The KonMarie method

greenbee

As everyone has been so helpful with suggestions for GQ... I've moved a chair out of my office (into the garage... it will be going to a friend who is moving house), and replaced it with a chest of drawers from my very cluttered spare room that matches the office furniture (in the last house the office was in the spare room, so it all matched to make it less intrusive).

The extra surface is useful (filing trays, CD player, CDs... erm... and an old iphone and a screwdriver... ), and I've put all my spare office electricals (power cables, chargers, battery packs, travel headset, noise cancelling headphones etc), plus lighbulbs and candles in there.

I'm trying to think what else it would make sense to keep in there. Maybe handtowels that are used downstairs (it's next to the cloakroom) to free up space in the airing cupboard. And possibly kids 'messy play' toys that I don't want to keep in their bedroom where they can access them independently. Or cake-decorating equipment to free up space in my non-existent kitchen (everything is in folding plastic crates under too tables). I did wonder about running kit and swimming stuff, but I'm not sure I'd change for a run here, I think I'd go upstairs!

I'm open to suggestions. I currently have two empty drawers. Any thoughts?

maman

Thanks for the valance ideas. When the time comes, I think I'll try leaving it plain and see if I like it and if not make something less frilly with the Velcro idea.


greent, I've just put some Christmas tags in the chazza bags! Lately I've been making my own if I'm doing special wrapping or if I'm handing a gift to someone I don't bother.

missyrichards wrote: »

I have a confession to make, I haven't been rolling up my knickers!

They were all jumbled and disorganised and I keep taking out the least favourite pairs as they are all black. I have three lots of black knickers and I prefer one set to the other two. I have tried to buy some more but I cannot find them, maybe they are not made any more?!

I was desperate for knickers as M&S had stopped making the ones I like and wearing some definitely past their best and that I certainly wouldn't want to have been run over by a bus in. Then I saw online that they had more in so did click and collect on loads of new pairs. So I've got about 10 pairs all rolled and lovely and others still in the packaging in case they don't have them next year, or the year after or.....


DH kondoed an old chair that isn't going back in the sitting room because it makes the place look cluttered. We never sat on it anyway (one remaining from an old dining set). I've kept the needlepoint seat cover which I lovingly made so I'll wash it and make a cushion from that.

GreyQueen

Have paused the painting for the day, probably got just over another hour's worth to finish tomorrow, just hit the wall with tiredness.

Have taken a call from my friend and neighbour SuperGran; my hot water tank has finally ruptured and water is running out the overflow outside. Not what you want to hear when you're away from home for another 24 hrs. She doesn't think it's so serious that she needs to turn the water off at the stop tap, will do so if necessary.

Have been waiting for this tank to rupture, they're going all over the block, the one in the flat above mine went just before Easter. It's a full day's work for the gas engineers to change them and they cost £2k. Communal heating and hot water system, these are nothing like you get in houses. I knew mine could go any minute, and it chose to do so whilst I am away from home for 5 days - typical!

It's The Curse of the Bank Holiday, mwah ha ha!!!!!!!!!!

mrs-moneypenny

Really sorry to hear about your water tank GQ murphys law that it should go while you were away, hope the damage isn't too bad and it's quickly fixed.

PollyWollyDoodle

Oh dear GQ - lucky you have a good neighbour, and I hope it doesn't cause any problems inside.

Maman, I ditched my valance because it was such a pain - it got in the way of the drawers, and removing/replacing it was a nightmare as the mattress is too heavy for me to lift on my own. And don't even mention ironing it ... The divan/drawer base doesn't look too great, especially as it's a favourite place for the cat to scratch when she wants attention, but hardly anyone sees my bedroom and I live with it. I love your idea, GQ - might see if I can adapt something.

Tea towels live in a kitchen drawer, neatly rolled of course, and the current one in use hangs on the oven door. I have a dishwasher so it only gets occasional use but I change it quite often.

Greenbee, I'd suggest something that it's logical to locate in there - give it time and the 'right' category will become clear! Wrapping paper, cards; spare stationery, archived files; instruction manuals?

I have a drawer in my bedroom which I use to collect books which I've read but want to pass on to my sisters (rather than donate to CS). Two of those free canvas shoppers, each with a label, and then when I'm going to see one of them I know exactly where the books are. I couldn't have imagined this pre-MK as there were no spare drawers!

uk_american

greenbee - like you I have little kitchen space. So post-Kondo my very rarely used kitchen things are on a high wardobe shelf. It's mainly things related to canning/jarring as I make salsa each year from my garden tomatoes which brings me much joy. So the filled jars live there too and then as they get used the empties live there all together. Previously these things lived on top of the kitchen cabinets which made the kitchen look stuffed.

I originally thought it was a little odd to have kitchen things not in the kitchen, but my postage stamp kitchen feels better and the high shelf wasn't convenient for anything except 'occasional use' items as it involves getting out a chair to fetch them out. So maybe try out your cake-making things there, see how it makes you feel after?

GreyQueen

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

Really sorry to hear about your water tank GQ murph yes l that it should go while you wee away, hope the damage isn't too bad and it's quickly fixed.

Thanks, hun. Every few months another of these tanks dies, it could have gone at any moment, whether I was home or not. It takes 2 gas engineers 6-7 hours to change the tank and then a sparkie to commission it, so I am expecting the fix to be mid-late next week. I'll report it tomorrow and see if I can get them out to do the initial inspection on Friday (am home late Thurs evening).

I'm just so glad I rent my flat rather than own it, or I'd have the aggro and a £2,000 bill. Eeek!

PWD the tank overflow runs outside onto the public walkway. Worst case scenario is that the neighbours are paddling through a trickle of hot water. Even if the tank completely blows, it'll dump water onto a tiled floor and I deliberately keep only things which would be unharmed by a wetting under the tank; bowl, brush and pan, plastic step stool, flip-flops. Plus I have no carpet in the flat. A simple life is very good at reducing anxiety.

chaliepud

greenbee, I now have a few empty drawers and I'm leaving them that way until either I have finished kondoing or I find a reason to put things in them.

greenbee

chaliepud wrote: »

greenbee, I now have a few empty drawers and I'm leaving them that way until either I have finished kondoing or I find a reason to put things in them.

I have lots of stuff that came out of them (mostly fabric). It needs to go away somewhere until I get round to making the curtains and blinds for this house ... I was tempted to put it into the suitcases I don't use for work. But maybe it should go back in these drawers.

Either way, I need a major clear-up as I have a houseful in a couple of weeks, and I probably still won't have either a bathroom or functioning heating... (might be able to negotiate with the builders to have heating working by then...)

mrs-moneypenny

GQ just read my post to you that you quoted, I haven't been drinking honest, not sure why autocorrect made me write that lol