Spring Cleaning For Seniors - KonMari Method

Spring Cleaning for Seniors With the KonMari Method

Decluttering or helping others declutter can be difficult. How/where to begin? How to let go of or help others let go of unneeded items?

No worries. Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo, the decluttering phenomenon and mega-selling author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” is eager to help you and your senior clear out the extras and bring joy to a fresh home makeover. The charming host of the wildly popular Netflix show, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” declares that she likes tidying and loves mess.

Kondo’s signature decluttering prescription, the KonMari Method (KonMari, a contraction of her Japanese name, Kondo Mariko), features six basic rules for tidying, which are summarized in the following organizing tips for seniors:

• Involve family members to participate in cleaning. Ease the challenge of parting with years of accumulated stuff by making the spring-cleaning session an upbeat event for the whole family. Invite siblings, grandchildren and active older friends to help out for a few hours each.
• Tidy by category, not location. Kondo directs people to pull out everything from one category at a time and put everything from that category into a large pile. For example, bring all your senior’s clothes from every closet, drawer and storage bin into the living room.
• Finish discarding items first. It may be tempting to dive in and shuffle possessions around to different storage areas, but Kondo advises to pare down the stockpile of items first before placing anything in storage boxes or back in closets or drawers.
• Follow the organizing order of clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items and sentimental items. When progressing from easy tasks to more difficult tasks, family members and caregivers will face less resistance from seniors. Kondo teaches that her decluttering techniques help develop an ongoing mindset to remain tidy forever without a need to endure another major purge session.

Health Benefits to Clearing Clutter

Health and wellness experts espouse a number of positive benefits to decluttering a senior’s home, including:

• Reduced fall risks.
• Lowered anxiety.
• Removal of allergens.

If you’re overwhelmed at just the thought of helping your senior loved one toss items and organize their stockpile of possessions and collectibles, an in-home care professional from Right at Home can help your elder with the spring-cleaning process and staying on top of weekly tidying up.

Right at Home of Central Ohio is a leading provider of in-home care and assistance. Contact us at 614 734-1110.