Interior Detox: How to Throw Away Half of Your Things and Not Regret It

She took out a sofa, three vases and a collection of magnets to the trash — and began to breathe. The story of Yulia from Yekaterinburg inspired thousands of subscribers.

The rules of her detox are simple: if an item has not been used for a year and does not evoke delight, it has no place in the house.

The first to go were souvenirs from my travels: “I kept the tags from my suitcases, as if they would bring those days back to me.”

Then there was backup equipment: a second toaster oven “in case of breakdown” gathered dust for 5 years.

The third stage was clothes: 70% of the items were hung "for the ideal weight." Having freed up space, Yulia discovered that she loves minimalism.

Instead of a chest of drawers, I bought a bed with drawers, replaced the curtains with roller blinds, and reduced the dishes to 4 sets.

“I used to spend my weekends cleaning, but now I live,” she laughs.

Psychologists confirm: things often become an anchor of the past. Yulia's example proves: parting with junk is not a loss, but the first step to freedom.

If you'd like to follow her example but are afraid you'll regret throwing away your items, try using the following sorting system.

Use the "four boxes" method - "Throw away", "Give away", "Sell", "Keep".

If you can't decide where to put something in 10 seconds, put it in "Throw Away".

Step-by-step instructions for decluttering your wardrobe:

1. Take all the clothes out of the closets and lay them out on the floor.
2. Divide into categories: outerwear, casual, sportswear, going out.
3. Try on each item. If it doesn't fit perfectly or needs repair, put it in the "Give it back" box.
4. Arrange the remaining items by color: basic neutral tones (black, white, beige) on hangers, bright accents on shelves.
5. Place seasonal clothing in vacuum bags and label them with a marker (“Winter 2023”).
6. Repeat steps 1–5 every 3 months, spending no more than 2 hours.

Advice: before throwing away an item, take a photo of it. Look through the photos in a month - if you don't remember the item, feel free to delete the archive.