HAIL MARIE
Kate praises Ms Kondo’s clutter-free philosophy
The Marie Kondo series that came out on Netflix over Christmas has provided a unique opportunity for us parents. This diminutive, gorgeous, softly spoken Japanese woman goes into people’s messy homes and transforms them like a powerhouse.
She does this by getting them to throw out all their junk with just a simple question – does it spark joy? If it does, keep it; if it doesn’t, toss it.
Charity bins and stores were inundated over the holidays with bags of other people’s cast-offs as everyone watching the series was inspired to clean up.
I read the book a few years ago, before Netflix turned her into a household name, so I was already familiar with her when my daughter breathlessly announced a new series on Netflix that looked “amazing”.
Hoping it was my next Ozark, I enthusiastically followed her to the lounge. And there she was, Marie, thanking people’s belongings for serving them well, then tossing everything into the rubbish.
I must admit, seeing how much junk people have in their homes was gripping but also reassuring. We are not alone in having acquired so much crap over the years.
Why do we keep the baby car seat after they’ve outgrown it? Why do we have the box for the TV we don’t even own anymore?
Most of the spaces in our house are fairly tidy. After all, I’m married to the male version of Marie. He’s less polite about thanking things as he tosses them and he throws away a lot of stuff without even pausing to ask if it sparks joy. But by and large, it means spaces are pretty clean, apart from the kids’ bedrooms.
My daughter, seeing the systems Marie employs to tidy – like little boxes inside drawers, only keeping stuff you truly love, learning to fold clothes – found them intriguing.
She was keen to give it a go. I was sceptical about whether she could sustain the enthusiasm for it, but she was in love with the results.
“Look, Mum!” she’d proudly bellow, surrounded by junk. “Look how much I’ve cleared!” Then she’d package it up, working out what needed to be biffed and what could be donated to charity.
“Look at my drawers!” she’d yell as she thrust them open to reveal neatly stacked little parcels of T-shirts and singlets.
Inspired, I decided to attack the pantry. You’d be amazed how much expired stuff you have in your pantry. I filled two rubbish bags, then I sorted everything into little containers and jars à la Marie and stood back to admire my handiwork.
It did indeed spark joy. So all I need to do now is try to keep it that way. And try to inspire the other kids to do their rooms too.