Use The Poop Rule

This is part of Stewie's Guide to Ruthlessly Declutter Your Clothes Today.

I remember when my son was three, and I went to check on him because he’d been in the bathroom for a while. I quietly stood outside the bathroom door and listened to a lively conversation. But who was he talking to?

So I opened the door and found him sitting on the toilet, chatting with one of his Hot Wheels. But this toy car—a convertible and one of his favorites—was covered in poop.

I did that thing that all parents do: I took a deep breath, turned on the bathroom fan, and tried to figure out how to handle this situation. After a moment, we wrapped the car in toilet paper, dropped it in the garbage can, and I helped my son get cleaned up.

Afterward, I explained that no amount of cleaning would get all of the poop out of the car’s wheels. And no amount of disinfecting would get rid of the poop smell. The toy had to be trashed.

Over the years, my wife and I have thrown away numerous things when they got poop on them.

This leads me to the poop rule for decluttering clothes: if my kids got poop all over an item, would I immediately throw it away? Would I be secretly glad that I could trash it? (If yes, then get rid of it!)

Other variants of this rule: if I lost this item in a fire, flood, or black hole, would I miss it?

It’s interesting to consider how many clothes I would’ve discarded in my 20s/30s had I known about the poop rule. I’m thinking about those polo shirts that weren’t my style and cargo pants that never fit my big belly & skinny legs. And don’t get me started on T-shirts with corporate logos. (Sorry, but I’m not your billboard.)

So don’t be like my younger self. Use the poop rule to identify clothes you’re not excited to wear, and then get rid of them. You’ll be glad you did.

Next steps…