3 min readKnowing where to put the things you’re keeping—and what to do with the things you’re letting go of—can make decluttering feel harder than it needs to be. But a simple organizing method called the “three homes rule” can help you sort your belongings into clear, manageable categories.
If you’ve ever tried to declutter your home, you’ll know that deciding what to keep is only part of the challenge. You also need to work out where everything should live. Max Wilson, storage expert and CEO and cofounder of Pocket Storage, suggests giving each item one of three homes: somewhere for the things you use regularly, a place for seasonal belongings, or a route out of your home for anything you no longer want.
His “three homes rule” can help you make those decisions one item at a time, so the things you keep are easier to find, and the things you no longer need don’t end up back in the clutter.
Put simply, every item should have one of three homes:
- An ‘everyday home’ for things you use regularly
- A ‘seasonal home’ for things you only need at certain times of year
- An ‘exit home’ for things you no longer want to keep
What Goes in the “Everyday Home”
Everyday items should have an easily accessible home near where you use them, Wilson says. This could be school bags, post, gym clothes, or even a loaf of bread.
The easier it is to put something away and find it again, the more likely you are to stick with the system. If returning an item to its everyday home takes several steps, you may be tempted to leave it out instead.
“If putting the hairdryer away means taking out a basket, lifting a lid and untangling three other cables, don’t be surprised when it stays on the dressing table. Something you use most mornings shouldn’t require a small excavation,” Wilson points out.
Your everyday home might be coat hooks by the front door for the jackets you wear regularly, or a bread bin in the kitchen. Choose a clear spot for each item, then make a habit of returning it there.
What Goes in the “Seasonal Home”
The second category in Wilson’s “three homes rule” is for items you don’t use all the time but still need to access a few times a year.
“There’s no prize for getting rid of your camping equipment in October if you’ll have to buy it again in June. But these sort of items don’t need to occupy the cupboard you open every morning. Keeping something and keeping it within arm’s reach are two different decisions.”
For items in a seasonal home, Wilson recommends keeping related things together so they’re easy to find when you need them.
“Think about the next time you’ll use these items,” he says. “When you’re packing for a camping trip, for example, you want to find the tent, sleeping bags, and camping kit together. You don’t want to remember that one part is under the bed, another is behind the Christmas tree, and the rest went into a box labeled ‘miscellaneous.’”
Even with a seasonal home, it’s worth being selective about what you keep. Don’t hold on to something simply because you might use it one day. Wilson also recommends choosing a suitable storage spot for each category: hiking equipment may be fine in a garage, while summer dresses need somewhere dry and watertight.
What Goes in the “Exit Home”
The final category—and arguably the most important—is the “exit home.” It’s for belongings you no longer want or need, which can be difficult to know what to do with when you’re decluttering.
Wilson suggests setting aside a small, clearly defined spot for these items, then making sure they don’t stay there for long.
“Most of us recognize the charity shop bag that’s been sitting by the door so long it’s practically part of the furniture. Deciding to donate something is a start, but it hasn’t freed up any space until it leaves,” he points out.
To stop your exit home becoming another storage spot, decide what you’ll do with the items as soon as you put them there.
“Once you’ve decided something can go, make leaving the easiest option,” Wilson says. “Keep donations together, put a drop-off in your diary, and avoid having another rummage through the bag every time you pass it. Otherwise, you end up negotiating with the same jumper three times.”
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