Tips to keep active and organise your home from the Queen of Clean

In this two and a bit minute read, we look at four fantastic ways you can use the ‘lockdown’ to take on those decluttering chores, you never get a chance to do.

So in these troubled times if you are looking to keep your mind active and yourself occupied it could be a good opportunity to sort those jobs you don’t usually have time to get round to.

I, for one, have decided to tackle my hoarding obsession and look to rationalise both my home and work space. Which is even more important to me now I am back working from home.

So who better to go to for advice than the Japanese Queen of De-Cluttering, Marie Kondo.

Marie has written a bestselling book – The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. And has had her own TV show teaching people how to get their homes (and lives) in order.

Below are four of her top tips to get your home looking and feeling tip-top.

#1 Marie advises starting with clothing as it’s the least emotionally loaded of our stuff. Do you need that beige roll neck which makes you look like Captain Birdseye?

#2 When having a clear-out, ask yourself a simple question when mulling over throwing something out or not: Do you LOVE it? Not just like it, but love it. If yes keep it, if no (especially if it is clothes) get rid of it. Of course this doesn’t apply to your spouse if they are driving you bonkers during lockdown.

#3 Tidy by categories, not rooms. So, for example if you have lots of books spread over your home that you no longer need or want, sort these out first, rather than going from room to room. The same applies to clothes, ornaments, shoes etc.

#4 Take on a paper round-up. The paperless home is still a long way off. But if you use Kondo’s simple 3 step approach, you can add a lot of order to your paperwork. Sort into categories like this: 1) Papers that need attention now – bills etc. 2) Papers that you need in the short-term only like offers or statements. 3) Papers that are needed indefinitely like lease contracts and insurance covers. By having the paper filed like this, you will know what needs your attention and when and what you can recycle.

Kondo’s tips are not just cosmetic. A tidy home is said by researchers to aid mental health, which is incredibly important, especially at anxious times like this. So that’s even more reason to listen to the Japanese Queen of Clean.

Thanks for reading and stay safe and looking out for each other.