(Part 3) Top products from r/konmari

For reference, discarding took about 4.5 months in my 1400 sq foot home and two storage sheds. I have started working on deep cleaning, upgrading necessary yet ugly items, and storage/organizing. I expect this to take another two months. I am watching "Clean My Space" and "Home Organizing by Alejandra.tv" channels on YouTube now to help with the process.

I am trying to keep in mind getting products out of original packaging, if possible, to limit exposure to constant advertising in my home. I am choosing to spend quite a bit on higher quality products that I love and expect to last many years. Fortunately, I have a budget that allows for some luxuries.

Bedroom

I started with my closet and these great baskets from the container store http://www.containerstore.com/s/whitewash-rattan-bins/d?productId=10037633&q=Large%20Rattan%20Bin%20Whitewash. The closet has a built in shoe organizer and I used my label maker to indicate what style shoes go on which shelf – heels, sandals, sneakers, flats and boots. I also labeled the shelf for each basket. Clothes hangers are all white. They used to be all kinds of colors, and I realized that white is more calming. I am now using these for my socks and undies since konmari folding did not quite work for me on those items http://www.amazon.com/MIU-COLOR-Collapsible-Underwear-Organizer/dp/B009A3HTXY. The folding works great for most of my other clothes. I am still pondering how to organize the nightstand drawers.

Kitchen

I bought a couple of 10" bamboo lazy susans for keeping my oils and vinegars organized in my cabinets. I bought some refrigerator organization units from InterDesign and the Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce savers. I intend to get Oxo food storage containers for dry goods.
I upgraded to these measuring spoons http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Stainless-Steel-Measuring-Spoon/dp/B00004SU1I and these measuring cups http://www.amazon.com/Sagler-Measuring-Piece-Heavy-duty-Stainless/dp/B00V5EFWTO.

When I was discarding in my kitchen I found I did not really love my dinnerware so I got this set http://www.amazon.com/Corelle-Coordinates-18-Piece-Dinnerware-Service/dp/B00R790CLY plus matching lunch sized plates. I love the simple clean lines and the durability of the product. I downsized from a 12 person setting to 6 and it is great.

Bath

Have not done much here yet. I don’t have much need for storage organization in the cabinets. Still considering what I want to do with the drawers. Right now the drawers are still organized with small cardboard boxes from Glossybox, a cut down cereal box, and an empty jigsaw puzzle box. I upgraded my plunger and brush to nice stainless steel containers, and got a toilet paper holder that matches them http://www.amazon.com/Home-Basics-Vented-Stainless-Toilet/dp/B00JB20IDW.

Laundry

I replaced my bulky plastic basket with this http://www.amazon.com/Bajer-Design-Marketing-5234-Basket/dp/B0010KZCFC. It now hangs on a Command Hook next to the washer.

Car

I have repacked the car kit and 72 hour emergency kits in these for my car and my son's car. ttp://www.amazon.com/TrunkCratePro-Best-Premium-Trunk-Organizer/dp/B01AHK0J9Y. We live in an area prone to natural disasters so I like to be prepared wherever we are. I bought a car trash container (http://www.amazon.com/Highland-1932600-Car-Trash-Keeper/dp/B0027QWNGO) and created a little kit in a ziplock bag in the glovebox with essentials. Also, found tissues in a round container that fits perfectly in the door cup holder. I also bought a set of matching reusable grocery bags (http://www.amazon.com/ReBagMe-Reusable-Grocery-Reinforced-Handles/dp/B00Y17OIR4) so I don’t have the mismatched set. Finally, I have these on order (http://www.amazon.com/Car-Hammer-Seatbelt-Emergency-Must-Have/dp/B00CB8WM2S). Not organization related, just something I have been thinking that I needed for safety.

