{"id":358,"date":"2022-04-21T12:25:11","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T12:25:11","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-09-05T23:04:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T15:04:11","slug":"spring-cleaning-tips-from-marie-kondo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/spring-cleaning-tips-from-marie-kondo\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Cleaning Tips From Marie Kondo"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you haven\u2019t gotten around to doing your Spring cleaning, or you\u2019ve started but hit a wall, perhaps you just need some advice from an expert. Marie Kondo, author of the New York Times<\/em> Best Seller, \u201cThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up\u201d<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>became famous for her excellent organizing, tidying, and decluttering tips. Many people around the world have used her book for Spring cleaning tips, and have used her advice as a guide to complete this grueling task.<\/p>\n

In this insightful book, Marie Kondo explains that many people aren\u2019t tidy or organized because they simply never learned how, and they\u2019ve developed messy habits<\/a>. It\u2019s tough to be an organized, tidy and clean person if you don\u2019t know how. So, if you haven\u2019t finished your Spring cleaning, or you haven\u2019t started and you\u2019re getting frustrated, keep reading this article to get some much-needed motivation and tidying tips. Below, we\u2019ll review some of Marie Kondo\u2019s top tips for tidying up your home or apartment. We\u2019ll explain how to put the KonMari Method she swears by into action, so you can achieve that sense of peace, \u00a0happiness, and increased confidence that comes with living in a tidy, decluttered, and organized space.<\/p>\n

1. Start Your Spring Cleaning by Discarding Unnecessary Items<\/h2>\n

The most common reason for a messy, disorganized, cluttered home is that you own an incredible excess of items, and you\u2019re unaware of just how much you own that you don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n

Marie Kondo says you must<\/em> start with the act of discarding. Many people dread this step of Spring cleaning because of the time it involves, and the difficulty of parting with certain items, even if they\u2019re unneeded.<\/p>\n

Discarding can be a big job that could potentially take days, especially if you have a storage closet full to the ceiling of stacked bins to go through and discard.<\/p>\n

However, there are many pros of this step of tidying. You\u2019ll learn how to live with less, your home will look tidier with less stuff, and you\u2019ll be able to donate items to people in need.<\/p>\n

A pro of cleaning out your storage closet and discarding a bunch of unnecessary items is that this storage closet can now be re-organized and used to store your keepsakes. Perhaps some of these keepsakes were taking up room in your bedroom closet, which can now become more organized because you\u2019ve transferred items to the newly freed-up space in the storage closet.<\/p>\n

\"circlemagazine-circledna-spring-cleaning\"<\/figure>\n

2. Be Ruthless When You\u2019re Discarding and Only Keep What \u201cSparks Joy\u201d<\/h2>\n

Discarding clutter and unneeded items will make a huge difference in your Spring cleaning success, but you have to be ruthless.<\/p>\n

Marie Kondo famously said, \u201cDoes it spark joy?\u201d What she means is that when it comes to discarding, you must be ruthless and only keep items that spark joy. This is especially true for clothing, but it can also be true for coffee mugs, books, and other items.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s use clothing as an example. Yes, sometimes it\u2019s easy to make a decision to add a piece of clothing to your \u2018discarding\u2019 trash bag if it\u2019s too small, you haven\u2019t worn it in years, it\u2019s out of style, or no longer in good condition. Other clothing items, however, will be more difficult to discard. That\u2019s why you should follow Marie Kondo\u2019s advice of asking yourself this important question while holding a specific item in your hand: Is what I\u2019m holding something that sparks joy? <\/em>If it does, keep it. If it doesn\u2019t spark joy, discard it. Marie Kondo explains, \u201cKeep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

This method of discarding allows you to enjoy a new type of lifestyle at home where you\u2019re only surrounded by select items that spark joy and touch your heart. As Marie Kondo says in her book, \u201cImagine yourself living in a space that contains only things that spark joy. Isn\u2019t this the lifestyle you dream of?\u201d<\/p>\n

As for your bags of discarded items, the less fortunate will appreciate the generous gift.<\/p>\n

3. Focus on One Category at a Time While Spring Cleaning<\/h2>\n

Marie Kondo swears that you\u2019ll do a more effective job of Spring cleaning, tidying and organizing your home if you focus on one category at a time. Clothing is one of the best categories to start with. When it comes to clothing, Marie Kondo says, \u201cSearch every room of the house. Bring every piece of clothing you find to the same place, and spread them out on the floor. Then pick up each outfit and see if it sparks joy. Those and only those are the ones to keep.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you have too many clothes, you can use sub-categories of clothing such as tops, sweaters, pants, skirts, etc. You can spread those out on the floor one sub-category at a time, discarding what does not bring joy.<\/p>\n

In other words, to follow this expert tip correctly, you\u2019re first searching your entire home for articles of clothing, and laying each item of clothing on the ground somewhere \u2013 likely in your living room. You\u2019ll be able to see the clothing items, touch the fabric, and be honest about whether or not it sparks joy. You\u2019ll know which to keep, and which to discard, and then you\u2019re finished discarding in the clothing category.<\/p>\n

At this point, you\u2019ll do the same thing for other categories. For example, your next category to tackle might be books. You\u2019ll lay books on the ground, and you\u2019ll know which ones you haven\u2019t read yet that you\u2019ll likely never read. You\u2019ll also know which books mean something to you, that you\u2019d like to keep.<\/p>\n

