6 rules of cleaning and tidying our homes, the Marie Kondo way
MANILA, Philippines — As we glide through the new year, it is a great idea to commit to developing and maintaining habits that can truly contribute to our happiness and improvement. As silly as it may sound, but cleaning and tidying our homes strategically can do wonders not just to our home space, but to our mental wellness.
Now you might be thinking, aren’t cleaning and tidying the same thing?
Christine Dychiao expounded the differences between the two. As the founder of Spark Joy Philippines, touted as the first and only Konmari-certified consultancy service in the country, Dychiao usually educates her clients that cleaning and tidying are two different tasks, but they go hand in hand when it comes to keeping your home tidy, healthy and “happy."
“Cleaning is about confronting nature. For example, when your floor is flooded, then you have to clean it. But tidying our clutter is something we cannot blame on Mother Nature. We brought it upon ourselves to accumulate those things and store those things until they gather dust,” Dychiao explained.
“A clean home is a happy home,” she said in the recent virtual press con of ROIDMI, a Chinese brand innovative technology company that offers cleaning robots, wireless vacuum cleaners, high-speed hair dryers and more. ROIDMI has just launched in the Philippines recently.
“Having a tidy home is more than just a luxury. It is a necessity, especially at this time of pandemic,” she added. "A lot of us know how to clean, but tidying is something that’s never really explained to us as kids,” she said.
“A tidying method that really works is called KonMari, as it has changed my life and many others’ forever. KonMari is more than just a physical decluttering or tidying of one’s space, but connecting to gratitude and mindfulness, which makes it a truly magical experience.”
In 2018, Christine met the queen of KonMari herself, Japanese expert Marie Kondo. She got her KonMari certificate that same year, and became the first to offer professional tidying services in the country.
KonMari is a tidying philosophy that is less about getting rid of things, but more of keeping what sparks joy by surrounding ourselves only with the things that serve us with a purpose or that make us happy.
“It is different because it really pushes us to pull our stuff from our cabinets and drawers. Take a photo of your stuff, and let go of the pieces that do not spark joy anymore, and say thank you to each of the items. It really works. I saw for myself how it changed the energy in my closet, pantries, our kitchen drawers, our home space. The great thing about it is it is manageable and you can truly maintain your tidy space, even for months and years."
Christine shared the six basic rules of the KonMari philosophy:
Rule 1: Commit yourself to tidying up.
"You have to see cleaning and tidying as a celebration, a process that will let go of things that make you sad and depressed. Cleaning and tidying give a satisfying feeling, so see it as a thing you enjoy rather than a chore. Commit and celebrate. If you are going to shift your mindset a bit, you can be 90% successful in cleaning and tidying," she said.
“You have to commit at least three hours of your time to clean and tidy, let’s say on a weekend. You don’t have to spend the whole day cleaning. Every three hours of cleaning on your scheduled time will all add up.”
Rule 2: Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
“Imagine how you wanna see your space. Be clear on how you wanna see the space. You can look at Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration,” she said. “Are you the type of person who enjoys coffee? Then create a special breakfast area to celebrate that. Do plants spark joy? Then create a plant station, a space dedicated to your plants.”
Rule 3: Finish discarding first.
Let go of the things that do not spark joy. “You have to identify where your stuff would go, and make sure that it will really go out of the house. Don’t hide the clutter somewhere inside your home. You are on the right track if you are always finding something to let go.”
Rule 4: Tidy by category, not by location.
“We’re used to cleaning and tidying by location, but you can do it by category.”
The KonMari way is tidying first your clothes, your books, papers, then “Komono” or the Japanese term for miscellaneous items. Then lastly, your sentimental items.
Rule 5: Follow the right order.
“Follow the right order: clothes, books, paper, miscellaneous or Komono, then your sentimental stuff. Make the sentimental category last because by then you have the skill of decision-making already to know which ones to keep and to let go.”
Rule 6: Ask yourself if it sparks joy.
If you are having a hard time deciding if you should keep or let go an item, ask yourself, 'Does it spark joy?' You may categorize these things in three: directly sparking joy, those that provide functional joy or purpose, and things that are leading to future joy.”
“The KonMari method will transform your life. It will change your experiences and perspective. Like for example, it will change the way you shop, and you will never revert to clutter again,” Christine said.
She also shared that the secret to maintaining a tidy, healthy home is through surrounding yourself always with things that truly spark joy, and letting go of things that make you sad.
Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule does a world of change, too.
“When cleaning, you have to invest in tools that will help you maintain your happy home, and happiness,” she said. “The right tools for cleaning can add to your joy and satisfaction, so they are a great investment.”
"ROIDMI vacuums are light-weight, with quiet operation so you won’t wake up anybody while cleaning, and come with a compact design for easy storage, plus self-cleaning dust collector features." She added that they are sound investments when it comes to maintaining a happy home, and later on, a sound mind.
Lou Qing, Chief Operating Officer of ROIDMI, shared how proud and happy she is that their wireless vacuum cleaners have arrived in Manila.
“Our most proud advantage is the focus on product technology, innovation and aesthetic. Like the ROIDMI S2 model, which is a wireless vacuum cleaner, with the classic ROIDMI design style,” Qing said during the brand’s media launch. “We take improving the happiness of our consumers as our main mission.”
“Your home is an extension of your energy field. The benefits of cleaning and tidying your home include productivity, better sleep, less stress, focus, mindfulness, safety, health because you have no allergens, pests and molds -- all of which then lead to happiness,” Christine concluded.
