I tried the upside-down decluttering method to organise my home – and I have some thoughts to share

As we all buckle down and settle into the cosy months, many of us are taking the opportunity to bring our homes up to speed. And if you've been struggling to curb the clutter in your home, the upside-down decluttering method could be a handy solution.

I've tried my fair share of professional decluttering techniques, from the 'didn't know' method to the 'use it up' one. All have their pros and cons, but the best ones are often the simplest: they make decluttering easier.

When I first heard about the upside-down decluttering method, I'll admit I had my doubts. Would this be a genuinely helpful method for organising my home, or would it be more hassle than it's worth? Having now put it to the test, I'm pleased to say this method surprised me.

What is the upside-down decluttering method?

The upside-down decluttering method does pretty much what it says on the tin. The idea is that you decide on an area or batch of items to declutter, then you turn these items upside down.

If you use them, you turn them the right way up. If not, they stay upside down so you have a clear indication of what needs to go and what needs to stay.

A method like this won't be necessary for everyone, but not all the decluttering methods I've tested in the past are, like the 30-day minimalism challenge. It just means it will be better suited to certain people.

Professional declutterer Rebecca Crayford can see the appeal. "It's a simple, visual way of seeing what you actually use, rather than what you think you use," she says. "We often hold on to things 'just in case', so the upside-down decluttering method could be a useful way of identifying things you might no longer need or want."

The caveat is that you can't use this method on every area of your home. It's great for items you can easily turn upside down, like mugs, crockery, toiletries, and food cupboard essentials, but it won't work for larger items or items that aren't stored upright.

That said, you can adapt this method. For instance, if you'd like to organise your wardrobe, you could turn your coat hanger hooks the wrong way round, then turn them back around once you've worn each item of clothing.

"It's not quite the upside-down method in the literal sense, but the principle is still the same," Rebecca says. "Over time, you'll see which clothes you're wearing and which you aren't."

I've had a lot of success with some of the latest decluttering trends – both the 'decision fatigue' method and the 80/20 rule have become firm favourites. My thoughts after giving the upside-down method a go? For certain areas of the home, it could be just the ticket.

Trying the upside-down decluttering method

Once I learned the nuances of the upside-down decluttering method, I was keen to give it a go. My mug cupboard was the first place I wanted to start.

I may have doubled my small kitchen storage space with some handy space-saving solutions, but I still struggle to contain my ever-growing mug collection. It's completely my fault for buying more mugs, but I'm feeling ready to let some of them go.

I have some mugs hanging on these handy self-adhesive hooks, £5.99 from Amazon, and these are the ones we reach for most frequently, so I was happy to focus on all the mugs on the cupboard shelf. I turned each mug upside down, and I'll admit I wasn't keen on the way it looked. It made the cupboard feel messy, but I knew that the long-term gain could outweigh the short-term annoyance.

Over the course of a week, most of the mugs were turned the right way round, but it was interesting to see the ones that didn't. A week felt like long enough for this method to do its work, but I'd recommend setting a timeline that feels right for you. Different items may require longer for you to get around to using them.

After seeing which mugs stayed upside down, I was happy to get rid of them. Now I knew they weren't getting used most of the time; storing them felt pointless.

Next, I tested the upside-down method on my spice cupboard. This cupboard has been annoying me for a while because despite having aesthetically pleasing spice racks, there are still lots of jars and clutter to contend with.

I couldn't turn the spices on the rack upside down, but these are the ones we reach for most regularly anyway. After turning all the other spices in the cupboard upside down, I settled on three weeks for the testing period.

Some spices get used less often than others, but they do get used eventually – and then there are the ones that didn't get used at all. The upside-down method provided a clear visual on this, and after letting the unused spices go, my cupboard is in a much better place.

Finally, I decided to try the upside-down method on my shoe collection. I'm constantly reshuffling the shoes in this area, and it's supposed to be a shared space for me and my partner, but there's currently only room for one pair of his shoes (among 8 of mine).

Like with the mugs, I wasn't thrilled about how the shoes looked once I turned them upside down, especially given that I was now greeted by muddy soles every time I went in there. But again, I kept the long-term gain in mind and stored them this way for a couple of weeks, only turning the shoes around once they'd been used.

Given that the shoes that remained upside down were summery in nature, I actually didn't let them go. I'm still glad I tried this method on my shoes, as it was helpful to know that I actually do wear most of the shoes I'm storing, depending on the season. I've now decided to move the sandals and flip-flops elsewhere during winter, which has freed up a lot of space.

Verdict: should you try the upside-down decluttering method?

While I did run into a couple of obstacles when trying the upside-down decluttering method, I don't think this makes the whole thing redundant. It's simply about finding a way to make the method work for you – which I've found to be the case for most decluttering methods anyway.

My favourite thing about the upside-down method is the clear visual it gives you of what's been used, and I was pretty surprised by some of the results. But, as I found when organising my shoes, just because something hasn't been used doesn't mean it should automatically be thrown away.

'I'd treat this as a useful starting point rather than a complete decluttering method,' Rebecca advises. 'If something hasn't been used, ask yourself why.'

If you have a real, valid reason why something might be used in the future, it's fine to keep it. If not, use what the upside-down method has shown you and let it go.

I'd definitely recommend giving the upside-down decluttering method a go. Discovering what items you actually use could be just the dose of motivation you need.