Using the KonMari method to get my house tidy is almost complete! Read all about the intro here.
The first part of the “komono” category was things like dvds/cds, skin care, makeup, accessories, etc. This next part is all about everyday housewares. Let’s break it down into the subcategories.
Electrical Equipment:
This was a big category for us because my husband is both an I.T. and a technology enthusiast. Because of this, most of the electrical type stuff we ended up keeping because my husband uses most of it quite frequently on his project computer and for work. This included wires/cords (so. many. wires.), gaming mouses and keyboards, computer hardware, storage devices, and computer accessories.
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| All of my old cell phones |
Where I did make progress was with cameras and phones. For some strange reason, I felt it necessary to hoard all of my old phones. Maybe I thought that they would be suitable backups? Anyway, they have been sitting collecting dust, so out they go. There was also an ancient digital camera that was missing the battery charger anyway, so out that went too! Not very much left, but now what is exclusively mine is now completely tidied.
Household Equipment:
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| Pens, stationary, desk supplies |
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| What was under all of those pens |
This category included things like stationary, pens, sewing equipment, things that you would typically find in a junk drawer or on desks. This is one of those categories that creeps up on a lot of people. These things are all useful, so why get rid of oversupply? Pretty soon, junk drawers are overflowing and you have more pens than anyone could possible need (yet they are always lost).
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| All of the pens in the house |
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| Pens to be discarded |
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| Paper, stationary, and notepads to be recycled |
Speaking of pens, we had a ridiculous amount. I dutifully went around the house collecting pens from drawers and purses, as well as all of the ones stuffed in a drawer by our desk. It was a little overwhelming on how to start, but after testing out all of them, I realized over half didn’t even work or were dried out. After that, I kept a few novelty ones, some fun colors, and then a variety of blue and black. I also had an astonishing amount of notepads. These are things that are easy to stuff in a stocking or give to someone as a gift, so these often accumulate. I kept the ones that brought me joy. I also had a ton of envelopes with no matching cards, which was strange. Once all of that was organized, it was nice to have all of the stationary and writing things in one place, at the desk.
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| Sewing machine that lives on the desk |
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| Felt, journals, iPad, headphones |
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| More sewing supplies |
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| Fabric |
I have quite a bit of sewing equipment because it’s one of my hobbies. It is stored in an old dresser in our bedroom (where my sewing machine is as well). The dresser doubles as my nightstand so I also have things like my journal, iPad and headphones. My fabric and felt is all in constant use, and I feel great joy in sewing, so most of that stayed. Although it’s pretty taboo to Miss Kondo, I kept my buttons because I use them. What left was mostly unusable scraps, old journals, and some old ribbons.
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| After |
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| After |
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| After |
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| What is being discarded |
Household Supplies:
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| Medicine cabinet before |
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| Medicine cabinet after |
This is all the stuff we use to keep us healthy and our houses clean. First, was the medicine cabinet. All of our medicine is in one place (except for a few things in our upstairs bathroom for emergencies). We are big on natural health, so it was mostly whole food vitamins and supplements. I went through and got rid of everything that was expired or that was of no use to us.
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| Under the kitchen sink, before |
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| After |
The rest was pretty easy. We keep our extra paper towels and toilet paper in the garage and we don’t use many paper towels anyway (I try to use towels and reusable cloths for most cleaning; paper towels are saved for doggy accidents mostly). All of the cleaning supplies that I use are under the kitchen sink. We use either vinegar or watered down soap in sprayers for cleaning instead of the variety of bottles that many homes have. The cleaning supplies that are not used in the house, and that are toxic, are in the garage for my husbands use on his car projects.
Kitchen Goods:
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| Pantry before |
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| Pantry before |
I’ve always considered my kitchen to be fairly minimal and organized. I don’t have a whole lot of appliances and all of my pots and pans fit in one spot. So I was naturally really surprised when I discarded so much.
The hot spots were my utensil drawers, a cabinet full of drinking containers of some sort, and my pantry. Everything else was already neat, orderly, and contained the cooking items that I loved. I had a lot of cooking utensils and measuring spoons that I never used and didn’t much like. I kept one thing that I didn’t like: a plastic ladle. But that is only staying until I can find a nonplastic alternative like silicone or stainless steel.
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| So many cups! |
My husband really loves to keep glasses and water bottles on hand, “just in case”, so most of that stayed. But I found several plastic bottles that were just collecting dust and that were gifts we did not care for.
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| What is leaving |
The rest were random things that brought no joy. Vases from florists, a platter that was cracked, wine glasses that had hubby’s name spelt wrong. It was all easy to discard and left the cabinets much more tidy. I also went through the pantry’s food items and discarded expired foods and reorganized everything so things were easier to find.
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| The toddler “helping”; pantry after |
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| Pantry after |
How to keep it green/eco-friendly:
-Electrical equipment should not be thrown out. Many stores like Staples will recycle your electronics and most areas have e-cycling events. Check to see what’s local to you.
-Make a point to use up things like pens, stationary, and notepads before purchasing more. It really helps having them all in one or two places. The less you buy, the less will end up at the landfill.
-Things like whole foods vitamins can be discarded and the bottle recycled. But all other medications and supplements should be brought to your local pharmacy to be properly destroyed.
-Chemically based cleaners should be disposed of according to the directions on the bottle. Don’t just toss everything down the drain. Certain chemicals can be even more toxic when mixed.
-Kitchen supplies that are in good used condition can be donated! Try to recycle as much as possible, just check your local waste management company’s list of recyclable items.
I am very pleased with my progress so far. Although, it is hard to keep up with the normal, everyday chores because I am chasing a toddler while tidying. Also, my donation and recycling piles are growing larger and I will have to make a few trips soon to make room in my garage. After I finish, it will be nice to go over the house one more time for a nice, deep clean.
I’m saving the last Komono category, “other” for next time in Part 3! This is everything that has not been tidied yet and includes all of my art supplies as well as kid’s items. After that, the very last thing will be momentoes and other cherished items.
