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Housekeeping

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Original poster

'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying' - Marie Kondo

999 replies

FrancesHB · 07/09/2014 15:46

Has anyone else read this? I did a search but couldn't find any previous threads.

Marie Kondo is a Japanese expert in tidying and decluttering and her book has been translated into English and is best selling. It's wonderfully eccentric and inspiring and in some ways rather a breath of fresh air compared to other books on the subject (have read 'em all and my house is still messy...).

She asks us to ask if an item brings us joy and if it doesn't we thank it and out it goes. A bit like fly lady 'you can't organise clutter', but in a less annoying and at times quite endearing way.

I wondered if any MNers had used her technique and if it helped them 'get their house in order'.

OP posts:

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BertieBotts · 30/09/2014 08:25

It took me an hour just to fold my t-shirts and my back was aching too. I suppose it wouldn't be as bad after ironing or something, you could do it straight on the ironing board (better height) and there wouldn't be as many things to do in one go. Probably would have taken me 3 or 4 hours to do everything. I gave up with four left to go because I just could not fold any more and wanted to throw the stupid clothes across the floor.

But TBH the folding isn't giving me any joy at all, I might keep it going for tops but I had a pretty good system going before, one pile for work clothes, one pile for weekend clothes and I'd just grab the top one out of whichever, most of my work outfits go magically with each other anyway so I don't have to think about getting dressed in the morning, it just happens!

queenceleste · 30/09/2014 11:07

Hello, I love this book.

I get it with the folding certainly, that is a wonderful truth and I am starting to master it. But the tights and socks? I held a pair of socks today and tried to sense their upset at being rolled together in a ball... I nearly got it and then folded them carefully around each other.
But tights?? Tights? help, what do I do with tights... I haven't read that bit yet ... better check first....

MrsCurrent · 30/09/2014 11:49

queenceleste you need to lay the tights flat then fold them in half so the legs are flat on top of each other. Then fold up from the toes 1/3 of the leg, then fold up again to just short of the waistband. Finally roll them up tight towards the waist band and pop them in a drawer/box so you can see the swirl! If my phone would let me I'd put a pic on of my lovely sock drawer!!

queenceleste · 30/09/2014 11:51

what if they're a mass of misshapen school grey tights from a supermarket? Do the feet have to be all perfect before folding?
(goes and lies down at the bottom of the garden with a bottle of gin crying quietly)

seasalt · 30/09/2014 12:03

I have been reading this thread and had got off to a good start. Managed to sort out a lot of clothes and some toys but now I seem to have come to a standstill. Just takes so long to go through everything and then the normal housework goes by the wayside so the place still looks like a tip! Wondering whether I should get the book on Kindle.

queenceleste · 30/09/2014 12:15

I think it is really hard but her principles are great, they are more honest about how hard it is.

But do one area properly and feel the difference that is the bait to keep going.

But advice please -

Children's cards to you...... hard to chuck them!

Children's exercise books? Do you chuck them all?

Paper shredders - I have read for years not to just chuck everything in the bin as it holds so much info. What do other people do?
I haven't read her on paperwork but my paper hoard is absolutely shameful...
it will take me so long to face and do it.

MrsCurrent · 30/09/2014 12:25

queenceleste I'm sure they'll be fine, mine are all Asda's cheapy tights and they rolled ok.

Hopefully the pic has worked ok but my sock drawer after binning the shapeless and rubbish socks and untying all my tights now has space for my PJs too! It's a pleasure (no, really!) to extract a pair of socks now!!

seasalt in my case the book as more than paid for itself as once I've decided what's going I've extracted some stuff to sell and anything that doesn't go this week goes to the charity shop, have already made over £100, just shows how much junk I was hoarding and I haven't even scratched the surface of it!

'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying' - Marie Kondo

MrsCurrent · 30/09/2014 12:27

I'm hoping by the time I get to paperwork (which is in pretty much every drawer in every room and in boxes/files/bags) I may have been completely Konmari'd and be able to face it, right now I couldn't so am following the list (ish, the socks were calling to me!).

aliasjoey · 30/09/2014 12:55

I gave up at the weekend - had a cold, forgot to take the stuff to the charity shop, so we still have big piles of books and clothes. Thought I was doing well, but everything looks the same DDs room looks worse

CiderwithBuda · 30/09/2014 13:33

Just keep at it aliasjoey - you have started - now you'll finish!

Can you take piles to the charity shop? I only got to take some stuff to the charity shop yesterday that had been sortd last week (and some stuff that had been in utility room for months!). It was the only think I achieved yesterday but I did achieve it!

