Six Steps to Sparking Joy For A Successful Spring Cleaning Session 

In the past year, Marie Kondo – A Japanese Cleaning Consultant – has taken the world by storm with her signature ‘KonMari” method of cleaning up your personal space! Starting out with her book The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, she introduced the world to her simple philosophy that transforms the sometimes intimidating task of tidying up into a zen-like activity. With her Netflix show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo inspiring streamers far and wide to get in the spring cleaning spirit, we here at YumeTwins decided to break down the ‘KonMari’ method into 6 easy steps to get you started! 

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1. Commit Yourself to Tidying Up 

This may seem like a no brainer, but sometimes getting started is the hardest part.  In order for your spring cleaning sesh to end successfully, you must fully commit from the start! Besides, once you get going, you’ve already won half the battle. Watching your space transform from cluttered and claustrophobic to Clean and Serene will be well worth the effort, trust us!

1. Imagine Your Ideal Lifestyle 

Banking off of step one, once you’re ready to commit, it’s time to picture yourself in an ideal situation. Do you feel stressed out coming home? You can change that! A healthy spring cleaning can do wonders for the mind and soul! Once you achieve your spring cleaning dreams, your life will be all the better! 

Source This is the type of clean collection even Marie Kondo can get behind! 

1. Thank Each Item You Choose to Discard 

That’s right, you heard us. It’s important to say thank you! Even though you may be saying sayonara to some things, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t appreciate them for what they are. They served their purpose at some point, and now it’s time to let go with a job well done. Maybe give some things to friends and family, or donate them to a local charity so they can continue to be appreciated.  

1. Tidy By Category, Not Location

In order to combat feeling overwhelmed, Marie recommends tackling your tidying up typhoons by category rather than location. Instead of thinking “I have to clean up my entire bedroom!” try to think “Today I will organize my manga collection, and then my anime figures!”. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? 

1. Follow The Right Order 

There’s even a method to this mantra! According to the ‘KonMari’ way, each category should be taken on in this specific order to maximize spring cleaning satisfaction. Check this out: 

1. Clothes – Usually the largest source of clutter, clothing comes first. 
2. Books – Books can also be a bit overbearing, so they come next. 
3. Papers – Why are you holding onto all of those receipts anyway..? 
4. Komono – In Japanese Komono (小物) literally means “small things”. Once you’ve finished with the big 3, all the little knick knacks come next. 
5. Sentimental items – It’s time to take one final look and decide what is truly worth keeping. It’s okay to hold on to these things! Just make sure they’re really worth the space. 

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     6.  Ask Yourself If It Sparks Joy

We saved the most iconic aspect of the ‘KonMari’ spring cleaning special for last! Marie has made her name based off of this simple sentiment alone. When considering an item in your possession, ask yourself, how do you feel when you hold it? Does it make you happy? Great! Hold onto it. Are you indifferent, or even perturbed by certain things that have stuck around too long? That’s how you know it’s time to say goodbye! You can take comfort in knowing it’s okay to keep some kawaii treasures around, but maybe it’s time to let go of that old pair of socks. 

Are you as inspired as we are to embrace the spirit of spring cleaning? Have you already taken on the ‘KonMari’ method? Let us know in the comments below! And, if you have an awesome collection that’s passed Marie’s test, we want to see it! Be sure to tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.