KonMari Your Car
You’ve seen Marie Kondo’s show, read her book, and now you’re ready to embrace decluttering. But there’s one thing holding you back.
Your life is just too busy and there’s no time to declutter your entire home.
Don’t give up. Start small. Use the KonMari Method™ to tidy your car.
It’s a perfect time of the year—spring clean your vehicle. Set aside an hour (the time will vary depending on the number of items in your car) and declutter in the proper order using Marie Kondo’s tidying categories: clothing; books; paper; komono; and finally, sentimental.
Here are some examples of items you may have in your car that fit each category.
Clothing:
Do you have any beach towels, boots, or jackets that need to be returned to closets and drawers in your home? Bags of clothes to drop off at a donation center? Unwanted clothes with tags to return to stores?
Books:
Overdue books to return to the library? Unwanted magazines?
Paper:
Old receipts, expired coupons, empty candy wrappers? Expired vehicle registration and insurance documents?
Komono:
Too many pens, empty water bottles and loose change under the seats? Useless sporting equipment?
Sentimental:
Old photos or greeting cards?
Examine all items in each category, and make three piles:
1. keep in your car
2. discard
3. return the item to its proper place
Items that need to be returned to stores or delivered somewhere remain in your car. Separate these items into their own bags and deliver within 1 week of the car decluttering session.
Some helpful car tidying tips:
• store one pen and a small pad in the glove compartment
• use an extra cup holder space for the cylinder-shaped container of tissues
• place a few small trash bags in the pouch of the back seat
• pick up papers and debris when waiting in the car, rather than checking email or text messages
• store emergency items, such as a blanket and flashlight, in a covered clear plastic container
Good luck and have fun. It will feel so satisfying—now you’ll be inspired to declutter your home!