This weekend, my wife and I did our first deep clean of the home we bought give or take nine months ago. And let me tell you, it was one of the most awesome and cathartic things we’ve done since moving in.

(Well, that was definitely a bit of an overstatement, but it was certainly long overdue, and despite all of the hard work, it definitely made us feel great!)

After cleaning out what was meant to be the office but somehow became the de facto “junk room,” the garage, and our bedroom closet, we were able to donate seven boxes of stuff, recycle two bags of papers, throw out three bags of stuff, and ultimately lift what felt like a three ton weight off of our shoulders.

Long story short, I’m not really sure how to explain it, but getting rid of all of that stuff just felt great!

Before my wife and I started our deep clean, we had to lay down some ground rules. After all, this wasn’t our first time attempting to deep clean, it’s just every time prior had ended up being nothing more than an exercise in futility.

As it turns out, there was really only one ground rule we need to abide by. And, in an attempt to help expedite your spring/summer/fall/winter cleaning, I thought I would share the one rule that worked so well for my wife and me.

When either of us would grab something, no matter what it was, and try decide whether or not to keep it, we had to ask ourselves: “Will I ever really look at, use, or need this again?”

If the answer was anything other than a definitive yes, we had to put it in the donate, recycle, or trash pile. If the answer was maybe, I think so, possibly, or even if there was a pause in our thought process, the item had to go.

Due to the fact we made de-cluttering such a black and white issue thanks to this rule/question and answer, we were able to get rid of things that had done nothing but take up space and collect dust. Things like stuffed animals, broken DVD players, sweatshirts that hadn’t been worn in years, and useless papers – all gone. And it felt great!

So, on that note, I would like to offer the following advice:

De-clutter and downsize, and do it immediately. Your living space will feel a lot bigger and you won’t feel like such a slave to your possessions. Enact the “will I ever really look at, use, or need this again?” rule. This will maximize your de-cluttering efforts and expedite the awesomeness that comes with it!

Chance are, you’ll find tons of stuff to donate (which can lead to a nice tax write-off), recycle, and throw out. And by getting rid of all that stuff, I guarantee it’ll feel great.

Now, enjoy this video on some extreme de-cluttering!