Tidying – an age-old problem that every household struggles to keep up with. Whether it’s your kitchen, bedroom, entryway or all of the above, there are always certain areas of the house that seem to get messy quicker than we’d like. If you haven’t heard of Marie Kondo yet, here’s the scoop. Marie is a Japanese consultant who aims to help homeowners declutter their spaces. She provides tips, tricks and methods to cleanse your home and then maintain that ‘freshly cleaned’ feel. After the holidays, it’s safe to say that most of us probably have some extra clutter around the home, whether you’re cleaning up after guests, installing new gadgets or unpacking from time away. Here are some top ways for you to enjoy a tidy home this new year:
No More Piles
Marie strongly believes in never piling items; how will you know what’s in the pile if you can’t see it? When you bring the mail home, don’t open a bill and add it to the pile; instead, read it and file if necessary, but likely it can be thrown away. Better yet, contact the company and ask to be taken off their mailing list as most of these documents are now available online.
The same goes for other items in your home. If you have a pocket full of spare change, put it straight into your wallet so that it can be used instead of sitting in a piggybank or on a bedside table only to be forgotten about. When you change out of clothes, don’t throw them on the floor or quickly fold them on top in your dresser. Instead, arrange your clothes vertically so that all of your options can be seen easily when first view them.
Everything Has a Home
With no more piles comes this next tip: everything has a designated spot in your home. For areas that get messy easily, like your front entryway, label areas so that everyone knows where the items go. Label your cubbies, buy a key hanger, install a shoe rack – make tidying as easy as possible so that it becomes part of your everyday routine, not a once-a-month chore.
Does it Spark Joy?
Perhaps Marie’s most famous quote, this is the question you must ask yourself about each item; focus on your clothing in particular. In her popular television show, Marie gets her clients to pull all of their clothing out of their drawers, closets, laundry hampers, entryways – you name it – and make one pile. Then, go through the pile item by item to see if it sparks joy in you. It’s easy to get rid of that sweater you hate or the shirt that bagged out, but sometimes you need an extra push to say “yes, these pants fit, but I never wear them, therefore I should get rid of them.” This is also a great time to sort your unwanted clothes: sell, donate or throw away.
Implementing these tips and tricks into your home will help make your everyday life just a little bit easier – and tidier – this year.
