December 7, 2021

What Is “Marie Kondo Cleaning” & Why Is It So Popular?

The bestselling book “Magic Cleaning” by Japanese writer and cleaning guru Marie Kondo was published back in 2014. Today, there are many thousands of followers of this method around the world. How did it earn such popularity? And how applicable in our realities? Let’s figure it out.

What is the Essence of “Marie Kondo Cleaning”?

Marie Kondo’s (or “KonMari“) method is not really about cleaning and tidying up. Rather, she teaches how harmful it is to litter a living space with useless things if it’s a luxury mansion or a tiny rented room. All unnecessary things should go straight to the trash can, and only those things that bring comfort and happiness should remain in the house.

Your Dream Home

Marie Kondo suggests starting by creating the perfect home. First, you need to imagine it as clearly as possible and then visualize it. Alternatively, you can make a collage with clippings from magazines about fashion interiors. If you have enough artistic talent, you can draw such a house. It doesn’t matter how you do it. The main thing is that the picture of your dream house is always in front of your eyes. It is a benchmark that will inspire and motivate.

Ritual of Farewell to Things

This stage causes an ambiguous reaction in many – from affection to a sharp rejection. You need to methodically go through all the things that are in the house, one by one. You should go through and decide what will remain and what will go to the dumpster. Marie Kondo offers to lay things out on the floor, take each one by hand and listen to the sensations. If you understand that the thing has served its purpose, you need to mentally thank it for everything useful and pleasant that is associated with it, and only then, get rid of it. There are no exceptions, both for expensive gifts and trinkets, which are valuable as a memory of an important event or person. A set of silverware from a great-grandmother, a lucky tram ticket, or a dress from a school prom – everything must go.

Read also: Useful Cleaning Habits Of People Who Always Have Order In The House

Order by Category

Most smart cleaning techniques recommend dividing your home into zones and cleaning each one by one. And so all week, Marie Kondo suggests doing something different. First, you need to categorize things. For example, put all your shoes (clothes, tools, kitchen utensils, stationery, jewelry, books, etc.) in one big pile, sort out this pile thoroughly and donate what has long been worn out, inconvenient to wear, or simply unnecessary.

Storage is also Categorized

All items of the same category must be put in one place. Let’s say all shoes are stored in a cabinet specially designated for them, all jewelry is placed in one large box, all office supplies are neatly laid out in the drawers of the desktop. We think the principle is clear, but most importantly, when you take anything, then immediately after use, return it to its place. It is much easier to maintain order this way, and it will take less time to clean.

Non-Transferable

Things that do not bring joy should be donated or thrown out without regret. This does not fit into the minds of some people, because the fourth set of bed linen gifted at your wedding can be donated to relatives (the main thing is not to return it back). Do you don’t want to waste good quality items? This is a direct violation of the Kondo method. In the first case, you litter the space in another house. In the second, you just move the items from one point to another. However, there is a compromise solution. Items that have not yet lost their presentation and are still of high quality can be put up for sale or donated to charity.

Read more: How easy it is to keep your home clean and tidy: 25 good habits

Books and Documents

This is perhaps the most controversial point of the Kondo system, at least for our mentality. Unnecessary books, documents, receipts, and other waste paper should be treated like everything else – say goodbye and get rid of it. We bet many of you value your home library. In the mind of Marie Kondo, all of this paper trash accumulates negative energy and takes place. For those who are not ready to fulfill this point, there is also a way out – donate books to a library, a second-hand bookstore, or exhibit at a fair.

Smart Storage

Once you’ve gotten rid of all the unnecessary things, keeping the rest will become much easier. Marie Kondo’s recommendations are mainly about clothing. Anything that does not wrinkle (t-shirts, sweaters, jeans, etc.) should be neatly folded and put into boxes, but not in stacks, as we are used to, but vertically. Then you will see what you have there. What is hung on the “hanger” must be stored as follows. Place items on a shared hanger from light to heavy, that is, from dresses and jackets to jackets and coats. If you are too lazy to bother so much, divide them into categories by season.

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