The keys to the marie kondo method to tidy up the house

The konmari method

Photo: Marie Kondo

The konmari method

Whether you're hooked on the Netflix reality show, order with Marie Kondo! –We do, we have to confess– as if it sounds like Japanese to you –that would not be surprising given that this order guru is Japanese–, don't miss the keys to the KonMari method of ordering.

The magic of order

Before sweeping Netflix, Marie Kondo had already triumphed years ago in bookstores with The Magic of Order, the book in which she collects her principles and tricks, and of which millions of copies have been sold around the world.

Order is healthy and makes you happy

Photo: Marie Kondo

Order is healthy and makes you happy

The first thing to keep in mind is that ordering is beneficial to your health and makes you happier. Not only does Marie Kondo say it, but science too. According to recent studies, having a tidy house fights stress, helps you lead a more orderly life (with meals, rest, exercise …), and rebound makes you more beautiful and makes you feel happier.

Out useless things

Photo: Marie Kondo with Emily Schuman from Cupcakes and Cashmere

Out useless things

Following the KonMari method, the first key to putting your house in order forever is to get rid of everything you don't use.

Sort by categories

Photo: Marie Kondo with Emily Schuman from Cupcakes and Cashmere

Sort by categories

The next key is to think globally. Instead of ordering by rooms, one of the most common mistakes when ordering, do it by groups of things (food, kitchenware, clothes, books …). So you know what you really have scattered around the house and you can correctly decide what you need and what you don't.

Start at least complicated

It starts with clothes, for example. And leave for last the photos and memories, which are things that cost more to get rid of. Marie Kondo trick: do not do the photos and memories in front of anyone in your family.

Do it suddenly

If you do it in one go, you will have immediate results and it will motivate you. The trick is to make a big intervention first, and then keep the daily order.

Clothes by colors and with three folds

One of the pillars of Marie Kondo to keep clothes at bay is to order them by color so as not to waste time when choosing what to wear. And the other, folding the clothes in three folds and placing them vertically to see what you have and take it easily. Here are all the tricks to order the closet with the KonMari method.

Take advantage of space

Photo: Marie Kondo

Take advantage of space

Often we forget, walls, base of cupboards and other spaces where we can store everything that does not fit in the usual places.

Compartmentalize

A place for everything and a thing for each place. Not only do you have to provide spaces to store, but also compartments so that the elements do not mix with each other, making it easier to locate and use. It is one of the keys to how to make the most of the space in the kitchen and bathroom a la Marie Kondo.

Dispense with useless elements

The bidet or bathtub, for example, are totally expendable if you want to make the most of a small bathroom and keep it tidy.

Fight the "komono"

The mail, the invoices, the discounts, the propaganda, the magazines, the CDs and all those various scattered objects that in Japanese they call "komono" are one of the main causes of disorder. Don't let them accumulate. Place a tray where to deposit them, for example, and review them periodically as we tell you on how to combat paper, bills and other enemies of disorder with the KonMari method.

Take advantage of the wardrobe change

It's a great time to "clean up." Distribute the clothes in 3 piles: one with what you are sure you want to keep, another with things to throw away directly, and a third with what you would need to fix.

Use the box trick

Photo: Marie Kondo

Use the box trick

If there are objects that you don't know whether to throw away or keep, put them in a box, close it and put the date. If after a year you have not opened it, it means that you do not need it, so throw it away directly. And remember that to avoid having to get rid of things, it is best not to accumulate them. Set the rule that for every new thing (clothes, kitchen utensils …) that you bring into the house, one or two things must come out first.

Having an orderly home goes beyond a simple aesthetic issue. As shown by Marie Kondo in her Netflix show To order with Marie Kondo! and in his book The Magic order, also influences your physical and emotional well-being and determines the spirit with which you face your daily chores. Tidying up the house can be the first step to putting order in your life and being happy.

Marie Kondo method to order your life

There is no doubt that order has many practical advantages: we find things more quickly, it makes cleaning easier … However, we are often not aware that the benefits it brings us are much more profound:

Fight stress. To see the connection, just think how nervous you get when, on the verge of leaving home just in time, you can't find your keys. In addition, an orderly environment unconsciously conveys a sense of calm. And instead one where chaos, restlessness, restlessness reigns.
Improve your health. The most common is that those who have an orderly house also lead a more orderly lifestyle; which translates into having a more balanced diet, better sleep habits, exercise, etc.
It makes you more beautiful. By combating stress, it eliminates the cause of many aesthetic problems such as pimples, hair loss, etc. Besides, a tidy house favors cleanliness and that there are fewer impurities in the air that harm the skin. Also, ordering burns 230 kcal per hour approximately.

The keys to the order of the Marie Kondo method

Here are the basics of the KonMari method for tidying your house

Throw things away. The first step before ordering is to get rid of what you don't use or want.
Sort by categories. Don't do it for rooms. That allows you to know what you really have, and to decide what you want to keep and what to throw away.
Start with the easiest. So you will not abandon the first change. It starts with the clothes. Then the books, papers, various things and, finally, the photos and memories.
Do it in one go. You will have immediate results and it will motivate you. Make a big intervention first, and then try to maintain the daily order.

The best KonMari tricks

In the clothes closet: by colors and well folded and placed. They are two of Marie Kondo's keys to keeping clothes at bay. We have all the tricks to order the closet with your method
In the kitchen and bathroom: make the most of space. Often we forget, walls, base of cupboards and other spaces where we can store everything that does not fit in the usual places. Find out how to make the most of your kitchen and bathroom space a la KonMari.
Keep the Komono (paperwork, bills and other small objects that are not in order) at bay. The propaganda that comes through the mail, discount coupons, receipts for supplies, magazines, or children's toys are some of the most feared enemies of order. Here's how to fight them.

Did you know…?

Messy by nature?

Science has not found any gene that determines our greater or lesser capacity to organize things. As with other features of behavior, order is something you learn. What is certain is that once the disorder has taken root in your day to day, it will be difficult to correct it. But not impossible.

Is it hard for you to throw things away?

Getting rid of what we do not use or need is not always easy. These strategies can help you finally say goodbye to what you have left over and put your house in order with the Marie Kondo method.

The box test. If there are objects that you don't know whether to throw away or keep, put them in a box, close it and put the date. If after a year you have not had to open it, it is because you do not need anything that is inside, so throw it away directly.
Take advantage of the wardrobe change. It is a great time to "clean" your clothes. Distribute the clothes in 3 piles: one with what you are sure you want to keep, another with things to throw away directly, and a third with what you need to fix. With the pile of what remains in mind, assess if it really pays to fix those things, or if it is better to put them on the pile to throw away.
It is better prevent. To avoid having to get rid of things, it is best not to accumulate them. Set the rule that for every new thing (clothes, kitchen utensils …) that you bring into the house, one or two others must go out.

Disorder also has its good side

Sorry, Marie Kondo! A study from the University of Minnesota has linked order with a greater tendency to eat a healthy diet, be generous and have a conventional attitude in life. The explanation would be that an orderly environment encourages doing what is expected of one.

But disorder would also have its benefits, as it would inspire a break with tradition and that leads to new approaches and more interesting and creative ideas, according to this same research.