If you haven’t heard of Netflix’s new show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”, you must be living under a rock. In the show, Marie Kondo helps families declutter their homes and recapture their living spaces while keeping items that “Spark Joy”.
Let’s take a look at 5 decluttering methods we’ve learned from Marie.
Clothing
It’s important to start with clothing. We tend to collect a lot of items we don't wear or no longer fit. These items can easily be donated to others who may cherish them more than you.
Marie recommends taking all of your clothes and putting them in a pile. Then sorting through each item to find ones that “Spark Joy”. These are items that you’d want to keep and will actually wear. Items that you don’t need shouldn't be tossed away, instead they should be thanked and carefully discarded in a donation pile. This helps you mentally work through letting some items go and appreciating the ones you have.
Books
Like clothes, we tend to collect books that never get read. Go through books and keep items that spark joy while discarding donatable items. Consider using an e-reader in the future to prevent books from becoming additional clutter.
Paper
Old mail and documents pile up fast. Especially with the amount of junk mail everyone receives. Find storage boxes that allow you to file important paper documents while discarding and shredding unwanted paper items.
Komono (Kitchen, bathroom, garage, miscellaneous)
By now you should have a good grasp on how to declutter and the ball should be moving fairly well.
In this step, Marie tells you to get rid of excess items and to organize remaining items in smaller compartments. Marie uses small boxes in drawers to create compartments that properly fit different item types. By sorting items by type and size, it makes it easy to put things back where they belong.
Sentimental Items
We should save sentimental items for last. These are the hardest items to get rid of and to sort through and often derail the progress we’ll make. Sentimental items should be kept for display or stored in boxes.
Conclusion
Marie has sparked a nationwide effort in America to start decluttering and re-thinking what type of items are important to us.
Store important items in clear storage bins so you know what you have and so you can avoid re-buying items you already have.
If you’re downsizing, store extra items in remote storage units like those offered by Bargain Storage. Learn more about our self storage solutions today!