Marie Kondo tips to tidy your home and storage unit with the Konmari method
This month, Vanguard are here to provide a comprehensive guide on how to best sort out your house and storage unit by using the infamous Konmari method. By applying Kondo’s method of tidying by category of items and not the room – you too could quickly, efficiently and methodically sort through an entire home’s worth of contents with ease.
Our experts are here to help customers understand what needs to go, so that you can better organise belongings and get rid of unwanted excess that no longer brings you joy; this will allow you to achieve a serene and mindful space. Simply read on to see how you could apply this into your everyday routine.
What is Konmari?
Konmari is a lifestyle brand – promoted by Marie Kondo – helping people to live organised lives surrounded by belongings that bring them joy. The Konmari method encourages people to maintain order within the home and their general lifestyle.
What is Marie Kondo’s ‘Konmari’ method?
As you may have seen on Netflix, Marie Konmari has made her living as a tidying expert, helping the masses to remove unnecessary clutter in order to live a new, improved life that promotes joy. Her method encourages us to sort by categories – firstly tackling clothes, moving on to books, papers, miscellaneous items (komono) and sentimental belongings. Rather than taking on a challenge that is room by room, go through by each category to see how much of one thing you have.
Marie Kondo Tips
Marie Kondo’s 6 basic rules include:
- Commit yourself to tidying up
- Imagine your ideal lifestyle
- Finish discarding first
- Tidy by category, not location
- Follow the right order
- Ask yourself if it sparks joy!
How to tidy up with Marie Kondo
As previously mentioned, go through your belongings by category starting with clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items (komono)* and on to sentimental belongings. Once you have decided what brings you joy and what doesn’t, it’s time to focus on the items you wish to keep and give everything its own home.
*Komono subcategories include:
- CDs, DVDs
- Beauty products
- Electrical equipment
- Household supplies – medicine, detergents
- Linens
- Kitchen appliances and utensils
- Hobby gear
- Seasonal items
- Furniture
After you’ve whittled your belongings down – find them a home…
Now you have a manageable amount to deal with, find a good place to store them and remember to store upright, easy for books but for kitchenware – it can be harder. Utilise boxes and drawer dividers to keep items of the same size neatly together and if there’s an empty space in a box and things begin to fall over, use the ‘box-within-a-box’ method.
Marie Kondo folding clothes: how to sort out your clothes with the Konmari method
If space-saving methods are vital to your lifestyle – whether that’s because you have children or a quaint home – Konmari folding just might be the method you’ve been searching for. Instead of having large wardrobes taking up space in your room – utilise your dressers because Marie Kondo suggests to Konmari your clothes.
How to fold the Konmari way
Konmari clothes folding is pretty simple and very effective:
- Tops – fold length ways, bring one side to the middle and repeat on the other. Fold each sleeve back to make a long rectangle of the body and then fold downwards in half and then, into a third. Your item of clothing will stand up, if you have folded it correctly.
- Trousers and jeans – fold one leg over the other (in half) then downwards in half, and then into thirds.
- Socks – lie one sock out flat and place the matching sock on top and fold into thirds.
- Underwear – fold the band downwards in half to create a rectangle and fold into thirds.
Marie Kondo boxes: how to pack boxes with the Konmari method
Moving home or moving items into a storage unit is a great way to start using the Konmari method – if you haven’t applied it to your lifestyle already.
Firstly, hold each item before boxing it and if you feel that it brings you joy, keep it – if you don’t – remove it. This will help you to vet what you no longer want, making your move easier. Decluttering whilst you pack is a great way to ensure you get off to a good start in your new home.
When filling each box, stack upright and items of the same size and shape together – this way you will be able to instantly see what you have when you go back to find a particular item and not to mention, you’ll be able to fit more into each box.
Konmari method checklist
- Visualise your destination
- Dress the part
- Focus
- Tidy by category, not by place
- Hold everything
- Does it spark joy?
- Discard first, store later
- Designate a place for each thing
- Find the right storage
- Follow your intuition
Vanguard Self Storage have a wealth of experience providing all customers throughout West London, Oxford Circus, Manchester, Soho, East London, Bristol Self Storage and beyond with exceptional storage options. We promise you secure access to your belongings, a free porter service, immaculately clean storage facilities and a trusted, customer friendly service. So for more information and to book in a seamless experience, contact Vanguard today.