Part of creating a beautiful environment in your home doesn’t just lie within having beautiful things - it also means that you need to have systems of organizing. For some this comes easy, but for others keeping on top of organizing and cleaning can be a nightmare. At John Elliott Interiors, we know that organizing is one of the most important steps to redefining your space. If you plan on buying new furniture at the Lake of the Ozarks, or redecorating your space, this could be the best place to start. Here are a few of the methods or trends that have hit the market to help you make the most of your organizing!

Swedish Death Cleaning

This method was created by Margareta Magnusson and you can learn more about it in her book titled “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.”

This spunky lady is between 80 and 100 years old, and she takes the approach that if you can’t motivate yourself to clean and organize for yourself, do it for your family. While the approach may be a bit morbid for some, she encourages that you clean your home with the thought that your family will have to do it after you’re gone. In turn, if Aunt Carol tries to give you her *unattractive* table setting - even though you hate it, take it, but don’t keep it! Don’t even display it when she comes over, lest she keeps giving you more and more pieces thinking you like it. Check out her book to learn more about this strategy.

KonMari Method

This strategy is considered the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing, and was designed by Marie Kondo in the book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”

One of her biggest suggestions is that you don’t organize each room, but instead, organize each item. Start with clothes and bring every single piece of clothing from the dresser, hall closet, and attic storage in one place. From there you can get rid of the pieces you no longer need or want, and then you won’t have to continually approach clothing throughout the home. After that, she suggests working through books, papers, “komono”, and sentimental items. After that, the next piece that sets her strategy apart is by keeping items that “spark joy” and ridding yourself of the rest. Want to learn more? You can check out her book or download the app “KonMari.”

Shock Treatment Method

This organizing strategy was developed by a blogger named Cheryl Lemily, and you can learn more about it on her blog called Uncluttered Simplicity.

While this may be a “shocking” way of organizing your home, it really puts into perspective what you truly have in a space. The first step she suggests is to take every single item out of a room, other than the large furniture, place it in another room, and then be shocked by the amount there is. As you pull the pieces from your space, sort them into like piles such as clothing, decor, books, cds, etc. From there you can Survey the Damage, Ruthlessly Eliminate, and then Put Everything Back Where it Belongs. If you’re interested in trying her strategy - you can learn more on her minimalist blog site!

Create a Sparkling Clean Home