The KonMarie method

peaceandfreedom

Igamogam wrote: »

Grey Queen you have put into words EXACTLY how I feel.Thankyou I too have had to deal with the possessions of relatives and at the time I dealt with it by bringing it into my home.............I dont want my DDs to go through the same thing!

I loved every word of Greyqueen's post and agree with it all.

I read a while ago that one of the best things you can do for your children / other close relatives is to deal with all your 'stuff' before you die and tell them what you want done with the rest. It is so exhausting and distressing for them to have to deal with it all.

115K

I'm just rearranging my wardrobes now. :cool: I did it late last year but it's amazing how messed up things can get. I think I may have gremlins in my house.

peaceandfreedom wrote: »

For a long time, I've only bought white towels because to me, they have a more luxurious look and they all match each other. They only exception is beach towels but I keep them well hidden.

The white towels stay nice and white if they are only ever washed with white things. They also get an extra-long rinse. A lot of outside drying in the sun helps as well. (I rarely use bleach for anything because our septic tank would not approve and in any case our towels don't need it.)

White towels do look a lot prettier but I've always avoided as I thought they would be a pain to keep looking clean. I might look for some good quality white towels and just remember not to put anything coloured into the wash! I seem to do that often.:rotfl:

jinny

115K wrote: »

I'm just rearranging my wardrobes now. :cool: I did it late last year but it's amazing how messed up things can get. I think I may have gremlins in my house.



White towels do look a lot prettier but I've always avoided as I thought they would be a pain to keep looking clean. I might look for some good quality white towels and just remember not to put anything coloured into the wash! I seem to do that often.:rotfl:

I've posted this on many laundry threads
But it works
White laundry in washer
Add 4 tablespoons of bi carb of soda
In the drum with the laundry
Then use usual dose of washing detergent
in drawer or Drum
Glug of white vinegar NOT BROWN in the fab conditioner drawer
NO fabric conditioner and never use coloured fab con it tints your clothes you can't smell the vinegar when dry or put drops of essention oil in with vinegar but not nessasary
It brings my white sheets up brilliant
I soaked a stained delicate white silk cami top in bicarb
Last week then delicate wash in washer
Stain gone

WeeMidgie

I went to make breakfast this morning, but Kondomania took over! I totally re-arranged all of my kitchen cupboards - food stores and crockery totally switched around, shelf heights adjusted to their optimum, and everything cleaned.

I then sat down to have my delayed breakfast, and found myself ranger-rolling two tea towels whilst I munched! Actually, the tea towels live on a small narrow shelf, and I decided that they're better left folded flat in this instance.

I too absolutely agree with Grey Queen's wonderful post. Today, for example, I said goodbye and thank you to my mother's last few tea towels - she died 16 years ago, and she had used them for several years herself. They are well past their best, and will go off and be recycled into something useful.

I did find it hard to let go of many of her belongings, but over the years I grew able to ask if each item was useful, beautiful and made me happy when I truly saw it. Some things I initially kept had unhappy memories and were discarded (usually donated) more quickly.

So I have been able to recognise exactly what MK says in her book about the connection we have with each possession. Do we possess them, or do they possess us and sap our energy?

My mother was a very tidy person, but an incredible hoarder, which I put down to wartime thrift - she was a teenager during WW2. The emptying of her house was indeed exhausting and I did it singlehanded as my siblings live and work overseas.

My hope with MK-ing my house is that if I fell under the proverbial bus, my offspring would be able to clear it out, belongings and paperwork, in a very short time!

Igamogam

peaceandfreedom wrote: »

I loved every word of Greyqueen's post and agree with it all.

I read a while ago that one of the best things you can do for your children / other close relatives is to deal with all your 'stuff' before you die and tell them what you want done with the rest. It is so exhausting and distressing for them to have to deal with it all.