\"circlemagazine-circledna-spring-cleaning\"<\/figure>\n

4. Clothing Storage, Organizing and Arranging<\/h2>\n

If you followed Marie Kondo\u2019s above tip of laying all clothing items on the floor and discarding everything that did not spark joy, you should be left with much less, making it much easier to tidy, store and organize your clothes. Marie Kondo says, \u201cMy clients are usually left with only a third to a quarter of the clothes they started out with. As the clothes are still piled in the middle of the floor, it\u2019s time to start putting them away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kondo goes on to explain that most of your clothes should be folded, as hanging them up takes up more space.<\/p>\n

Kondo explains, \u201cThe goal is to fold each piece of clothing into a simple, smooth rectangle. First, fold each lengthwise side of the garment toward the center (such as the left-hand, then right-hand, sides of a shirt) and tuck the sleeves in, to make a long rectangular shape. It doesn\u2019t matter how you fold the sleeves. Next, pick up one short end of the rectangle and fold it toward the other end. Then fold again, in the same manner, in halves or thirds. The number of folds should be adjusted so that the folded clothing when standing on edge fits the height of the drawer. This is the basic principle that will ultimately allow your clothes to be stacked on edge, side by side, so that when you pull open your drawer you can see the edge of every item inside.\u201d In other words, this folding method allows you to stack your clothing standing up, rather than laid flat, so that your drawer is now organized<\/em> and allows you to see every item at a glance once you open the drawer.<\/p>\n

Kondo explains that most clothes should be folded. This means that you may want to invest in another dresser or chest of drawers, and perhaps even some hanging shelves for your closet. However, certain items such as jackets, skirts and dresses are best hung up in your closet.<\/p>\n

When it comes to arranging the clothes hanging in your closet, Kondo suggests this: \u201cBy category, coats would be on the far left, followed by dresses, jackets, pants, skirts, and blouses.\u201d The most important part is that you hang up your clothes in \u2018sections\u2019 or \u2018categories\u2019 of items.<\/p>\n

5. Designate a Space for Each Category of Items<\/h2>\n

Now that you\u2019ve started Spring cleaning off with a bang by discarding excess and unnecessary items, it\u2019s time to categorize.<\/p>\n

Having a tidy and organized home requires a designated space for each thing. For example, perhaps your den has a drawer that is your designated \u2018notebooks and journals\u2019 drawer. Suddenly, your coffee table doesn\u2019t look cluttered with random notebooks.<\/p>\n

It may help you to draw a sketch of each room in your home that has drawers and shelves. From there, decide which drawer or shelf will be for which category of items, and you\u2019ll stick to that plan.<\/p>\n

Marie Kondo explains in \u201cThe Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up\u201d <\/em>that the beauty of designating a space for everything is that your home is less likely to become cluttered again if everything has a home. \u201cThe reason every item must have a designated place is because the existence of an item without a home multiples the chances that your space will become cluttered again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is it in Your Genes to be Messy?<\/h2>\n

You might wonder if the reason why you\u2019re messy has to do with your genetics. Sometimes, messiness runs in the family, and other times, you legitimately have a genetic health condition such as ADHD that impacts your ability to be organized and tidy. If someone with ADHD found a way to focus for a day and used the above tips from Marie Kondo, they\u2019d likely make progress, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not more challenging for them. After all, tidying and organizing requires executive functioning skills that some people struggle with due to a genetic condition such as anxiety or ADHD.<\/p>\n

Executive dysfunction<\/a> can certainly contribute to messiness or disorganization.<\/p>\n

Find out through a CircleDNA test<\/a> if you have genetic traits that could be making it more difficult to be tidy. Do you have something in your DNA that impacts your executive functioning skills? However, know that anyone<\/em> can learn to be tidy and organized, especially if they follow an expert\u2019s tips such as Marie Kondo\u2019s tips.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts from Marie Kondo on Tidying Up<\/h2>\n

Below are some of the most useful quotes to remember from Marie Kondo\u2019s book, \u201cThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

On not letting your home get back to how it was before, Kondo says, <\/strong>\u201cClutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong.\u201d (Remember her advice about giving everything a designated home such as a designated drawer or shelf, and remember to always put those items in their home.)<\/p>\n

On how only being surrounded by select items that spark joy improves your mood: <\/strong>\u201cI can think of no greater happiness in life than to be surrounded only by the things I love.\u201d (Remember that you can achieve this if, when discarding items in your home, you only keep what sparks joy. This way, you no longer lament that your home is full of junk you don\u2019t use. Now that you\u2019ve finally done the leg work and discarded the junk, you can live in a home where you\u2019re simply surrounded by the items you need and love. This improves your mood and sense of peace at home.)<\/p>\n

On how tidying up or Spring cleaning could change your life: <\/strong>\u201cTidying dramatically changes one\u2019s life. This is true for everyone, 100 percent. The impact of this effect, which I have dubbed \u2018the magic of tidying,\u2019 is phenomenal.\u201d Kondo goes on to say, \u201cWhen we reduce what we own and essentially \u2018detox\u2019 our house, it has a detox effect on our bodies as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

So there you have it. Spring cleaning and tidying up \u2013 the right way \u2013 feels like the detox you needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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