I Tried the “One Room” Rule to Declutter My Bedroom
Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 20-day program that’ll help you refresh your home for the year ahead. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.
Want to know the most effective strategy for getting your entire home clean and totally decluttered? As it turns out, the best way is to actually work on things one room at a time. (Yes, it’s that easy!)
That’s why we’ll be implementing the “one room” rule today, in hopes of getting you one step closer to a completely clutter-free home. This is definitely a level-up from decluttering just one spot, such as a drawer or closet, like we did on day one. Instead, we’ll dedicate the day to clearing the clutter in an entire room.
Day 4: Clear the clutter in any room.
The “one room” rule is exactly how it sounds: All you have to do is clean one room at a time. “This is the most efficient way to get your entire house done really fast,” says ex-professional cleaner turned cleaning inspector Cindell Kimbrough, who shared this method in a viral TikTok video.
How to Use the One Room Rule
Here’s how you’ll implement the one room rule today.
Choose a room. This can be the bedroom, guest room, office, or entryway. You can also choose a hallway area as your “one room” or if your closet is massively packed and in dire need of decluttering, consider that a “room” to work on today. Avoid choosing a spot you’ve already worked on, as well as the living room (we’ll be getting to that next week!).
Pick up all the clutter off the floor and put it where it goes. For anything that doesn’t belong in the room, you are not going to take it where it belongs. You will set it right outside the room, so you can work on it later. You want to remain in the one room!
Work your way around the room. Choose a corner to tidy up first — like pick up trash, make the bed, etc. — then work your way around the room.
Dust everywhere. Again, go back to the first corner, but this time just focus on dusting. If you have a door, work top to bottom.
Vacuum and/or mop. Finally, it’s time to clean the floors. Vacuum and/or mop your floors, carpets, and rugs in the room.
With the room clean, you can head out the door and address the items waiting to be returned to their designated areas. Throw away any trash and deal with recyclables, too.
I personally worked in my bedroom and closet. I put away any hardly worn clothes, hung up clothing that fell down, placed anything that needed to go elsewhere outside the door, and then cleaned around and dusted. Then, I returned mail, empty glasses, and a finished book that all sat on my nightstand to where they belonged.
PRO TIP: For anything you don’t want to put back and instead want to think about if it’s worth keeping, put it in your outbox!
What room did you work in today? Share what you did, along with any before and after transformation photos, in the community forum.
More ways to participate in the January Cure:
Sign up for email updates.
Visit the 2025 January Cure page and catch up on assignments.
Download the January Cure calendar.
Join the conversation by checking out the Cure board in our community forum.
Check off that you’ve completed this task and track your overall January Cure progress here!
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
