Decluttering Using the KonMari Method: Clothing

​Since most of my belongings were in storage for nearly two years while I was trying to find and buy a home I had a LOT of stuff that I really didn’t need and was not likely to use again anytime soon. Finishing the unpacking coincided everyone’s suggestion to read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up as one of my 12 non-fiction books for 2019. I finished the book in just a few days and, of course, started using the KonMari method to declutter my home.
Her process is simple: gather all items together that are alike and sort through them, deciding which items ‘spark joy’ and which don’t. Those that do not you thank for their service to you and let go from your life (often in donations). That’s my summary, on her website she lists them as:
 
There is also a specific order you must go in if you are following her method of decluttering, and it doesn’t follow a location system but rather goes by item categories:

• Clothing
• Books
• Papers
• Komono (Everything else, take it like itemed group by like itemed group until you have finished everything in the home other than sentimental items. If you have 30 cups then sort the cups before moving on to the plates or the kitchen towels, etc. )
• Sentimental Items

When you find a sentimental item in another group you can save it until the end of your decluttering, simply put it with your other sentimental items and move on. She allows this because your ability to feel if something ‘sparks joy’ should become more easily felt as you go through the process and practice on things that do not bring you job repeatedly. Personally, I’m not one who find things to ‘spark joy’ in the way she says in many cases- my sweaters by and large are functional and perhaps pretty but not joy-inspiring for instance- but there are a few items once I got to Komono and Papers that I would say definitely fit into that category of ‘sparking joy’ so perhaps she’s right.

Since the first step was clothing that’s where I started. I had recorded the entire process but unfortunately the footage was corrupted so I lost it all. Instead I recorded a video of the aftermath of finishing the decluttering showing you my closet and all the drawers holding clothing so that you can see her filing system. I also discussed some of the things I did differently than she suggests. They are:

1. If it doesn’t fit then it is time to let it go. While she didn’t outright say this in the book if I am recalling correctly it is implied in her materials and speeches at the very least and for the most part I’m on board with that but there are a few items that I wanted to keep despite this. I had an adorable pair of pajama pants that I haven’t gotten to wear yet (gift) as they are too small but I am heading that direction so decided since I love them they get to stay. Same went for a few shirts and a sweater than needs mending. I love them even if I can’t currently wear them. I will get the sweater fixed when I have time and the shirts will fit when those pants do. In total I kept about 6 items of clothing that likely would have gone had I been strict in that area.
2. Organize your clothing from darkest and heaviest to lightest. This is good in theory as the science seems to be sound that it can brighten your mood but I tried it, and it just didn’t work for me. I decided to organize by sub-category rather than color and weight in all areas of my clothing- not just the closet. In my shirt drawer I have t-shirts with a subset of college, sports, and gym then tanks with type of neckline/strap then camisoles and sports bras finish the lineup. For the closet I have the clothes I wear the most in front of me (on the left in my closet) so that I can grab them and my shoes and get ready quickly. This means I have clothing hung categorically as follows: pants, jumpsuits, dresses, skirts, sleeveless tops, short sleeved tops, three-quarter length tops, cardigans, sweaters, hoodies, and formal wear. Costumes are stored separately and by occasion as are coats. It’s just how my brain works and I decided it made more sense to go with it as it makes me life ordered and simple rather than trying to retrain my brain.
3. Organize by type of thing. I do this… in almost every area but clothing. Due to the fact that I am a performer I wanted my costume pieces and attire related to my groups separate from my normal clothing items. It comes back to ease of use and how my brain likes to organize. It made much more sense to my patterns and the spaces I had available to specifically separate out chorus t-shirts from my normal t-shirts and put them with other chorus related apparel. Every week I prep for the week ahead and my time to do so is cut in half, at least, by organizing in this way with these specific items. This is likely not going to be the case with everyone but I went with not needing to retrain my brain into organizing differently and made my life more efficient while also being orderly, tidy and happy in the space.

​That’s pretty much it though. While it did take a long time, I enjoyed the process and found a lot of value in going through everything. My local charity also found value in me doing it as I had a backseat full of bags just from the clothing (which includes shoes and accessories as well) over haul. Finally, the process of going through all of my things has made me more mindful of not only what I purchase clothing wise but also why I am purchasing it. I needed a new pair of slacks and I almost didn’t get them, despite needing them, as they didn’t really meet the need of ‘sparking joy’ that is, they weren’t really my favorite style. I did end up getting them as I actually needed them and hadn’t been able to find a better alternative but I was mindful about it and the incident has made me realize I need to be more pro-active in my clothing purchases rather than reactive so that I can find things that really suit my taste and budget as well rather than just making a purchase out of necessity that I may not be happy with.

Next up was books, which was a fast but insightful evening. We’ll talk about that next week though. Have you tried decluttering your closet yet? What did you learn if so? Did you have any tweaks like I did?

Until next time,

P.S. As a bonus for this week I have an extra video on how to fold plus size clothing using Mari Kondo's filing method of folding clothing in drawers. I really like this method and have used a similar method for years (her method has one additional fold than mine did). Here it is if you, like me, find yourself needing to tweak the folding method on some items to get them to fit into the drawers better... or if you just want a run through of how to fold with her method. I tried to be comprehensive.