It’s Organizing Week here at House Outlook! Over the next six days, we’ll share decluttering techniques, space-saving solutions, and efficient storage ideas. Our goal is to help you go from overwhelmed to organized, one practical hack at a time.
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed when there’s a messy room to clean, the “Five Things” tidying method by KC Davis will be a total game changer.
Davis is a licensed professional therapist, author of “How To Keep House While Drowning,” and founder of the mental health platform Struggle Care. She posted a helpful video to TikTok explaining her method, and it’s truly the secret to easy cleaning, especially for those with ADHD, depression, anxiety, or other mental health struggles.
The Method
Davis says that when cleaning a room, think of it as if there are only five categories in the space: trash, laundry, dishes, things that have a home, and things that don’t. To ease those overwhelming feelings when faced with a mess, focus on one category at a time, picking up only the items within that category.
How It’s Done
Let’s say you can barely see the floor in your bedroom due to dirty clothes, bath towels, dishes, and trash strewn about. Decide what you want to focus on first. If it’s clothes, walk around the room, pick up everything in the laundry category, and put it in a hamper or directly in the washing machine to get it out of the way. You don’t need to start the load unless that helps make you feel more productive. Ignore everything else until this part is done.
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Then you can move on to the next category with less stuff in the way. Maybe the next category you choose is dishes. Collect any water cups, coffee mugs, and bowls of unpopped popcorn kernels, and put them in the kitchen sink.
While you’re in the kitchen, grab a trash bag for the next category and pick up any wrappers, price tags, or facial tissues cluttering your bedroom’s surfaces. Then, focus on putting away items that have a home; if you uncover anything that doesn’t, add it to a pile.
Once your space is clear, you can decide where the miscellaneous items should go in a much calmer environment. You’ll be left with a livable space and a clearer mindset.
