 4 method was how the “categorize” step helped inform the “contain” step. For example, when I was grouping like-minded items together, I realized that I didn’t have enough bottles of sunscreen to dedicate an entire bin to them. That said, I did have packets of Imodium and bug spray, so I created a larger category of “travel” essentials, or items we’d bring with us on a chill trip to the beach or bigger vacation.
Ditto for my beauty products. I’ll be the first to admit that the lion’s share of things in my linen closet are my personal care items. But while I usually shoved a bunch of my “stuff” on a shelf and hoped for the best, grouping similar items together made me think about how they would live on the shelves.
In my opinion, the easiest part of the Core 4 method is definitely the “cutting out” step. I pride myself in being a pretty decisive person and once I was able to carve out time to go through my stuff, I was pretty ruthless about it. Some products, like expired medication or beauty products I received years ago, were no-brainers. Other, less-obvious items required a little soul searching. Do I use this item? Did I even remember I owned it? Would someone else like a family member, friend, or charity enjoy this more than I would? If it wasn’t essential or something I was particularly excited about, it’d get the heave-ho.
Of course, I realize that some people may have a more difficult time purging items and would highly recommend the 90/90 rule.
Once I categorized and decluttered, I put the rest of my contents in labeled bins. Not only is it easier to see when we need to restock on an everyday product like toothpaste, but my husband never, ever has to FaceTime me again about Icy Hot. And, in the month since we implemented the Core 4 method, our linen closet has been way easier to maintain. Everything has a place, so pulling out and putting away items has felt mindless.
Should You Use the Core 4 Decluttering Method?
If you are inundated with stuff and have no idea where to start, the Core 4 method works wonders. I love how this strategy encourages you to take everything out so you can audit your inventory and visualize how to categorize your belongings. Often, organizing your home can feel like an enormous, overwhelming endeavor, so I’d recommend applying this strategy to a very specific area of chaos such as a pantry or linen closet.
The one caveat: This strategy requires a lot of time. Nobody wants to live with a cluttered hallway, so I think it’s best to complete this decluttering method in one fell swoop. The entire project—including putting discarded bedding in bins and throwing out expired medication—took about four hours. If you’re looking for a quick fix, the 20-minute method is my favorite, time-sensitive way to spruce up your space. However, if you have some time to kill, the Core 4 method can deliver some jaw-dropping results.
