Use The Poop Rule

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

I remember the day my son learned a hard but valuable lesson about letting go. He was three years old, and I noticed he had been in the bathroom for a while. If you’re a parent, you know this is either a sign of trouble—or a masterpiece in progress.

So, I stood outside the door and listened.

I could hear him talking, carrying on a full-blown conversation. But with who?

I slowly opened the door, and there he was—chilling on the toilet, deep in conversation with one of his Hot Wheels. But this wasn’t just any car. It was a convertible, one of his favorites. And it was covered in poop.

I did that thing all parents do. I took a long, deep breath, turned on the bathroom fan, and gathered every ounce of patience I had before stepping in to handle the situation.

After a moment, I helped him clean up, wrapped the car in toilet paper, and dropped it in the trash.

“No, Dad,” he protested, his big eyes welling up. “We can clean it!”

That’s when I gently explained the truth: no amount of scrubbing was going to get all the poop out of the tiny wheels. No amount of disinfecting would erase the smell.

Some things, once ruined, just aren’t worth saving.

And so, the car stayed in the trash.

Now, I can’t tell you how many things my wife and I have thrown away over the years after some kind of poop incident.

And somewhere along the way, I realized this same principle applies to decluttering clothes.

The Poop Rule

It’s simple. When deciding whether to keep something, ask yourself: If this item were covered in poop, would I still want it? Would I be heartbroken if I had to throw it away? Or—be honest—would I feel a sense of relief, even gratitude, that I finally had an excuse to let it go?

Because here’s the thing: if you wouldn’t fight to save it from disaster, why are you holding onto it now?

There are other ways to test this, too. What if this shirt disappeared into a black hole? What if a flood washed it away? What if it vanished in a fire? Would you genuinely miss it? Or would you move on, barely noticing its absence?

It’s funny to think about how many clothes I would have gladly discarded in my 20s or 30s if I had applied this rule.

I’m thinking about those polo shirts that weren’t my style. Those cargo pants that never fit my big belly and skinny legs. And don’t get me started on corporate-logo T-shirts. Sorry, but I am not your billboard.

Looking back, I wish I’d realized I didn’t need an extreme excuse—like an accident or a disaster—to part with clothes I didn’t love. I could have just made the decision.

And so can you.

Give Yourself Permission to Let Go

We all have things in our closets that don’t fit, don’t feel right, or don’t belong in our lives anymore. And yet, we hold on—out of habit, out of guilt, out of some misplaced sense of obligation.

But imagine if those clothes disappeared tomorrow. Would you grieve the loss, or would you finally feel lighter?

So don’t wait for the universe to take things from you. Use the poop rule now. Identify the clothes you wouldn’t bother saving, and let them go on your terms.

You’ll be glad you did.

Next steps…