I’m rethinking my relationship with clutter – and the dissolving caterpillar method is the mindful approach I needed

When I first heard about the dissolving caterpillar decluttering method, I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But the more I read, the more it seemed to chime with something I’ve been quietly working on this year: rethinking my relationship with the things I bring into my home.

I had a bit of a lightbulb moment towards the start of 2025. I realised that so much of what I’d accumulated over the years wasn’t really adding anything to my life – in fact, it was just taking up space, physically and mentally. Since then, I’ve put some of the most popular decluttering methods to the test, in a bid to cleanse my home and streamline its contents so they feel more aligned with – well, me.

The dissolving caterpillar decluttering method involves doing a bit of inner work first, so before I gave it a go, I spoke to a home organisation expert and a clinical psychologist to ensure I got the most out of the process.

What is the dissolving caterpillar decluttering method?

The whimsical (if slightly bizarre) name of this method hints at its uniqueness.

'It’s a phrase coined by an interior designer, Olga Naiman, and has its roots in wellness,' Simon Glanville, managing director of Not A Boring Box explains. 'Rather than just decluttering your space, you’re actually getting rid of old versions of yourself, like the ‘transformation’ of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.'

Transformation is the key theme of this method, encouraging us to think a little deeper while we declutter. So, we're not just getting rid of stuff for the sake of it – we're trying to cultivate a more harmonious relationship with our homes, and create a space that better reflects our priorities.

It's a nice concept for sure, but how does it work in practise? While I'm all for leaning in to a mindful decluttering approach, there still needs to be a practical pay-off for it to work.

'It's about taking the time to really think about what you’re decluttering and why,' Simon says. 'That avoids a panic declutter or you being surrounded by small (or large) piles of items you’re not sure what to do with.'

If you're someone who finds decluttering the home overwhelming (me too), then the dissolving caterpillar method could be particularly helpful.

'Decision fatigue is a big barrier to decluttering, and it happens when your brain is already overloaded; pushing harder choices into tomorrow feels like relief, so the cycle repeats,' clinical psychologist and co-founder of UK Therapy Rooms, Dr Daniel Glazer says. 'For some, possessions even become part of identity, and letting go feels like erasing a small piece of self.'

By encouraging a more mindful approach to decluttering, the dissolving caterpillar method prompts us to take everything one step at a time. Instead of rushing through in a bid to quickly clean the home, we instead need to slow everything down and think about what we want to let go of – and why.

Trying the dissolving caterpillar method

Before trying the dissolving caterpillar method, I pulled out one of my favourite notebooks and made a decluttering checklist, to help me work through the different areas of my home in priority order. I also wanted to have a space to write down any reflections as I was working through the method. It definitely made the whole process feel therapeutic.

As I've been itching to declutter my make-up collection for some time now, I decided to start here. I know I've been storing way more than I need to, and despite investing in some nifty organising solutions for my dressing table drawer, the whole thing still felt chaotic.

Yet, I haven't thrown anything away before now because I didn't want to feel like I'd wasted money. And getting rid of barely-used cosmetics does make me feel guilty in the environmental department.

But, keeping the concept of the dissolving caterpillar in mind, I evaluated what I was gaining from holding on to all this excess. If I threw these items out now, surely this was the push I needed to stop buying make-up I didn't need in the future. I had a clear visual of how many cosmetics had barely been used, and bottles in the drawer which (I'm embarrassed to say) went out of date in January 2024.

This was a stark indication that I'd been storing items I didn't need. Letting them go was wonderfully cathartic, and I couldn't help but resonate with the idea of a caterpillar shedding its layers, and inching towards a new era.

I'm yet to apply the dissolving caterpillar decluttering method to other areas of my home, but rest assured I will be. And I'm hopeful that by the end, I will feel like I've undergone a full transformation – and created a more beautiful home in the process.

Would you try this decluttering method?