Planning on another half century before I need to do that:eek:

Kiwisaver_2

I tackled the rats nest that was previously three overflowing carrier bags full of breeding carrier bags; they're now all neatly folded into one neat bag that is standing up all on it's own and is nowhere near full. :T Hopefully, they will all be happier in their new environment and will stop trying to escape.

Very satisfying, now I can see the pantry floor again.

Just going to go and do my jim jams and nightwear drawer before I go to bed .

jinny

Igamogam wrote: »

Planning on another half century before I need to do that:eek:

I sincerely hope so Igamonagan!

However clearing out a young persons
belongings is extremely harrowing
As life is funny

To lighten the mood
It's best to live light at all ages
So you can get out there
Do stuff to live laugh and love

peaceandfreedom

Igamogam wrote: »

Planning on another half century before I need to do that:eek:

Ha ha, I'm hoping it will be many years before I shuffle off this mortal coil myself. But you never know the day nor the hour .........

It's probably a whole other thread but it's not a bad idea to think about what would happen if you died suddenly and to let your nearest and dearest know your wishes to some extent. E.g. type of funeral service, burial or cremation etc. Also to ensure you have your affairs in order, have made a will, people can easily find info on your bank accounts, savings, pensions, insurances etc.

jinny

I can see reading through the threads
That this Kondoing is throwing up lots of
issues and people are emerging through purging and sorting from being stuck.
I've had lots of aha moments reading the book and these posts.
An epiphany if that's not a too strong word.
Maybe we are sorting out more than stuff.
Right! Slobbing about at the weekend over -
Time to get back to Kondoing!

lessonlearned

Fantastic post about hoarding Grey Queen.

. It's a difficult line between keeping what may or may not be useful at some as yet unknown point in the future and what is hoarding.

I am currently having to go through my parents stuff, it is very difficult. Actually compared some people they are not really too bad, mum disposed of a lot paperwork and really personal memorabilia such as letters diaries etc some time ago.

what I have done with both my OH and my mum is to get a nice box or container and am using these as a memory box to keep all the little special treasures in. For mum im using a very old biscuit tin (older than me even :rotfl:) that she used to house her receipts and housekeeping book in. I found a lovely French styled decorative box in TK Maxx that just so happens to have my husband's name on, that I'm using for his treasures

for items thT are too big to go in the boxes and that cannot be kept then I take photos of them.

My mum has an assortment of jewellery, most of it unwearable in its present state. there are some good quality pieces but a lot of it is dirty and uncared for, some rings that are too small for either my sister and me, some with stones missing etc.

I will let my sister have first pick because her daughter might be able to wear some of the rings as they are and then I shall do something with the rest, re-using the gold and precious stones and having them made up into one or two good pieces that I can wear. Otherwise it will all just sit in a drawer as it has for the last couple of decades.

My mum used to love her jewellery and I know she will be thrilled that it is being worn and loved again, even if in a slightly different way.

Yesterday I kondoed the bathroom and The diningtable is currently litteredwith boxes and bags of lotions and potions. I need to go shopping this morning but shall tackle the toiletries later today.

The kitchen is coming along nicely, just another couple of cupboards to go.......

On Wednesday someone from the Lighthousen charity shop is coming to pick up some bedroom furniture that is surplus to requirements and which is piled in the third (spare bedroom). It's a tiny room so rather than keep it as a bedroom this is going to be a proper bond-fide office/workroom. WAhoo. Of course I shall Kondo everthing before it is put away.

I reckon another couple of weeks and I shall be done here, although mum and dads house is going to take a bit longer.

After that I might need to sort to some "Guerilla Kondoing". DS1s house is my next target:rotfl: He is single so I'm not trespassing on some other woman's territory.

In fact decluttering his midden of a bedroom might even make him a better prospect for some future lady friend.

He's a wonderful son but even through a mother's doting eyes I can see he is an untidy man. :eek: I keep telling him no self respecting female would want to share a bedroom with him ......::rotfl: