Tidying Your Kitchen with the KonMari Method

By now, you’re bound to have heard all about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. When we were first introduced to this book last summer, we were immediately inspired to discard and organize our homes. As excited as we were, we had no idea what an impact it would have on our kitchens and the culinary experience.

If you haven’t read the book, here’s the basic idea:

1. Discard first. Discard those items that are no longer of use to you or that no longer spark joy. The whole philosophy of the KonMari Method is to surround yourself with only things that make you happy.

2. Find a designated spot for each item you choose to keep. When you decide to keep something, it is because it’s functional, it serves a purpose or just brings you joy. These things should have a home to return to after use.

Before truly tiding up, we didn’t see ourselves as being extremely messy or big hoarders. We tried to be free of clutter and really enjoy having clean homes. But when it came to a few areas of the house… We had the classic “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.

How embarrassing, right?? If you opened up that exact cabinet right now, this is what you’d find:

This transformation instantly converted us. Once you discard that which doesn’t spark joy, it’s easy to find a spot for those items and keep those items tidy. This method requires you to go through every item in your house so you are truly left with those things that serve you or spark joy. We used the konmari method for all areas of our kitchen: items stored in cabinets, under the kitchen sink and even the refrigerator.

One you have discarded those items that no longer spark joy, it’s important to find each item a home. The KonMari method isn’t an advocate for investing in storage bins or fancy organizational products. Once you discard, you will be surprised to find that you don’t need an organization item anymore or you already have what you need to organize. Simple boxes and trays can suffice in helping to keep your space tidy.

The secret to this method, and why it’s easy to keep up, is because we have discarded things we don’t use or really love so they aren’t a distraction. Things that you do love, you find a spot for. What’s beautiful about this is that we discovered we always had enough space for things that we wanted to keep! Discarding has a large impact on why people don’t revert back to clutter. This simple step transforms the concept of tidying.

The best thing the konmari method has taught us is what we truly need and what we don’t. When we are in the kitchen, we don’t need many of the popular tools we had. We don’t need to sift through unnecessary kitchen gadgets or appliances that we don’t use. We need certain items like a good blender, but not the latest fad product. We are able to clean up kitchen messes quickly and easily because there isn’t clutter in the way. Our cabinets are organized, containing only the things we use and love. We are able to spend more time enjoying the culinary experience instead of searching, cleaning or organizing. This is a huge spark of joy!

If you need an extra boost in your kitchen, try this method. Start by reading the book and begin in the order she suggests. Do the method thoroughly and completely and you’ll see the life-changing magic almost instantly! Cooking in a tidy kitchen is a game changer!