Clean Like Marie Kondo: 8 Decluttering Lessons That Will Change Your Life

On a scale of 1-10, how messy and disorganized are you? 

Before you come up with an answer, we urge you to look around your house. Are your clothes lying around on the bed or piled up on “the chair”? Do you see books scattered on the floor or the table? What about the knickknacks you haven’t organized in forever?   

If you have a guilty face, you must learn to clean like Marie Kondo!

Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant who helps people transform their lives. The launch of her book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”, set off a decluttering craze among people. In this book, she explained her approach to tidying. 

Below are the top decluttering lessons by Kondo that will change your life. 

1. Categorize, Categorize, Categorize

Most, if not all, people indulge in room-wise cleaning.

Wait. Isn’t it supposed to be that way?

Quite interestingly, no! If you’re asked to clean, you may think of starting with the living room and tackling the clutter in the bedroom and kitchen next. Kondo, on the other hand, goes by categories. 

According to her, you should start by decluttering all your clothing items first since the emotional connection is the weakest there. You can then move on to organizing your books, etc. 

2. Respect Your Belongings 

Go, sit in front of your closet right now and analyze the situation going on there. Do your clothes look happy crowded on those hangers or squashed in the dresser all balled up?

We bet not!

You bought all of these items with so much love. Why would you make them feel miserable like this now? All of your clothes work hard to make you look and feel beautiful and confident. Is this how they deserve to be treated? 

Exactly. Now, get up and start organizing your closet, one item at a time. It’s time to clean like Marie Kondo!   

3. Nostalgia Shouldn’t Be Welcomed

There’s a good chance you’ll find a box full of old letters, handwritten notes, and photographs when cleaning your closet. You may be tempted to open it but DON’T! It’ll take you down the rabbit hole of nostalgia.   

Kondo knows what she’s saying when she asks you to focus on one category of items at a time. Don’t let yourself get distracted. And most importantly, keep your emotions out of the equation when you’re in decluttering mode. Otherwise, you’ll just waste your time and won’t even be able to throw anything out.    

4. Get Rid of Things That Don’t Bring You Joy 

One of the most essential decluttering lessons by Kondo is that if an item doesn’t bring you joy, you must donate it or get rid of it. Before trying this, remember that it’s an emotional question. Instead of putting a lot of thought into it, you must answer instantly: do you or do you not feel joy? 

Thanks to this technique, you wouldn’t even need music to keep you distracted while you declutter. If you’re organizing your wardrobe, make a pile of clothes that don’t bring you joy. Get rid of everything that’s past its prime or isn’t your style. There’s no need to hold onto items that you don’t feel comfortable in. You can give away the good-quality stuff to charity or thrift stores.    

Once you’ve separated all the non-joy-giving clothes, you’ll feel relieved beyond belief. Try it once, and we can bet you’ll see decluttering as a cleansing ritual from then on!

5. Avoid Hanging Your Regular Clothes

If you want to clean like Marie Kondo, avoid hanging your clothes. No matter how much effort you put into organizing your closet, hanging clothes can look kind of messy. It’s best to put most items that bring you joy folded in a dresser. It not only looks neat but also saves plenty of space! The rest of the stuff can go in the closet. 

6. Fold Your Clothes Using Kondo’s Special Technique 

Kondo has introduced a vertical folding technique that has changed the folding game for people across the world. This technique makes all clothing items easy to spot in the dresser. It also eliminates your chances of messing everything up whenever you take something out or put something back.

Another great tip from Kondo is to use shoeboxes to divide your drawers into multiple sections. You can dedicate separate boxes for your tank tops, t-shirts, trousers, and scarves. Put the scarves in the smallest box and consider organizing your sweaters in a deep, spacious box that can go in the bottom drawer. 

7. Hang Your Skirts and Dresses Length-wise

One of the best decluttering lessons from Kondo is to hang your dresses and skirts in your closet to make an upward slope. Since all your regular clothes are folded and put away in the dresser, you can enjoy the breathing room between the hanging pieces. 

As soon as you open your closet in the morning to get ready for work or when you have to pick a lovely dress for a party, you’ll get a hit of joy and contentment. 

8. Enjoy Experimenting With Clothes 

One thing we hate about a messy and cluttered closet is that it tricks you into wearing the same rotation of easy-to-grab pieces, robbing you of your creativity and style. Nobody has the time or energy to dig piles of clothes to find something appropriate to wear before heading out every morning.   

Now that you have cleaned like Kondo, get ready to dip into all the colors and prints in your closet and rock different looks. Your wardrobe is full of clothes that bring you joy – it’s time to flaunt those outfits and feel beautiful and confident!

What Happens If You Clean Like Marie Kondo for a Month?

If you follow the decluttering lessons we have discussed for a month, you can expect the following results. 

• Cleaning will be so much easier with the sessions being fewer and farther 
• Picking everyday outfits will no longer be a chore
• You’ll be shopping for and collecting things that you truly love and will make use of
• Making decisions while decluttering won’t be so confusing or overwhelming 
• You’ll develop a habit of taking care of your belongings 

Clean Like Marie Kondo With Mirai Clinical!

To amp up your cleaning and decluttering routine, consider giving all your favorite clothes a nice wash every time you organize your closet. And what’s better than using the purifying secrets from Japan to remove all kinds of unpleasant odors from your items!  

You must get your hands on Mirai Clinical’s Deodorizing Fabric Spray and Purifying and Deodorizing Pre-Soak Laundry Detergent if you really love and respect your clothing items. Formulated with Japanese persimmon, these cleaning products will leave your items smelling fresh. They also possess powerful antiseptic and antibacterial properties, promising to fight skin infections and irritations.

We also have a wide range of face, body, and hair care products to make sure you rejuvenate like you deserve after every decluttering session.       

So, what are you waiting for?

Join hands with Mirai Clinical and clean like Marie Kondo!