{"id":311,"date":"2025-09-11T22:20:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T05:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/?p=311"},"modified":"2025-10-24T05:47:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T12:47:03","slug":"the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The KonMari Method: How To Re-organize And Declutter Your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professional organizer Marie Kondo took the world by storm with her tidying-up philosophy. More than a simple decluttering<\/a> method, Marie Kondo\u2019s technique, known as the KonMari method, teaches a different approach toward curating your belongings and, by extension, toward improving your life.<\/p>\n

Her method is inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which centers around simplicity, serenity and seeing beauty in everyday objects. According to Marie Kondo, we should only hold on to the things that \u201cspark joy.\u201d However, that joy mainly refers to the utility of the object in your life \u2013 so, no, you shouldn\u2019t get rid of your vacuum cleaner even if you don\u2019t feel a whole lot of happiness when you see it!<\/p>\n

By combining elements of ancient Japanese wisdom with very practical advice on home organizing, folding and tidying up, Marie Kondo provides a comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide to having a better home and a simpler life. Check out the main takeaways from the KonMari method:<\/p>\n

<\/span>Tidy your entire home at once<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Reorganize your entire home all at once, not room by room. It sounds like a daunting endeavor and a huge one at that. However, it\u2019s essential for the success of the decluttering. You\u2019ll be working on categories of items (clothes, books and so on) and you can do that only by tackling the entire home.<\/p>\n

Reserve a whole weekend to complete the task<\/strong> \u2013 yes, it\u2019s a lot of work! However, by the end of it, every item in your house should have a clear purpose and its own designated spot. Maintaining order from that point forward will be so much easier.<\/p>\n

Start the process only if you\u2019re ready for it and have the time and the energy to complete it. The KonMari method gets you through decluttering, but you must be able and willing to let things go. Visualize your goal \u2013 how you want to live and how you want your house to feel, look and function.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Find out what sparks joy<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Sparking joy can signify many different things, according to the KonMari method. An object that\u2019s particularly useful to you, one that brings good memories and a fuzzy feeling inside, or one that is aesthetically pleasing \u2013 all of them fit the \u201csparking joy\u201d definition.<\/p>\n

To decide what stays and what goes, you have to pick up each object, hold it for a little while and decide whether it sparks joy for you or not<\/strong>. If it doesn\u2019t, it means that it\u2019s time to let it go, but not before thanking it for the service it provided.<\/p>\n

It might sound peculiar and even a little bit pretentious, but it does makes it easier to let things go. It\u2019s an interesting approach, one that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of an item and its significance in your life, not only its material value or the condition it\u2019s in. For example, if you have an old T-shirt that\u2019s all run down, but you associate it with good memories and you love wearing it to sleep or while working out, it means that it sparks joy and you should keep it.<\/p>\n

\"pictures<\/p>\n

<\/span>Tidy up by category<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

When reorganizing their homes, most people tend to go from small to big: drawers, shelves and closets, then focus on the entire room. Marie Kondo says that it\u2019s inefficient and it doesn\u2019t bring real change. Going drawer by drawer and closet by closet means you never truly grasp how many items you actually own.<\/p>\n

Instead, go by category (clothes, books and so on)<\/strong>. Take out all your clothes from all the closets and drawers in your home. Put them on the floor, in one large pile. Pick up every item and hold it for a few seconds to see what it inspires: does it make your heart flutter, in which case you should put it in the keep pile? Or does it spark no joy for you, and so it must go? Repeat the process with all the categories of items in your house.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Tidy up in a specific order<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The categories must be tackled in a specific order, adds Marie Kondo. You should start with your clothing<\/em><\/strong>, continue with books, papers, miscellaneous items<\/em><\/strong> and finish with sentimental items<\/em><\/strong>. Your main goal is to keep only things you are actually using, and not \u201cmaybe\u201d objects: \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll wear that sweater again someday,\u201d or \u201cmaybe I\u2019ll still need that charger in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once you have discarded all the ballast, you must decide on a place for everything that stays<\/strong>. Each item needs to have its own, designated spot in your house, whether it\u2019s a jacket, the remote control, or your blender. A main rule is to store all items of the same type in one place \u2013 all your towels go in the same closet, not in several closets throughout the house.<\/p>\n

Marie Kondo also has some interesting advice on how to manage sentimental items. For example, instead of keeping your family photos in a box somewhere, put them in a nice album and place the album in an easily accessible spot, like your coffee table or a shelf in the living room.<\/p>\n

Another way to make the most of your sentimental items (pictures, postcards, even pieces of clothing) is by framing and displaying them on the walls<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Adjust the KonMari method to your lifestyle<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

We all dream about a house so well-organized that everything goes smoothly all the time, everyone finds their socks and favorite books, and cleaning is a breeze. As with all ideals, this one is rather unattainable too, but the KonMari method certainly gets us closer. The technique is very inspiring due to the new perspective it gives on belongings and their role in our lives, and also because of its practical tips and tricks for home organizing.<\/p>\n

