Decluttering your wardrobe: The Konmari Method

For the last week or so I have been reading (or rather audio-booking) 'The life-changing magic of tidying up' by Marie Kondo, also known as the Konmari Method. The most interesting part of the method for me, was touching every single item I own and deciding whether it sparked joy. How would I know this? So here's what I did & how it worked for me: 

Step 1 - Collect your clothing from all over your home whether its in your drawers, wardrobe, lying around or somewhere tucked away in storage. Place all items of clothing in one place - I used my bed for a big space. Perhaps this adds to the 'shock' factor at how many items you actually own. 

Step 2 - Go through each item, pick it up and decide whether the item brings you joy, if it does - put it in the keep pile. If the item doesn't spark joy, has bad memories or is simply old and worn then put it in another of two piles a) trash b) donations. 

Step 3 - stop thinking about a maybe pile, although at first I found myself adding items into a secret pile of 'just in case' or 'maybe one day I will like it' pile, at the end of the decluttering session I threw all of the maybes away. 

Step 4 - Fold all items that can be folded. For the Konmari method, folding is the main way to store your clothing and I have to agree it is space-saving and very satisfying when you see the end result and everything has it's place. There are some great youtube videos if you can't quite envisage the folding process as described by Marie Kondo. 

Step 5 - Assign all items to a space. Use drawer dividers or simply place items in separate areas. For example, tops and vests in one drawers whilst trousers and denim belong in another drawer. 

Step 6 - For hanging items, for example delicate pieces, dresses or shirts rearrange the items from longest and heaviest on the left to shortest and lighter weight fabrics on the right. 

& That's it! 

For underwear and socks, I used Ikea drawer dividers and even folded them correctly according to the book, and yes - it does look and work better in terms of organisation. 

The Konmari Method good stuff: 

allows you to see everything you have when you open up a drawer, instead of constantly reaching for the top items

helps to declutter and minimise, only filling your closet/wardrobe space with, items that you really love and enjoy 

makes tidying/organising a lot easier and less frequent 

space-saving & efficient 

The Konmari Method not-so-good-stuff : 

time consuming - but once it's done, it's done 

can feel overwhelming tackling all your clothing at once , but it really is best to see everything in one go!