Setting My Intention

Clearing Clutter. Finding Joy. Living Slow

  • Home
    • Privacy and Cookie Policy
    • Disclosure
  • New? Start Here!
  • Work With Me
    • Affiliates
  • At Home
    • Decluttering Your Home
    • Meal Planning
      • Recipe
    • Organizing
  • In Relationships
    • Motherhood
    • Family
    • Self Care
  • In Life
    • Blogging
    • Budgeting
    • Fitness
    • Goals
    • Slow Living
  • FREE Resources
    • Top 10 Blogging Resources
    • FREE Meal Planning Printables
    • FREE 10 Step Decluttering Process
  • SHOP
    • Terms and Conditions
You are here: Home / At Home / Decluttering Your Home / Editing Clothes with the KonMari Method, Part 1

May 17, 2015 by Angela

Editing Clothes with the KonMari Method, Part 1

I have finally finished The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo *. I utilized her method for our clothing edit as I switched out our clothes from Winter/Fall to Spring/Summer. I did my clothes by myself and then my husband and I did his clothes together. I’m happy to report that my husband said it was “fun” to edit his clothes together with the KonMari Method!

Editing Clothes with the KonMari Method, Part I

The KonMari Method

If you’re not familiar with Marie Kondo’s book, she advocates tidying up by category – not by space, and to do it all at one time. Her method has you follow this order:

  1. clothing

tops

bottoms

clothes that should be hung

socks

underwear

bags

accessories

clothes for specific events (swimsuits, uniforms, etc.)

shoes

2. books

3. papers

4. komono (miscellany)

cd’s, dvd’s

skin care products

makeup

accessories

valuables (passports, credit cards, etc.)

electrical equipment, appliances, cords

household equipment (stationery, office supplies, etc.)

household supplies (expendables — medicine, detergents, tissues)

kitchen equipment (tools and appliances)

other (spare change, home decor)

items related to a particular interest or hobby (ex: cds, dvds, kitchen equipment, etc), and

5. lastly mementos (sentimental items and photos)

She recommends doing it in this order because it goes from least sentimental to most sentimental. The thought is that as you are editing, you are honing your intuitive sense of what gives you joy.

The KonMari method asks you to hold each item and ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” If it does, you keep it. If it doesn’t, you donate it or throw it away.

Current State of the Clothing

My husband and I share one small closet and one dresser. We each have two large dresser drawers and a smaller drawer. We used to have two dressers – one for each of us, but when my sons’ dresser fell apart, I made a conscious decision to pare down our clothes so that we could share one dresser and our two oldest sons could use the other one.

Editing Clothes with the KonMari Method, Part I

Our Shared Dresser

 

Editing Clothes with the KonMari Method, Part I

Our Shared Closet – Before

My husband and I don’t have an excessive amount of clothes. When this year began, I did a quick edit of his clothes without asking him (I know, I know, this was before I read all the recommendations of only dealing with your stuff first) – mostly just old t-shirts that were frayed and stained but he kept around for working in – how many work t-shirts does a man need?

I did a quick edit of my clothes as well. I had received a huge influx of clothes handed down to me by my oldest sister. I couldn’t keep everything. At the start of winter I put our spring/summer clothes in plastic rubbermaid tubs – one each. This made storage manageable with the amount of space we had to work with.

Tidying in a Quiet Space

I did my clothes first alone. I usually listen to podcasts or an audiobook while I declutter, but I didn’t this time based on Marie Kondo’s recommendation to “tidy” in silence. She writes:

The work of carefully considering each object I own to see whether it sparks joy inside me is like conversing with myself through the medium of my possessions…For this reason, it is essential to create a quiet space in which to evaluate the things in your life…I feel that noise makes it harder to hear the internal dialogue between the owner and his or her belongings. (p. 58)

I agreed with her that there is often an internal dialogue happening as I decluttered – usually full of rationalizations of why I should keep an item. This time, however, I was going to edit my clothes intuitively – touch each item and see if it “sparked joy”. To be honest, I was skeptical. How often do people feel a thrill of joy when they touch one of their possessions? If I were to only keep clothes that sparked joy, I may not have any at the end – which would definitely be problematic.

Hand Me Downs

As a third child, I was given my sisters’ hand me downs, and still gratefully receive my oldest sister’s clothes. I joke with her that I am her donation drop off. When I read Kondo acknowledging this phenomenon of the younger sister, a light bulb went off for me. She writes:

..(younger siblings) don’t really know what they like, which makes it hard to decide whether they should part with it. Because they receive so much clothing from others, they don’t really need to shop and therefore they have less opportunity to develop the instinct for what really inspires joy. (p. 56)

This was so true of me. I have never enjoyed shopping. I often feel overwhelmed and tire easily when shopping. Hand me downs are a great way to “shop” in the comfort of my own home. I know what sparks rejection (“I would never wear that”) but I’m not sure what sparks joy.

Now that we have set the stage, I’ll share about our actual editing process and the results in the next post, Part II. Stay tuned!

You might also like:

KonMari Method Part 2

Have you used the KonMari Method to edit your clothing? How did you know what sparked joy?

*This is an affiliate link, which means that at no additional cost to you, if you purchase this item, I may get a small percentage of the sale if you buy through these links. Thanks for your support!

This has been shared at these awesome linky parties.

Related

About Angela

Wife. Mom to three boys. Writer. Reader. Aspiring Minimalist. Lover of chocolate and fitness. She loves blogging about the ways she is finding success in simplifying life one step at a time. Her mantra is "Progress, not Perfection."

❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Comments

  1. Kate @KateMovingForward says

    May 18, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    Interesting! I like the idea of only keeping things that are useful or like you said “spark joy”. That’s a greta way to declutter!

    • Angela says

      May 19, 2015 at 12:29 pm

      Thanks for commenting Kate!

  2. MARTE SIMPSON says

    May 19, 2015 at 8:20 am

    Very clear, concise. In process but as a 3rd/5th child only got a few hand-me-downs & we were different Seasons, Coloring & Bodies. I LOVE to shop & usually am the one giving. But life is full of changes. Right now, we are in “Frozen Frugalilty”, & our current temporary setting is a 1 bedroom apt w/ 1 tiny closet. I’ve gained weight but my BFF is sending me a few things that fit fabulously! now she’s lost weight thru ISAGENIX!

    What sparks joy ? Something that fits! Feels great! Looks good! I am also doing ISAGENIX (up down) but going thru my stuff & sending BFF things that will fit her. Yay USPO, UPS & Fedex! saw DOORMAN on Shark Tank wonderful idea! My sister says, “Please don’t send she has no more room”!

    I appreciate your younger better way of looking at clothes & helping us baby boomers downsize!! Our parents lived thru Depression & you hung on to EVERYTHING! So with 2 of our 3 kids the pendulum is swinging to “Less is Best” & “Declutter”!!!

    Embracing yet another change & we thought becoming Senior Citizens would be dull!

    • Angela says

      May 19, 2015 at 12:28 pm

      Marte, I love that idea of a long distance clothing swap between you and your BFF! I agree that the clothes that fit, feel great and look good should spark joy!

  3. Melinda says

    September 3, 2015 at 3:20 am

    I’m letting go of so many clothes because of my weight loss. Feels wonderful to be doing that instead of other way around! 🙂

    • Angela says

      September 4, 2015 at 10:29 am

      That’s great Melinda!

  4. Anna | SheisJoyful says

    September 12, 2015 at 9:07 am

    I LOVE to declutter 🙂 Part of why I’m so excited to be moving into a home with my fiance after we get married is to keep the house beautiful, clean, and organized — isn’t that silly!? It’s just fun & therapeutic for me to get rid of things and make things look simple and beautiful. I really like this method — how you think about how that item makes you feel. I definitely have clothing I need to get rid of! I feel like I’m afraid to throw it out because I’d have almost nothing left — I have yet to discover my real “style.” I don’t know what kind of clothing I really like, haha, so that makes me feel a little “ehh” about most of my clothes I think.

    • Angela says

      September 12, 2015 at 2:36 pm

      I feel the same way Anna about my clothing. Now that I’ve pared down its easier to see the things I always reach for. I think I’m probably due for another edit soon. That’s wonderful that you love to pare down and keep things simple – keep it up!

  5. Jamie @ Medium Sized Family says

    September 13, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Everyone is talking about this book! I need to read it! I really enjoy getting rid of “stuff”. It always feels like a weight has been lifted from me. It’s great that your hubby went for it. Mine can tend to be a bit of a hoarder, but he is getting better now that he can see how much easier life is without all of that stuff!

    • Angela says

      September 13, 2015 at 9:54 pm

      It’s a helpful book! I’m seeing a lot of progress with my husband as we declutter our basement together.

  6. Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride) says

    September 28, 2015 at 11:22 am

    I love Marie Kondo’s book! She inspired me to get rid of more than 50% of my belongings, and I’m still going. I just wrote a review of her book on my blog and explained how to declutter the KonMari way 🙂 I’m now creating a capsule wardrobe to minimize my clothing even further.

    Great post!

    • Angela says

      September 29, 2015 at 9:25 am

      50%! That’s awesome. I love capsule wardrobes – haven’t specifically done that yet but I do want to!

Hi Friend! I’m Angela

Welcome to my blog where I write about simplifying life in small, manageable steps and creating healthy habits. You'll find inspiration, practical tips and community here for the decluttering you're doing in your own life. (whether that's physical, mental, or emotional clutter) Thanks so much for stopping by! Read More…

Courtney Carver’s Soulful Simplicity Course

Let’s Connect!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

How to Start Making Changes in 5 Important Areas

FREE Step by Step Instructions!

You feel overwhelmed by your space and you don't know where to start. Here is a 1 page guide that will walk you step by step through decluttering any space in your home.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Your 1 page "cheatsheet" is on the way!

Top Posts & Pages

  • 7 Steps to Start Hand Lettering
    7 Steps to Start Hand Lettering
  • Basement Clutter Tour
    Basement Clutter Tour
  • How to Start Swedish Death Cleaning
    How to Start Swedish Death Cleaning
  • Basement Clutter Reveal
    Basement Clutter Reveal
  • Decluttering the Basement: One Corner at a Time
    Decluttering the Basement: One Corner at a Time

Affiliate Disclosure

This website may include affiliate links. These companies pay a small commission to me for sharing their products and services at no additional cost to you.

Disclosure

All information on this blog is from the author’s experience and is not intended to be professional advice. When using ideas from this blog, readers should use common sense and caution.

Amazon Associates

Setting My Intention participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate ad program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Copyright

Copyright Setting My Intention 2018. All rights reserved. Please feel free to share content from this website with a reference to the website and link back to the original page or post.

 

Copyright 2016 Pretty Chic Theme By: Pretty Darn Cute Design On Genesis Framework