Decluttering Kondo Style

Despite having a best selling book, Marie Kondo was not exactly a household name before the beginning of 2019. The January 1st premier of her Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, changed all that. Bright and bubbly, Kondo helps couples and families transform their homes using her quirky system of decluttering that she refers to as tidying. With the help of her translator, this petite Japanese woman makes big changes in not only the amount of physical stuff filling up people’s homes but also in the amount of emotional baggage that stuff carries with it.

The basic premise of the KonMari method is ridding your home of any items that no longer spark joy in your heart. Starting with clothing, then working through books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and ending with sentimental items, Kondo encourages her followers to declutter by category by physically touching each item and deciding if it sparks joy. If it does not, thank the item for its usefulness and donate it.

Although many people find the thanking of their items odd, this habit is based in the Shinto belief that all objects have a spirit. For the same reason, she encourages people to tap their books to wake them up before sorting them and she also greets each house before she starts.

One of the other big takeaways from Kondo’s television series is how she stores the items left behind after purging a household. Folding your clothes so that they stand up in your drawer and you can see everything at once is one of the easiest ways to start. Another way she organizes things is by using boxes to store like items in drawers or on countertops. Making the items you have accessible and visible helps you to realize which items you really use because they bring you joy and which items you pass over time and time again. Plus, when things look nice, you’re more likely to put things away and keep everything looking nice.

Danielle Murphy is mom to three cute (but crazy) kiddos, married to a heavy rescue tow truck driver, and owner of her own creative small business. When she's not busy wrangling kids or letting her creativity take over, she likes to binge watch Psych while drinking Diet Coke.