Marie Kondo Tips For a Minimalist Home & Life
Marie Kondo is a lifestyle now.
What started as a book-turned-Netflix show has inspired hundreds of thousands to get rid of anything that’s not joy-sparkling. I mean, it totally had that effect on us as well. Minutes into the first episode, we couldn’t help but think of all the stuff we’d been hoarding for years for absolutely no reason.
If you’re keen to tidy up your home (and life!) too, here’s a quick guide to our fav Marie Kondo tips that keep our lives clutter-free and our homes organized.
Marie Kondo Tidy Tips
Keep only what sparks joy.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ve definitely seen Marie Kondo’s famous quote around. I mean, would you keep watching a shitty Netflix show or continue carrying a phone that no longer works? No. Treat your belongings the same way. Keep what sparks joy and get rid of the rest – this is one of the top Marie Kondo tips we swear by.
Get rid of papers.
It’s the digital era, guys! Those bills shoved into your kitchen drawer? Lose them. Papers are small, but they pile up into ugly clutter.
Get rid of your filing cabinet, too – if you feel like you might need something, scan it and save it on the cloud. Create two piles “Papers to save” and “Papers to deal with” for uber important documents that need to be taken care of or documents like birth certificates and passports. That’s it.
Store everything horizontally.
This one really blew our mind. I mean, it’s kind of an obvious thing to do, and it’s been standing right in front of our noses for literally our entire lives and somehow Kondo was the only one to actually see it.
Store things upright rather than vertically. Instead of stacking your t-shirts, store them side by side like you would stack books in a library. That way, you can see what’s in there at first glance.
Get rid of any clothes that don’t spark joy.
That ugly Christmas sweater you haven’t worn in years? Donate. Your ex’s hoodie? No, thanks.
Get rid of gifts you’re not into.
We’ve all gotten gifts we don’t really like. I know it’s hard, but get rid of them. There’s no use letting them collect dust inside your cabinets. To quote Kondo: “The true purpose of a present is to be received. They’re not things but a means for conveying someone else’s feelings.”
If you see it that way, the preset has fulfilled its purpose. Let it become Goodwill’s problem. Plus, you may have not liked it, but it might be just what a thrift shopper is looking for! Look for charitable organizations like Women’s Batter Shelters, Must Ministries, Veterans Associations etc where donations benefit people. You can also sell things on Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace.
Books aren’t friends.
Get rid of old books that have done nothing but collect dust over the years. Even if you loved them, you’ll probably never get to read them. Same goes for those high school reads and classics. I mean, do you ever really plan on reading the Illiad? Like, EVER? Really?
Ignore the feels.
We know what it’s like to go through old stuff and get all the feels, but don’t let nostalgia get the best of you. You gotta turn into a cold-hearted bitch for a bit here. That birthday card your ex gave you? Swipe left! That teddy bear your kindergarten best friend (who you never heard of again) gifted you twenty years ago? Move on.
Now, now. We’re not telling you to get rid of absolutely everything. Create a scrapbook for those things that you do want to keep around (ya know… those that spark you), like your mom’s going away to college letter or your grandma’s recipes.
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My Marie Kondo Clean Up
My friend Chelsea came over and we unloaded EVERYYYYYTHING out of my closets. It was a nightmare and I probably wouldn’t have been able to finish if it wasn’t for the moral support. Chelsea wouldn’t even let me get sappy. She just held up a piece of clothing and said yes or no? Does it spark joy? If I didn’t know I touched it or held it for a minute but for the most part it was like boom boom boom going through everything pretty quickly. We ended up with 11 (read: eleven) bags of clothes to give away to charity. I ended up with 3 boxes of clothes to sell on Poshmark. Shop my closet here!
Check out the before and afters:
Chelsea’s daughter Ansley taking on the mound!
Posting after photos of my closets soon. We’re getting new carpet so it’ll have to wait until next week so stay tuned!
What are some other uber useful Marie Kondo tips you swear by?