Purse

I reassessed what is in my purse. I used a couple small cosmetics bags that I had on hand and now have many things I wished I had at various times. Everything is neatly organized and I know exactly what is in there and why I have it. Everything from safety pins, to pen and notebook (http://www.amazon.com/Marble-Composition-Books-Notebooks-Green/dp/B00WRDIS9I), to a tiny flashlight, a granola bar in case I am out and hungry, a tide stain remover pen, a tiny Band-Aid package, tiny measuring tape (http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-33-115-10-Foot-4-Inch-PowerLock/dp/B00009OYGH), my phone, my wallet, and my keys are always on the little hook. Not exactly Konmari minimalism, but those are all things that I wished I had at various times and I am happy that I will not be caught without again. It is a medium size purse, packed just right, with stuff easily accessible.

Home office

I have not done much there yet, but this drawer organizer is working pretty well http://www.amazon.com/Rolodex-Regeneration-Deep-Drawer-Organizer-21864/dp/B002JG48R4.

Command center

I am currently working on a “Command Center” to keep clutter off the kitchen counter. I have not purchased anything for that yet. I am writing down ideas, measuring, and considering products. http://thehappyhousie.porch.com/20-fabulous-command-centers-to-get-your-life-completely-organized/

Other random stuff:

I moved my CDs into a holder http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-DVDW-92-Capacity-Classic/dp/B00005ATMD and they now live on a Command Hook in my car. For movies I transferred them to these Sleeves http://www.amazon.com/Atlantic-74604729-Movie-Sleeves/dp/B002JR2V7C and they now live in a small drawer in my living room. I tossed the packaging because it was bulky and does not give me joy.

I am using these in my linen closet http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Can-Do-STO-02986-Nested-Woven-Esspresso. This box for my jewelry http://www.amazon.com/Black-Leather-Jewelry-Travel-Case/dp/B0006JCGUM.

Not related to organizing, but I am loving these brushes for getting tiny spaces clean. So much better than an old toothbrush. http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Clean-Brush/dp/B003M8GMS6

If you made it this far, congrats. Something that I have noticed is that I can now shop with confidence, I can easily toss or donate the old unloved items, and I am organized enough to return those few items that don’t work as well as I hoped. My home feels much more open and inviting. I know where everything is and my clear vision is starting to come to fruition.

So for wall mounted TVs I recommend a cable raceway (similar to this) to disguise the cable on the wall. You can adhere to the wall with command strips or other double-stick.

You can also use this for the lamp cord. I recommend moving the lamp closer to the wall. If there is excess cord, you can often feed it back into the lamp base. If your lamp base doesn't have a bottom, you can neatly (and gently) coil (DO NOT CREASE) the excess cord and secure with cable ties (I like this stuff because it only takes a little, and it's repositionable, unlike zip-ties).

As far as the power brick and excess cord to the wall...I would recommend placing an entertainment center (games????) OR some kind of decorative something that sparks JOY! Maybe something that can function as storage for something you need in the room, but don't want laying about (remote controls, etc).

Pro-tip: it may be tempting to pull cords SUPER tight, but keep a little slack to ensure the cable isn't being bent at the connectors.

Good luck, and please share your end solution with us!

Your closet sounds similar to mine.

We bought these and they work great and fit on the shelves quite well. Perfect for jeans! I can fit 6 pairs of my jeans and my husband can fit 4 of his. He’s a bit taller than me.

https://www.target.com/p/river-birch-y-weave-medium-green-room-essentials-153/-/A-53764194


They’re also good for sweaters and long sleeve shirts. I purchased a smaller size for tees and tanks.

There is room to hang clothes under the bottom shelf in our closet. Instead of hanging clothes I put a shoe rack there and a low and kinda wide plastic set of drawers.

We already had our shoe rack, but it’s similar to this.

https://www.amazon.com/20-Pair-Storage-Organizer-Entryway-Stackable/dp/B01LXRS4SI/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=shoe+rack&qid=1550509915&s=gateway&sr=8-4

My plastic drawer set is one piece, but the size of like two of these put together. (I found mine at TJ Maxx and haven’t seen another one in store or online.)

https://www.amazon.com/Honey-Can-Do-3-Drawer-Plastic-Storage-Wheels/dp/B009INB22K/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=plastic+drawers+wheels&qid=1550510086&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Something like this may work well for you too.

