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Marie Kondo House Cleaning with Konmari Komono

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There are five main steps in the Konmari cleaning method. Probably the largest is the Marie Kondo house tidying up phase they refer to as Komono. Komono includes everything not included in one of the other steps.

Konmari Cleaning Method

There are five steps in the KonMari cleaning method, if you are just finding this article start with step 1. The Marie Kondo cleaning really should be done in order to get maximum results.

  1. Clothing
  2. Books
  3. Papers
  4. Komono
  5. Sentimental items

Marie Kondo House Cleaning Tips

Throughout the show Tidying Up on Netflix we gets lots of little tips on how to clean more efficiently. Here are a few of my favorites.

  • Store Seasonal items in storage bins
  • Put Seasonal items for maintenance of your property together. For example, your summer stuff such as lawnmower and hedge trimmers should be stored together. While your snow shovel and salt pails in a different area.
  • Get rid of duplicate items. Such as appliances, tools, etc.
  • Find ways to organize your items, so they are easy to find. This often means finding alternative solutions so you can see everything you have. We tend to store everything in a big bin and then you don’t remember what is in the container.

Gratitude

One of the biggest lessons you will learn if you follow the Marie Kondo house cleaning method is gratitude. Every show starts with Marie Kondo blessing and thanking the home she’s about to be part of. Even as you clean up and discard things, she asks homeowners to express thankfulness for that item.

Being thankful for what an item has done for you lets you let go of that item with less guilt. Even if you never got to use something, you should be grateful you had that item to show you that your interests were somewhere else. This is a great life lesson for everyone to use.

Marie Kondo Organizing Paper

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Are you a super organized person? I can’t say that anyone would say I’m super organized. I am good at time management, but cleaning or organization not so much. Marie Kondo paper

I recently started watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo where she talks about the Konmari cleaning method. The third step of this process is organizing paper.

Konmari Cleaning Method

There are five steps in the KonMari cleaning method

  1. Clothing
  2. Books
  3. Papers
  4. Komono
  5. Sentimental items

Marie Kondo Paper Tips

  • Have a designated area in the house to deal with paper. This could be a desk, a box, or a drawer.
  • First deal with pending documents. These are things that are waiting for you to do something such as letters and bills. When you are ready to tidy up your paper, then you should pay your bills and respond or file messages. Have a plan in place and stick to a schedule.
  • Second is essential documents such as things you need to keep permanently like insurance and tax items. You should set up a filing system or have a permanent location to put them.
  • Miscellaneous documents you have like cut-outs of magazines or things you want to go back and read should have their separate box or place. This allows you easy access and keeps them organized.

Marie Kondo Books

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The Konmari cleaning method is explained in detail in our post titled Marie Kondo Cleaning Tips. Start with that post, so you don’t skip any steps. In this article, we are discussing the second step of the Marie Kondo cleaning method by talking about books.

There are five steps in the KonMari cleaning method

  1. Clothing
  2. Books
  3. Papers
  4. Komono
  5. Sentimental items

How to start dealing with books

The first step of the Marie Kondo books category is to take all of your books and put them into a big pile. Next, you will take every book into your hands and see if it sparks joy for you. With books, you also want to ask yourself if having that book will be beneficial for your life going forward.

  • Will you use the book again?
  • Are you going to Reference the book in the future?
  • In the future will you reread the book?

Books should give you some sort of emotional reaction. If they don’t then you should show gratitude towards them and let them go.

Other Marie Kondo Books tips

  • You should try to limit your book collection to 20-30 books at any given time.
  • If books have been stored for a long time you need to wake them up.
  • Don’t confuse joy with guilt for letting something go.

Marie Kondo Cleaning Tips

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Lately, I started to hear about the Marie Kondo Cleaning phenomenon and decided I needed to watch this show on Netflix for myself. So I settled in for a comfy Saturday on the couch and thought to myself “I sure hope I can learn some Marie Kondo tips to help me.”

If you know me at all, you would realize I HATE cleaning. I don’t just dislike it; I full out hate it. Now I know it needs to be done, but it’s never been an enjoyable thing for me. Maybe learning some new cleaning tips will help energize me to finally tackle some of those unpacked boxes we have lying around the house.

Marie Kondo Tips

Clean in Categories

The very first of the Marie Kondo tips is to clean by category, not by location. Cleaning by category helps to establish a start and end to tidying. She believes you need to clean by this category order:

Tips for Tidying

Hold each item to see if it brings you joy. If you hold each thing and it doesn’t bring you joy then you should let it go or get rid of it. I have heard of something similar before by looking at something and deciding if it falls into one of three categories.

  • Do you need it to make money?
  • Do you need it because you use it every day?
  • Or do you need it because you genuinely love it?

If an item doesn’t fall into one of these categories, then you get rid of it. Marie Kondo believes that if you concentrate on the subject, you will decide if you need it and if you don’t you can then get rid of it.

Other Marie Kondo Tips

While watching several episodes of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix here are some cleaning tips I have picked up.

  • Keep like sized items together
  • Use tiny boxes to keep things organized
  • Fold clothes into small squares
  • Store things so you can see what you have
  • When you have a lot of something put it in a big pile so you can see everything you have and make a better decision on if you need it all.
  • Store decorations in boxes not in plastic bags.

Marie Kondo Folding Method

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While watching Tidying UP with Marie Kondo, I learned a new method of dealing with clothes. Read this article for more information about the full Marie Kondo method. In this article, we will look at the Marie Kondo Folding method for dealing with your clothing.

