The wedding guest decluttering method - an organising pro reveals her best kept secret and it's so good

We’re always intrigued by new cleaning techniques and decluttering methods that go viral on  TikTok and Instagram and are keen to try them to see if they actually work. But this time we got to a brand new trick before social media did - and we’re coining it the wedding guest decluttering method. 

If you haven’t heard of this cleaning advice, don’t worry. Neither did we before speaking to CPO® certified professional organiser and founder of SortMySpace, Katherine Blackler.

Katherine let us in on her best-kept secret when it comes to decluttering. And it’s blowing our mind how straightforward yet effective it is. We simply can’t keep quiet and must share it with the world. So how does this method work? And why is it so good? Let us tell you.

The wedding guest decluttering method

The essence of this unheard-of technique is in its name. Basically, when you go through your decluttering checklist you think of your things as wedding guests and who (or what things) you’d invite to what stages of your wedding (the ceremony, the reception etc.) to assess the item’s importance in your life. 

Katherine Blackler

Based in London and owner of SortMySpace Ltd, Katherine is the first CPO® certified professional organizer in the UK. She is the past President of APDO (Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers) in the UK and a Golden Circle member of NAPO National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals based in the US.

This is how Katherine of SortMySpace herself breaks it down, ‘I will sometimes help clients rank their belongings in a similar way to considering a wedding guest list,’ she says. 

‘There are some people (things) that absolutely have to be there for all the wedding day celebrations (life, as it currently stands), some who are invited for the reception only (e.g. items still important to you that add value) and some who only get invited if or when there's space for them. Some people (things) just don't make the cut to get an invite (for these belongings that means ditch, donate, recycle etc.).’

Similar to the decluttering ‘move-out’ method, this process forces you to really think about every single thing you own and whether it has a place in your life, whether it serves a purpose or brings you joy. But unlike the trending move-out method that makes you pack up all of your belongings in the process as if you were moving out, only to unpack them once you’re done decluttering (which is a lot of work!). 

The wedding guest decluttering method is not so extreme and feels more doable that way.