How to Do the KonMari Method At Home

If you haven’t heard of Marie Kondo yet, she’s the superstar Japanese home organizer. And thanks to her best-selling book and hit Netflix show, she’s become famous world-wide, for her home decluttering techniques and tricks.

In Part 1 of our KonMari blog post series, we introduced you to her and her unique KonMari method of cleaning.

In Part 2, we’re diving deeper. We’ve implemented several of Marie’s strategies into our cleaning and organizing routine, and these are the top 5 tricks that have worked best for us:

Sort through your clothing first, and only keep what “sparks joy”

Marie has a very specific “method to the madness” that she uses every single time she works. She begins in the bedrooms (where most people store their clothing) and asks that we place ALL clothing in a huge pile on our beds. From there, you go through each item individually, to see if it makes you feel happy or joyful when you hold it. If it doesn’t, you discard or donate it.

Let’s not kid ourselves, it’s a tedious and exhausting process - but it really works! Seeing the pile shrink before your eyes is very satisfying and gratifying. Take the time to do it, and you’ll find at the end that you’re keeping only the items that you enjoy and WANT to wear.

Only move on to the next category of items when you are done!

In order to make the most of the KonMari method, follow her advice - don’t skip around to other categories until you finish one at a time. Work in this order: Clothing, Books, Papers, Misc Items, and finally Sentimental Items. Remember, each category should be sorted individually, but it should encompass the entire home at once, not just one room at a time.

Utilize a folding method that works for you to store items efficiently

In her book and TV show, Marie explains exactly how to fold various articles of clothing (whether its a shirt, pants, or socks) in a way that is easy and tidy. While her method is great, and works really well, we’ve found it a bit hard to maintain - especially when we’re tired or on the go. If you find that you cannot always keep things folded the KonMari way, at least try to store it neatly! And then, when you do have some extra time, you can go back and straighten out those drawers. The idea is to have a space that creates ease - if using a dresser is impractical or stressful for you, hang your items or use different organizers to keep them in order. Do what works for you and makes you stay tidy.

Make it a family experience that you and your spouse can do together. And involve your kids if you have them.

Cleaning and decluttering an entire house is a big big job - and shouldn’t fall to one person. When it comes to doing the KonMari method, the best approach is to involve the whole family - it enables everyone to get involved and contribute, and will make things more fun and collaborative. It is especially useful for the little ones to see all members of the household participating in chore time, and will give them the chance to learn an important skill from a young age. 

Be mindful of the new items you purchase & bring into your home. Want vs need!

Going through the “magic of tidying up” is a true exercise in mindfulness - it makes you see first-hand what you possess in your household, and what items you truly want to have. Americans are prone to seeking out more stuff, as we live in a consumer-driven society based on having the next best thing. But when you go through an extensive decluttering process, you realize that you already have more than enough of what you need, and that life will be fine without that newest tech gadget or trendy top. Before you purchase new things, take the time to reflect and decide if you need that item, or just want it. More than likely, you’ll find that its an impulse buy, and you can live without it. Your tidy and clean home will thank you!

As always, thanks for reading our blog. And if you have any home organizing or decluttering hacks you’d like to share with us, please do so in the comments below!