Folding clothes isn’t something I love, but it’s not my least favorite household chore either. However, I can honestly say that this method of folding items makes them much neater. As a bonus, if you store them correct, you can then easily see what you have. Folding clothes using the Marie Kondo folding method makes storage so much simpler.

Deciding on Wardrobe

Before we can get to folding your clothes you have to deal with all the excess you have. Put all your clothing into one big pile. Hold each item individually and decide if it sparks joy. If it does not, gently discard the item. If it does, you get to keep it.

Marie Kondo Folding Shirts

The first step to folding clothes using the Marie Koldo folding method is to lay your clothing item out flat. For this example, we will assume you are folding a shirt. The second step is to fold the sleeves of your shirt to form a long rectangle. The third step is to fold your item in half. The final step is to fold it into thirds. When clothing items are folded in this method, they should stand on their own.

Here is a video you can watch where Marie Kondo goes over this method.

Folding Fitted Sheets

Many people make folding fitted sheets complicated. They don’t need to be. Fold the elastic to the inside, while maintaining the rectangle shape. Then you fold in half. Depending on where you are going to store those sheets will depend on if you then roll it, fold it in thirds or leave it folded in half.

Here is a quick video to help you.

Folding Neckties

Use the same method as a shirt to start by folding them in half. However, instead of folding the ties into thirds you roll them. This will allow you to then store them in a small box to place in a drawer. Making it easy to see which ones you want to wear and offers an easy storage solution.

12 Steps to Declutter your Life

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There is so much talk about how to get rid of the clutter in your life. I’ve seen posts on pantries, offices, homes in general and just getting rid of stuff. I think decluttering is so much more than the “stuff” you keep around. Here are my 12 steps to Declutter your life.

Get rid of duplicates

Duplicate items take up space. If you don’t have a specific need for multiples, then get rid of them. Sell them, donate them, throw them if necessary. It doesn’t do you any good to have ten spatulas when you can only use one or two at any given time.

Have you used it in the past year?

Another tip to declutter, If you haven’t used an item in the past year, likely you don’t need it, especially if you can borrow that item from someone. For example, we don’t have a trailer and do occasionally need one to haul brush or bark chips. Instead of buying and storing the trailer, we borrow one from a family member or a friend.

Can you digitalize it?

A fast way to declutter all those kids paintings and pictures is to digitalize them. Do you need to keep 1000 of your kid’s pictures they drew growing up? Or can you take photos of them and create a scrapbook out of them to remember all those moments? Sometimes there isn’t a way to digitize something memorable, but for most paper type things you can. And you should! Those items will take up so much less space in a scrapbook or saved to your computer.

Are you only keeping this because you would feel guilty if you didn’t?

I know I’ve struggled with this. My friend, grandma, mom, sister, etc. gave me this item. Therefore, I can’t get rid of it. Well to tell you the truth, you can get rid of it and help declutter your house. Clean up the extra stuff you’ve held onto in your life and house, and stop being guilty about it.

Does it have a place?

Do you have a dedicated space to the item? If you don’t need it, get rid of it. If you do need it, find a place for it to live. If everything has a place it not only makes finding it more manageable, you know it’s important because you’ve made room for it.

If you saw this item in a store now would you buy it?

You may look at something and think I loved this so much. Well ok, but do you love it now. Does the retro bowl set that you’ve replaced still belong in your kitchen cupboard? If not help yourself declutter and donate that item. You never know when someone else might really need that retro bowl set.

Declutter: 1 in 1 out rule

The one in and one out rule seems so easy but can be so hard. If you buy a shirt, throw a shirt away. Found a great deal on a pair of shoes, awesome, but then as soon as you get home… toss an old pair. This way you aren’t bringing in more than you have space for and keep an inventory of what you need.

Know your clutter zones

Every house has clutter zones that we regularly declutter. These are those places that naturally seem to gather the things. For me, it’s our kitchen counter and our mail area. I feel like gremlins sometimes come in and just put things there so I’ll be annoyed and freaked out that I can’t seem ever to keep them clean. Knowing where these areas are can help you keep everyone aware and ensure that if you walk by and see stuff starting to accumulate that you immediately clean it up and return those items to their homes.

Create a goal list

Decluttering not only applies to physical things but to emotional things too. Create a goal list of things you are focusing on, so you don’t get sidetracked. If you haven’t yet check out our free ebook: Beyond Chaos to learn about how to create goals you can stick to.

Emotional Fitness

Take stock of your emotional well being. Are you able to physically remove items from your home? If you are feeling like this is a pointless task and not something you can accomplish reach out to find out what is causing the emotional block. You may find you are a hoarder and need to seek help. Tell your family or friends and get assistance if needed.

Motivate yourself

I genuinely believe that your mindset will set you apart from success and failure. Do you believe in yourself? It’s as simple as that. Being positive can and will change your life if you let it. YOU have to believe in yourself, your goals and your aspirations to achieve them. Check out our article on what is a vision board to help you visualize what’s most important to you.

Self Care

Last but not least, take care of yourself. If you aren’t taking care of your basic self-care needs, you may find yourself having a harder time letting things go. Find a few easy ways to reward and take care of yourself!

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We hope you enjoyed our article on 12 ways to declutter your life. If you have other tips, contact us or leave us a comment down below.