Most of us have said it when facing a house full of stuff: “I do not need all of this.” Then the boxes pile up anyway. One TikTok creator decided to do something about it, and she turned the whole job into a game.
The creator, @crystalcreatingchaos, is decluttering her house as part of downsizing, so she is left with only the belongings she actually needs. She even named her series after the attitude behind it, which boils down to “just throw it away.” But she knows herself. If it is not fun, she is not going to do it. So she built two buckets.
The first holds numbers from one through 30. The second holds what she calls modifiers, which tell her where the stuff will come from: the bedroom, the kitchen, anywhere in the house, or even a specific type of item like books or toys.
@crystalcreatingchaos
Day one: twenty-eight items from the bathroom
On the first day she hoped for a high number because she was feeling motivated. She drew 28. Then she drew from the second bucket and got “bathroom.” That meant 28 items had to leave her bathroom, and she noted that she had already decluttered it once, so the job might be hard.
She also set a rule for herself. She does not want to simply throw everything in the trash, because a lot of what she owns is still usable. Some of it will go to the garbage, but much of it will be donated, since someone else may need it.
A few of the items she held up show how easily bathrooms fill up with things we never use:
- A shower steamer she actually loved the smell of, but which made her break out, so it had to go.
- A brand-new Bath and Body Works item in a peppermint scent that she simply does not like.
- A random travel toothpaste set.
That was day one done, and she promised to come back the next day, draw again, and see what else could go.
Why a game makes decluttering stick
The clever part is that she took the hardest part of decluttering, deciding where to start, and handed it to chance. There is no staring at a messy house wondering what to tackle. The bucket tells you. A fixed number tells you when you are finished, and a surprise location keeps it interesting.
It also works with what we know about getting started on any big project. People stall when a job feels shapeless. A clear daily target of a set number of items from a set place makes it small enough to finish before supper.
How to run your own number-bucket challenge
You do not need to be downsizing to try this. It works just as well if you are simply tired of tripping over things. Here is how to set it up:
- Write numbers on slips of paper. Use one through 30, one number per slip, and put them in a bowl, jar, or bucket. If a full month feels like too much, use one through 10 and play for ten days.
- Make a second container for places. Write down rooms and categories: bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, closet, garage, books, toys, clothes, shoes, the junk drawer. Add as many as you like.
- Draw one of each, and go. Whatever number you pull is how many items must leave that location today. Count them out loud if it helps.
- Sort into three bags. Trash, donate, and sell. Anything that is brand new or in good shape can be donated or sold. Anything broken, expired, or used up goes in the trash.
- Remove the bags the same day. Put the donation bag in the car and the trash at the curb. Items left by the door have a way of creeping back into the house.
Tips for tricky categories
Bathrooms and bedrooms collect the sort of items that are easy to overlook, so here are some guidelines:
- Beauty and bath products: If a product irritated your skin or you never liked the scent, you are unlikely to change your mind. Sealed, unused products can often be given to a friend or a shelter that accepts toiletries, while opened items usually belong in the trash.
- Travel-size items: These multiply quickly. Keep a small kit that is actually packed for trips and let go of the extras.
- Gifts you do not love: Receiving something does not obligate you to keep it forever. Pass it on to someone who will enjoy it.
If you draw a number that feels too high, remember that the creator hoped for a big number on day one, because she had the energy for it. You can do the same. Save your high-number days for the weekends and treat the low numbers as an easy win on a busy weekday.
The best part of the game is that it adds up. Thirty days of removing items from your home, whether you are downsizing or not, can leave you with a lighter, calmer house and a lot less to store or worry about.
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