We’re all familiar with the big spring clean, but the autumn season is just as good a time to reset your home. As we transition into the colder months, we’ll start to spend more time indoors. A clean and tidy home will help you feel calm and relaxed, which consequently can reduce stress and anxiety, as well as increase your energy and productivity. And who couldn’t use a little bit of help with the decluttering process along the way?
While cleaning and organising your home is a rewarding task, the idea can also be quite overwhelming, especially for those of us who have ‘stored away’ years of unopened and unwanted gifts and gimmicks in the back of our kitchen drawers and storage cupboards. Decluttering a room is likely to cause a bit of a mess in the process, but as long as you’ve chosen a method that works for you and your home, you’re guaranteed to end up with a cleaner and tidier space.

One hack that’s proven popular to conquer clutter, at least on social media, is the ‘one room at a time’ rule. The method was conceived by ex-house cleaner and TikToker @cindellkimbrough, who claims it is ‘the most efficient way to get your entire house done really fast.’ The three-minute video has now been viewed over 6.7 million times and the comment section is flooded with praise for her ‘quick and efficient’ step-by-step cleaning guide. So what exactly does it involve?
The ‘one room at a time’ rule, explained
Step 1: Choose a room. If you’re working with a large open space or hallway, divide it into smaller ‘rooms’.
Step 2. Pick up any clutter that’s on the floor and put it away. If there’s something in the room that does not belong in the room, leave it outside the door.
Step 3: Choose a corner to tidy (these can be little tasks such as making your bed or reorganising the top of your bedside tables) and work your way around the room.
Step 4: Time for dusting! Go back to that first corner and work your way around the room again with a damp microfibre cloth. Wipe doors from top to bottom (paneling included) and follow along the baseboards.
Step 5: Vacuum and/or mop the floors.