However, if you can\u2019t follow through with all of Marie Kondo\u2019s advice, it\u2019s perfectly fine to pick only what works for you. The KonMari method emphasizes surrounding yourself with things that \u201cspark joy,\u201d but in reality, some possessions hold practical or sentimental value that makes them difficult to part with entirely. It\u2019s lovely to imagine a home where every item has its place and nothing feels out of order, but life often doesn\u2019t fit into that ideal.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re not quite ready to say goodbye to certain belongings, self storage<\/a> offers a balanced solution. By moving excess items out of your immediate living space, you can create a clean, uncluttered environment without the emotional burden of letting go. Seasonal decorations, family heirlooms, hobby gear, or extra furniture can all be safely stored until you\u2019re ready to use them again \u2014 or until you\u2019re sure you\u2019re ready to part ways.<\/p>\n

This approach allows you to maintain the peace and clarity of a minimalist home while still keeping what matters most. In a way, self storage becomes an extension of your home \u2014 a thoughtfully organized space that supports your lifestyle goals. Whether you\u2019re gradually decluttering, downsizing, or simply craving more breathing room, a storage unit can be the bridge between the life you have now and the more simplified, intentional one you\u2019re working toward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Professional organizer Marie Kondo took the world by storm with her tidying-up philosophy. More than a simple decluttering method, Marie Kondo\u2019s technique, known as the KonMari method, teaches a different approach toward curating your belongings and, by extension, toward improving your life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-organizing-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe KonMari Method: Re-organize And Declutter Your Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More than simple decluttering advice, the KonMari method teaches a novel approach toward curating your belongings and improving your life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The KonMari Method: How To Re-organize And Declutter Your Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More than simple decluttering advice, the KonMari method teaches a novel approach toward curating your belongings and improving your life.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"StorageCafe Blog - Your Go-to Source for All Things Self Storage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-12T05:20:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-24T12:47:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1170\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"515\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maria Gatea\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maria Gatea\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/\",\"name\":\"The KonMari Method: Re-organize And Declutter Your Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-12T05:20:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-24T12:47:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61ef570d30be80dee10d19e65a97ea02\"},\"description\":\"More than simple decluttering advice, the KonMari method teaches a novel approach toward curating your belongings and improving your life.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg\",\"width\":1170,\"height\":515},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Smart Living\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/category\/smart-living\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Organizing Tips\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/category\/smart-living\/organizing-tips\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"The KonMari Method: How To Re-organize And Declutter Your Home\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"StorageCafe Blog - Your Go-to Source for All Things Self Storage\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61ef570d30be80dee10d19e65a97ea02\",\"name\":\"Maria Gatea\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2026\/04\/Headshot-Maria-1.png?w=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2026\/04\/Headshot-Maria-1.png?w=96\",\"caption\":\"Maria Gatea\"},\"description\":\"Maria Gatea is a Senior Editor & Research Writer for Yardi with a background in Journalism and Communication. After covering business and finance-related topics as a freelance writer for 15 years, she is now focusing on researching and writing about the real estate industry. You may contact Maria via email.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/author\/mariagatea79\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The KonMari Method: Re-organize And Declutter Your Home","description":"More than simple decluttering advice, the KonMari method teaches a novel approach toward curating your belongings and improving your life.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The KonMari Method: How To Re-organize And Declutter Your Home","og_description":"More than simple decluttering advice, the KonMari method teaches a novel approach toward curating your belongings and improving your life.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/","og_site_name":"StorageCafe Blog - Your Go-to Source for All Things Self Storage","article_published_time":"2025-09-12T05:20:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-24T12:47:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1170,"height":515,"url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Maria Gatea","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maria Gatea","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/","url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/","name":"The KonMari Method: Re-organize And Declutter Your Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-12T05:20:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-24T12:47:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61ef570d30be80dee10d19e65a97ea02"},"description":"More than simple decluttering advice, the KonMari method teaches a novel approach toward curating your belongings and improving your life.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg","width":1170,"height":515},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/the-konmari-method-to-declutter-your-home\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Smart Living","item":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/category\/smart-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Organizing Tips","item":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/category\/smart-living\/organizing-tips\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The KonMari Method: How To Re-organize And Declutter Your Home"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/","name":"StorageCafe Blog - Your Go-to Source for All Things Self Storage","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61ef570d30be80dee10d19e65a97ea02","name":"Maria Gatea","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2026\/04\/Headshot-Maria-1.png?w=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2026\/04\/Headshot-Maria-1.png?w=96","caption":"Maria Gatea"},"description":"Maria Gatea is a Senior Editor & Research Writer for Yardi with a background in Journalism and Communication. After covering business and finance-related topics as a freelance writer for 15 years, she is now focusing on researching and writing about the real estate industry. You may contact Maria via email.","url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/author\/mariagatea79\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/09\/marie-kondo1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19788,"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions\/19788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.storagecafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}