As good weather near approaches, you know it’s time to get your home in order. And, what better way to get organized than use Marie Kondo’s method of decluttering. The Kondo way is one of the most highly effective methods for home organization out there. While you may feel it’s a bit extreme, you will love how you feel once your home has been organized and decluttered. Follow these tips for an effective spring clean:
1. Purge and organize…fast!
Rather than spread out the cleaning over a period of time, simply get it all done in a day or two. Many of us will tackle one room per week, and another room the week later. However, according to Kondo, cleaning never gets done with this method. So, reserve an entire weekend to organize your home.
2. Sort by item, not room
The most common approach to organizing is to tackle one room at a time. Kondo suggests however, to purge and organize by the type of item. For example, all clothing in the home should be organized at the same time, same with all books and magazines and all paperwork for example. When you begin the cleaning process, ask all your family members to collect the items in the category (like clothes) and bring it to one place. Then, let the purging begin! Break up items into the following categories: clothes and shoes, books, paperwork, miscellaneous objects, and objects with emotional value.
3. Keep, give or toss
The toughest part is letting go of material items. What Kondo suggests here is to keep what you use or what has real sentimental value, and lose the rest. It’s that simple. After you give away or toss what you don’t need anymore, then start organizing the stuff you’re keeping. Tip – hold off on the storage containers. Kondo says you most likely have boxes and bins already that you can use to store your stuff. The point is to get rid of things, not collect more!