Not sure what I will get done today. Was hoping to do my chest of drawers but haven't started yet and I need to go to the supermarket. Might try one drawer.

OneSkinnyChip · 30/09/2014 13:44

Current that looks fab!

Celeste do you have an open fire? We have a stove and I usually rip the details bits of envelopes / mail and recycle most but burn the personal stuff when I'm lighting the fire.

OneSkinnyChip · 30/09/2014 13:45

Should say our visitors will be leaving later on so tomorrow will be the post-visitor clean up (plus catching up with work stuff :( ) then I will get back to clutter clearing!

seasalt · 30/09/2014 13:54

Well done MrsCurrent. I will try to get back on track tomorrow.

holmessweetholmes · 30/09/2014 14:42

Don't worry aliasjoey! It gets worse before it gets better, but then it's fab .

aliasjoey · 30/09/2014 15:28

Okay I might put the charity bags in my car, at least then they're half-way there, and we're less likely to forget them!

I could do the hats and scarves drawer, in a pre-winter de-clutter.

CecyHall · 30/09/2014 15:53

My utensil jars are here! They are utterly lovely and definately spark joy, plus they seem to free up so much worktop space and a kitchen drawer.

In other news 2 bags gone from ds2's room, they were replaced by 2 bags of stuff from under the stairs but it's put away now so both areas looking better.

Everstrong · 30/09/2014 16:59

I seem to be flagging a bit here as there just seems to be stuff everywhere and the rest of the house looks like a tip!

I have tackled most of the kitchen today and the drawers and cupboards look great but I feel like I am cheating a bit because I am keeping some stuff because DP bought it and would probably ask where it was if I got rid of it.

Coffeeinthepark · 30/09/2014 17:41

3 huge bags of clothes to Oxfam today. They were so heavy I had to park outside the shop to unload. I have made space in my wardrobe for all my clothes so no storage needed for offseason stuff as she suggests. I have tried this sort of thing before but I have never found it so easy to be ruthless, thanks to the book. I have shelves rather than drawers so need some more boxes to finish getting my clothes stored vertically

I've also been thinking about which objects I really want to look at and am repositioning accordingly

CoolCadbury · 30/09/2014 19:41

Well done everyone. It's so inspiring to read so many people making positive changes in their lives.

The folding the clothes can hurt the back - especially the first time you sort your clothes. I have instead done the folding on the bed, with me kneeling on a cushion on the floor - much easier and gentler on my acute back pain.

I too have lost momentum with the organising, but it's mostly to do with my back. I wore myself out a bit. But along with that, there is a part of me that is really resistant to sorting through my coats, which is next on the list. I can't figure out why that is.

Children's cards. There is no way I am getting rid of my DS's cards to me. Too cute and much too precious.

Loving the drawer mrsc . I too am following konmarie's actually order. Doing it this way, the decision has been made and I don't have to think oh what's next. And I don't get stressed either with all the chaos everywhere else because I know I will get to the other bits when I get to them, iykwim. But it's okay for people to do whatever and which ever order because the main thing is we are all tackling the clutter.

Paper - my friend puts scrunched up paper in her compost bin but I'm not sure how much you can put in.

CoolCadbury · 30/09/2014 19:43

I am dreading the paper though. Absolutely dreading it because it will be a monumental task.

Original poster

FrancesHB · 30/09/2014 20:40

I can't decide whether to do children's wardrobes now, or do paperwork and go back to children's stuff later. MK - need to know what to do!!

OP posts:

Woodenheart · 30/09/2014 21:15

Old paperwork - bonfire night.

MrsCurrent · 30/09/2014 21:19

Thanks

Not sure if I'll get any more done before the weekend cos of boring work now and the fact I need wine to do it. Trying to fold everything as it comes through the wash though so making little inroads there at least.

Coughle · 30/09/2014 21:45

Wow, some great posts. Everyone is doing well!! It sounds like many of us are feeling a loss of momentum.... I expect this is a normal part of the process, especially when you don't have a lovely young lady with glossy hair wandering through your house murmuring encouragingly (sorry KonMari that's just how I picture you)!

Remember she describes this as a six month process and we've only been going for 3 weeks.

I will let you know when my papers are done

Rocktheboat73 · 01/10/2014 01:33

Folding when ironing is a great idea, I will try that this weekend.

One thing I WILL NOT be doing is chucking away books I have not read. I live in a country where books are very very expensive, so if I see a book I want to read on sale then I buy it to read later. And I DO read books later. So our dear leader can put that advice in her pipe and smoke it as far as I am concerned. Books are my life, end of.

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