https://www.amazon.com/Sterilite-29308001-Drawer-Drawers-Casters/dp/B000MPQ2S2/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=plastic+drawers+wheels&qid=1550510086&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I live in New Orleans and am a member of two Mardi Gras krewes, one of which involves decorating shoes to be thrown to crowds with lots and lots and lots of glitter and the other of which requires lots of costumes. What I'm saying is, I feel your pain. I mean, I have an entire bin of nothing but wigs. I wound up with a sturdy portable closet that has a linen cover on it that looks pretty nice for all the costume stuff so it's really away when I don't need it. I created a craft nook sort of place and organized all those supplies nicely with the really bulky stuff all under the daybed in my guest room. Still working on it all, but my theory is if it's organized, out of the way, and needed for hobbies that I'm actively participating in and enjoying, it stays.

You should really read 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam . It has great worksheets and questions to help you clarify your time to what you really want. I truly consider it a KonMari type book for your schedule. Good luck!

I feel you!!

Actually, I have a big kitchen in terms of square footage, but zero storage space. Basically a big room with a double sink, fridge, and stove lol. And kitchen clutter drives me nuts, but my husband is a serious cook and we have an amazingly well-stocked kitchen.

I've had to basically use various freestanding items for counter space and storage. Perhaps the most impactful item that I think would be good for you is a tall shelf for pots n pans. Something like this from Amazon. (Mine is from the thrift store and made of wood, but served the same purpose of holding big heavy pots and pans).

After finding 5 big thrift store items to try to make my kitchen usable, I then bought a few things full price. I did this because I wanted things with very specific measurements to make the most of the remaining space!

I still have no drawers or cabinets with doors, just lots of open shelving.

I sew, so I plan to make some curtains to cover at least some of my open shelving at some point. That will help with the overwhelmed feeling I think.

It's mostly newsboy hats? Could you fold them and put them in a box on a shelf, or in a drawer, so he can easily see which hats are in it and choose one? My husband only wears winter hats so I'm not experienced in other styles, but that's how I stored our winter hats. It sounds like your husband has higher quality hats so I'm not sure if nice ones can be folded the way cheap ones can. Or maybe try a wire rack, like this and set it upright, if the hats can't be folded.

I used four of these command 5 lb water resistant strips, they work pretty well
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WSNM9Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LTjMDb946Q3HW

A tall cylinder glass vase for the duckies. like this one

(Please note that link is for a set of 12. I just liked the pic to convey the idea. Otherwise these glass vases are much cheaper. You can find them at hobbylobby, target, Marshall’s, tjmax, Walmart,etc for like $8-10.

This is older than Konmari but just about to be released in English:

The Art of Discarding: How to Get Rid of Clutter and Find Joy https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316558923/

The book 'The Happiness Trap' helped me. It was recommended by a psychologist. There is a illustrated version, too. https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Trap-Struggling-Start-Living/dp/1590305841

Is there any reason you couldn't use a pot rack like this? I've always wanted one but don't have the ceiling for it!

I have a very curious cat, and I also have some sentimental, breakable items that I'd like to keep in once piece, but also have out on shelves. I invested in some museum putty, and every single thing in my home that isn't food has survived his antics. https://www.amazon.com/Quakehold-88111-Museum-Putty-Neutral/dp/B0002VA9NA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493008406&sr=8-1&keywords=quakehold

I love this and I love seeing apple boxes used for organizing... but for those of you without a good battery solution I have to give a shout out to the organizer I bought when I first KM’d in 2015 bc it still brings me so much joy!!

battery

Konmari is a nickname for Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up -- here's a link to purchase the book on Amazon (or check your local library!). She has a second book called Spark Joy but you're meant to read TLCMOTU first because you need to reduce the amount of things you have before deciding how to store and organize it (which is what the second book covers).

I use museum putty: https://www.amazon.com/Quakehold-99111-Collectors-Museum-Putty/dp/B000FJU290

I bought three of these Prodyne M-912 Stainless Steel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KFUEG0?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf for the back of my counter, and then have a box in the pantry with any remnants of larger containers or extra containers from sales. I mostly buy bulk spices, though.