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Easy Tidying: Konmari Method
Hello friends! :)
To start, let me explain the Konmari method of cleaning to those of you who are unfamiliar with the book.
The Konmari method of tidying was created by a woman named Marie Kondo, who is from Japan. She wrote a New York Times' Best Selling book about Konmari titled "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." I tried to borrow it from the library, but there was a 500-person wait list. In case you didn't catch that- 500 PEOPLE. The title doesn't lie: her book really is life-changing.
I ended up reading the book over the course of two months. But I never bought it. I was too lazy to wait forever to get it from the library and also too cheap to pay the $20. So how did I get my hands on it? Well, I go to Costco with my mom pretty much every week, and they sell books there. One day I saw it and got an idea: why not read some of the book every time we went shopping and then put it back before we leave? Yes, I know, I am a genius. And I never spent a penny.
Anyway, here is what she wrote about in a nutshell:
-If you want to tidy your whole house, don't do only a little a day, get it all done at once. Otherwise, you will never get very far.
-Don't spend lots of money on storage containers, try to save money by using cardboard or shoe boxes.
-Only keep things that bring you joy, or things that you truly need.
I have used this method for around a year now, and though there have been a few times where my things have become disorganized, I have never completely reverted back to untidiness. The cleanest my room ever got before, is the messiest my room ever gets now. Her method just works.
Feeling excited? You should! Let's get started with my bedroom!
Here is when I started. I am embarrassed at how bad it has gotten lately.
Yeah. No need for explanation there.
Step 1) Get rid of anything in your room that just doesn't belong there. I found some dirty towels (gross!), glass jars, and a comforter.
Step 2) Choose a starting point in the room, and start putting things away that are laying around.
Before:
After:
(There is still a hanger on the floor lol)
Step 3) After you finish putting away obvious clutter, it's time to go through all your papers and work/school stuff.
See that black bin on the floor in my closet? That is full of all kinds of junk. And since none of it is organized, I have no idea what is in there.
I took everything out and sorted it into piles:
Here is what each pile was:
-textbooks
-scrap paper and notepads
-school binders/notebooks/planners
-calculators/rulers/protractors
-current non-school related projects
-current class papers
-class notes
-garbage
I then put everything away in an orderly fashion:
Oh my goodness! It all looks so much better already!
Step 4) Time to make the bed. You should know what to do here:
Step 5) Time for the more daunting part. If you are like me, the start of the school year is absolutely nuts. At this time of year, laundry gets put on the backburner. I have no shortage of clothing, which enables my laziness.
I want you to first take all of the dirty laundry and put it somewhere out of the way. Then, you are going to organize your clean clothes.
This is my pile. I had to mentally prepare to organize this one.
I sorted mine into piles first:
Doesn't look quite as scary now.
How I organized my piles:
-undies
-bras
-socks
-scarves
-swimwear
-towels
-sheets
-tops
-bottoms
-things that will go in the closet (in the laundry basket)
Step 6) Taking one pile of clothes at a time, fold and put them in your dresser.
This is where the konmari method has saved my life. Kondo knows how to fold like nobody's business.
I am going to start with tees.
Here is how you fold using the konmari method:
Bam. Done. Now wash, rinse, repeat.
Bottoms:
(tuck the ends into the waistband)
After folding all your tops and bottoms, you can put them in your dresser. I can fit 40 pieces of clothing in one drawer using the konmari method! Can you believe it?!
It is so beautiful. Don't you think?
Time to move on to the socks!
I love socks. And refuse to match them.
Next up, bras:
After that, your drawer should look like this: (I used cardboard for my dividers. They get the job done.)
Now you can dump all the other clothes on your bed:
And hang 'em up.
Success! You have completed your tidying spree! :) Now you can vacuum, dust, take out garbage, wash windows, etc.
Before:
After:
Cleaning makes me happy.
Lots of love,
Kat