I’m a professional organizer and I swear by this $20 decluttering hack

A professional organizer has unveiled her $20 cleanup rule to help people decide whether or not to part with unused items lying around the house.

Emily, the founder of Spaces by Emily, has nearly 100,000 followers TikTok, where she posts organizational advice. She went viral a few days ago after sharing her “hot cleanup tip.”

“If you’re trying to figure out if you should throw something out, use this rule,” the Los Angeles professional organizer said.

“If it costs less than $20 to repurchase, and you’re not currently using it and haven’t used it for a while, get rid of it.”

“If you’re trying to figure out whether or not to get rid of something, use this rule,” she said. “If it costs less than $20 to repurchase, and you’re not currently using it and haven’t used it in a while, get rid of it”

She explained in the caption that the rule “works like a charm.”

“Disconnect yourself from things that won’t change your life if you eventually have to buy them again (which you probably won’t),” she advised.

The video has been viewed more than 2.2 million times and has inspired viewers to share how they decide when it’s time to let go.

“I heard a good line recently… if you lost it, would you buy again? If not, get rid of it,” one person commented.

“Mine is if my house burned down, would I replace it?” someone else explained.

Another admitted, “Every time I clean up and throw something away, I need it in a week!”

However, some were outraged by the tip, saying it was a sign of her “privilege.”

“Get rid of things that won’t change your life if you end up having to buy them again (which you probably won’t),” she added in the caption

The video has been viewed more than 2.2 million times and has inspired viewers to share how they decide when it’s time to let go, but some have called it a “privileged attitude”

“No, I’m not rich in California yet. $20 is a lot,” one person wrote, while another added, “Umm but $20 is a lot these days…”

“Good heavens, that’s a privileged point of view,” someone else insisted.

Some viewers defended Emily by clarifying what she meant, with one person explaining that you “never buy the item in question again” because you “never really needed it.”

Emily also filmed a follow-up video in response to the backlash.

“I wasn’t trying to say throw out everything in your house that costs less than $20. It makes absolutely no sense,” she said.

Emily filmed a follow-up video in response to the backlash, clarifying that she never said you should throw out everything in the house that costs less than $20

“All I was trying to say is that if you’re already cleaning up… start with the things that cost less,” she explained.

Emily added that when she says throw away, she means they donate, recycle or rehome the item

“All I was trying to say is that if you’re already cleaning up, you’re already going through your house minimizing and getting rid of things, and then start with the things that cost less.”

She noted that you probably won’t need to buy the item in question again because you didn’t use it in the first place, but if you do, it won’t cost a fortune.

“Yeah, $20 can be a lot for someone, but I’m just trying to say it’s not super expensive stuff like 100-plus dollars,” she continued.

“Second, when I say throw it away, I don’t mean throw it in the trash. I mean donate, recycle, [or] rehome to people you know will use.

“If you look back at my other videos, I’m talking about things like don’t buy anything groups. I am very conscious about the environment and recycling and all that. So I just tried to make a quick video.”

‘The end. Be nice,’ she concluded.