8 tips for perfect spring cleaning: do you know Marie Kondo?

Marie Kondo is a Japanese specialist in cleaning and organizing the household. Thanks to her advice and tips, she has literally become a world star publishing books and shooting TV series.

Do you have a feeling that your home or your whole life is kind of messy, chaotic, and stressful? Marie Kondo has a clear answer and a solution for you – you have an excess of things. According to her, in order to achieve self-satisfaction, you have to start at home. Therefore, we have brought you tips on cleaning and organizing your home from Marie Kondo, verified by our blogger Lenka. Which one will you try out first?

Tidy up only once, but thoroughly!

Do you clean up every day, but you basically never have a 100% order? Do you get tired and forever dissatisfied? In that case, the Kon Mari method that Mary created is perfect for you. The basis is not to surround yourself with unnecessary things that don't even make us happy. Take, for example, a little statue given to you 15 years ago by a distant cousin, look at it and ask: does this thing make me happy? If the answer is no, you should get rid of it. This procedure will clean your interior, you will get rid of things that collect dust and as a bonus, you will be really relieved (over time) and happier. It is better to sort things out and clean up once a week, than doing it quickly three times a week without thinking.

Not rooms, but rather categories

If you are used to cleaning room by room, you are making a big mistake, Marie says. This way, you will clean up only in a given space, you will never finish cleaning and this will become a vicious circle. The Japanese cleaning guru advises not to go by rooms, but rather by categories – start with the clothes first because statistically, we have the most useless things in the closet. Continue with books, magazines, old documents, cosmetics... And finally, the sentimental things that you don't use, but have some emotional value for you and it will be harder to say goodbye to them.

Three pile method

First, you should invite Marie Kondo and her advice to your wardrobe. As stated above, this is where the most unnecessary things reside. However, be careful when sorting and first take everything from the closet and put it in one pile. Don't be afraid of empty cabinets and chaos in the room, it's really worth it! From this pile make three smaller ones – one with things that are old, damaged or in poor condition and you don't wear them – throw them in the bin. On the second pile put things that you don’t wear very often, but can still be useful for somebody – donate or sell them. On the third pile put things that you are sure you are wearing and will continue to wear – put them back in the closet. If you are uncompromising and consistent, your wardrobe will not only be tidy and clear, but it will start to breathe again.

Learn how to be uncompromising

When you have cleaned up the whole apartment, you should start organizing. Store things within the same category together (in the closet, for example, do not organize by colors, but rather by the type of clothing) because storing them at different parts of the apartment would only distract you.

VERTICAL STORAGE

- One of the greatest tricks of Marie Kondo is the vertical storage of clothing. Simply fold things and put them in the drawers vertically, which gives you a better overview. It works best with undergarments. Just as books in the library, you can also stack the handbags.

- Clothes on hangers should be stored starting from the left to the right, with the longer clothes stored on the left side. This way, you will create space in the bottom right part of the cabinet. You can use the space for a smaller shoe stand, for example.

- Do not be afraid of creating subcategories within categories. For example: divide T-shirts into undershirts, short sleeves, and long sleeves.

- Be persistent.

The last point is the hardest one. To clear and sort out things at home is not easy, but every one of us can handle it. However, to keep the household organized with a minimalist feel is much harder and for many of us, it will require lots of energy, getting out of the comfort zone, and learning new habits. Remember to surround yourself only with things that really make you happy and you use them.

Fingers crossed!