Hello, friends! Has anyone else been watching the Netflix show “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” recently? I watched all the episodes, but I’m wishing there were more! I found the show so motivating to tidy up my own home! I don’t normally enjoy tidying up, but I’m actually finding it quite fun after watching the show (tidying is a bit like decorating!)
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Marie Kondo wrote this book about tidying up, which I am thinking about ordering since I’m out of episodes to watch! If you’ve already read the book and have feedback on it, please let me know!
Now, I’m no expert in her methods (and if you come to my house I am definitely no expert at tidying either!)—but I’m a work in progress. Here are the tips I took from watching her show:
Organize by category, not by location. Tidy in this order, and don’t skip ahead:
- Clothing
- Books
- Papers
- Komono (kitchen, bathroom, garage, miscellaneous)
- Sentimental items (don’t even worry about discarding these items until the end)
Gather all the items in your home in the category you are working on (eg. all the clothing) and put it in a big pile so you can actually see how much of that item you have. (It can be a bit shocking, so be prepared!) Pick up each item one by one, and decide which items spark joy for you. Discard or donate the items that do not spark joy. She says to say “thank you” to each item you decide to get rid of. (I can’t say I did that part, although I found her method of holding each item one by one helpful. It kind of made me feel appreciation for each item, even if I decided I no longer needed it but I able to remember that I enjoyed it for a time that has come and gone.) I really liked in the show how Marie Kondo does not seem judgemental of people and their stuff, or what things they may want to keep. She helps people find better ways of storing or displaying items in a way that sparks joy.
I started with my own clothing, then did my kids clothing separately. I completely went through my master bedroom closet and dresser drawers, and even got my husband on board to organize his side of the closet. Marie Kondo teaches her clients on the show her special way of folding clothes. I love how neat it looks when everything is folded in baskets. I bought a bunch of storage bins at Dollarama to store my clothes in that go on the shelves. Marie Kondo teaches how to fold clothes so that you can stack them upright (so each item is visible when you look in the basket). I should have taken a before photo of these shelves—it was a mess!
Marie Kondo recommends folding clothes and storing in drawers rather than hanging, but I have so much hanging space in my closet that I wanted to make use of it. (Look how the bottom racks of my side of the closet are now completely empty!)
The little chalkboard signs I got at Dollar Tree, along with a chalkboard marker. I love to label things, so these worked out great. I’m planning to pick up some more for my other closets.
I also wanted to mention this thick and cozy ivory and gray shag rug I got recently for our closet. It’s such a pleasure to walk on it when I’m getting ready in the mornings, rather than feel the ice cold tile floor.
Doesn’t this rug just look so cozy?! I think I could lay down and sleep in here now! My youngest son now loves to play in here on the rug when I’m getting ready or in the shower, so it’s working out great!
Another closet in my home I’ve been working on is the linen closet in our master bathroom. I forgot to take a before photo of this space, but it is SOOO much better than it was!
Here is a photo of the hand towels in the basket. I love how I can easily see which towel I’d like to grab.
I purged many of the older towels that we don’t use, but I kept quite a few! We actually have multiple linen closets in our house, so we don’t really have a shortage of storage space.
Here is the before picture of our hallway storage closet. We keep quite an assortment of things in here like baby wipes, toilet paper, sheets, and some of my home decor items.
And pictured below is the AFTER photo! It’s looking much neater!
The pillow covers, sheets, and duvet covers are all now neatly folded and stacked upright in the baskets (the brown baskets were from Dollarama, the turquoise bins I had for years and can’t remember where I got them). I got rid of a bunch of sheets we haven’t used in years. I may pare it down more another day, but for now I’m happy with it.
I rounded up a few awesome storage bins and baskets that I love. I think any of these baskets would work great in a linen closet, bedroom closet, or storage closet. (My favorites are the plastic baskets which makes for easy cleaning!)
What do you all think of my closet space now? Have you—or are you, going to watch the show “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo”? I’d love to hear your feedback of my closets below! I’m going to tackle the kids’ books next!
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Other posts you might enjoy:
An Honest Review of My $30 White Duvet Cover
Top 5 Farmhouse Rugs That I Own & Love
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