Jeans, shirts, sweaters, base layers—let’s face it—cold weather clothes and snow gear take up space. Storage in your mountain home is key, and so is staying organized. But, between the weekend trips to and from your home away from home, to lessons on the mountain, and family dinners at the Foggy Goggle, your vacation home’s cleanliness might tend to take the back seat to all kinds of family fun.
Enter Marie Kondo—a lovable tidying guru who’s been sweeping the nation with her new Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. With Marie’s help, you’ll find the fix for your mess of a coat closet and the ghost of skis past, present, and future hiding in your basement.
Kondo’s method is based on one principal: unless you truly, deeply love an item, it is time to get rid of it. That being said, vacation homes can easily become a storage unit for unwanted goods and once-loved possessions. What better way to start 2019 off than an organization spree, keeping only the items that spark joy?
Here’s what you need to know:
Organize by Category
Start your KonMari cleanse by organizing in categories rather than rooms. For many people, certain categories are in multiple rooms. By starting with larger categories, like clothes, then working your way down to the specific type of clothing, it becomes more effective for creating space and eliminating clutter.
Arm yourself with storage
Over the course of your KonMari experience, some possessions will need new homes in your house, not just in someone else’s. Be sure to stock up on storage solutions before you start organizing—otherwise, you’ll end up in a more chaotic space than when you started.
Get ready to fold
Marie Kondo is notorious for her strict folding technique. Understandably so, her method for folding is effective. Taking care of our possessions reminds people what it means to preserve the quality of the things we love.
Change your mindset
Everything in your home should have a place. The ski gear from last winter that finished airing out? Take the time to fold it up and put it back in the drawer where it belongs. The bin of mismatched gloves and scarves? Match each pair up. Treat your gear and all of your belongings as if they were alive, and only keep the things that truly make you happy. (But no, this is not an excuse to throw away your vacuum, toilet brush, and hamper because they don’t spark joy).
Start watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix
Marie will inspire you to get that cabin cleanse started, pronto. Plus, who doesn’t love a good binge watch while decluttering?
