The Home Products You Should Be Buying From Marie Kondo
Marie Kondo is one of the first names that pops up in many minds when the word "tidying" is mentioned. Kondo has become a household name in the organizing field mainly because she has revolutionized what it means to declutter your home. She is a bestselling author and the star of two Netflix series. You can even train to become a certified KonMari consultant. Her unique method teaches people to keep only what sparks joy and discard the rest. According to Kondo's website, her approach works as well as it does because it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Though she wants you to power through every category as quickly as possible, she also notes that getting rid of things you've had for years can be difficult. That's why she emphasizes gratitude. You do this by focusing on the things you're going to keep and thanking the things you're decluttering. Since becoming an international star, Kondo has branched out and now sells home products on her website. She has partnered with companies like The Container Store, bringing her Japanese heritage into the items she sells. Here are some of the most valuable home products she offers and why you should add them to your cart.
Dual desk organizer and monitor stand
An organized desk works wonders for your focus and productivity. You'll not only be able to locate things you need faster, but you can also improve the functionality of your setup by adding ergonomic features. These include specifically designed keyboards, chairs, monitor stands, and more. All Trendsetter reports that monitor stands are used primarily to raise the screen to a more comfortable height. This leads to better posture and less strain on your neck and back.
This two-way product from Marie Kondo gives you the best of both worlds and allows you to decide what you want to do with it. You can use it either as a desk organizer for pens, notebooks, and other supplies. Or you can use it as a screen stand while still using it to organize supplies. Both options can increase the tidiness of your desk, and its versatility means you can use it outside of an office setting if you so desire.
Purchase the Desktop Organizer and Monitor Stand from Marie Kondo starting at $120.
Brass boot tray
Mudrooms are becoming increasingly popular in modern homes for several reasons. For starters, they can serve as an entry point, a place to store all the necessities you need when heading out the door. According to Singh Homes, it also keeps you from trekking mud, dirt, snow, and more into your home. Because if you set up your mudroom correctly, you'll have a place to store shoes, bags, coats, and other items that bring in bacteria from the outside.
One of the most popular products to include in a mudroom or general entryway is a shoe tray. This is a great alternative to a shoe rack, especially if you don't have space for one in the area. Marie Kondo's Brass Boot Tray holds up to four pairs of shoes and is compact enough to fit into any mudroom. The bottom has pads so it won't slip and slide all over the place. If you don't have a dedicated entryway, set the tray beside the main door for quick access.
Purchase the Bass Boot Tray from Marie Kondo starting at $78.
Rotating glass makeup organizer
Bathroom organization means finding storage products that can withstand the constant temperature change that takes place there. Steam from showers and water can get into creases and cracks that you don't always see. That's why glass or plastic storage is ideal for when you're looking to organize your bathroom. This rotating glass organizer from Marie Kondo offers your bathroom a sleek yet versatile touch.
The glass and metal trim mean it'll stand the various changes the room will go through, and the rotating feature makes it easy to access whatever products you store there. Kindly Unspoken says that when it comes to makeup organization, see-through storage is best as this allows you to see everything you own. But this product isn't only reserved for makeup — you can use it to organize skin or hair products. You can also use it outside of the bathroom since it's ideal for small items you need easy access to.
Purchase the Glass Rotating Makeup Organizer from Marie Kondo starting at $39.99.
Ceramic rice cooker
One of the products that highlight Kondo's Japanese heritage is this ceramic rice cooker. Created for use on gas stoves, the pot includes reference lines and a double lid to avoid liquid from boiling over. It's so aesthetically pleasing with its clean lines and minimalist shape that you can use it to decorate your stove or countertop. Just leave it out, and enjoy the neat touch it brings to the room.
Sweet Peas and Saffron includes a list of seven different recipes that spruce up plain old rice by adding herbs and zest into the mix. Some options you can try are lemon, cilantro, saffron, pesto, coconut, and more. When you use these recipes in Kondo's ceramic rice cooker, you're going to create a stunning side dish or base for something larger like stir fry. A pot specifically for rice can help ensure you add the right amount of water and ensure it cooks well.
Purchase the Ceramic Rice Cooker from Marie Kondo starting at $75.
Bamboo hamper with lid
Laundry is a chore many people don't particularly enjoy doing, but it must be done. One way to make the task a little less daunting is by having a home for your dirty clothes. Hampers are the usual source for this, and Marie Kondo's bamboo hamper is a simple and stylish version you can add to your home. The classic design allows it to blend into any room. You can also remove the interior liner to carry laundry easier. Use the separate sections inside to sort clean laundry to fold later.
According to The Strategist, a successful laundry day is all about the tools you use. That doesn't only mean your detergent and ironing board — it also means how you gather the laundry. When you have dirty clothes strewn all over the house, it adds extra work for you. Instead, a dedicated laundry hamper means you always know where the clothes are and can quickly bring them to the washing machine when you need to throw in a load.
Purchase the Bamboo Hamper with Liner and Lid from Marie Kondo starting at $199.99.
Two-tier utensil organizer
No matter how you try and organize your utensil drawer, does it always seem like you don't have enough room? Organizing your kitchen utensils doesn't look like it would be that difficult, but depending on your space, it can be. Part of the problem is having too much of one thing. This is where decluttering plays an important role in organization because it helps you determine what to keep and what is collecting dust. To help in the area of kitchen organization, Marie Kondo created this two-tier utensil organizer in partnership with The Container Store.
In fact, according to The Container Store, choosing your organizers for a utensil drawer is one of the biggest steps people mess up on. Why? Because they don't measure the space they have to work with. If your drawers are deep enough, you can opt for stackable organizers or Kondo's two-tier one. It gives you double the space by having a movable tray on top of another one. Designed to fit narrow and standard-size drawers, you'll finally be able to get those utensils organized.
Purchase the 2-Tier Flatware & Cooking Organizer from Marie Kondo starting at $44.99.
Linen jewelry box
When you picture a jewelry box, do you imagine a large, stocky, wooden structure that takes up half the space on your dresser or vanity? While many jewelry boxes do look like this, there are other options available, especially for those who may not have a lot of jewelry to store. This linen jewelry box from Marie Kondo is a simple and minimal alternative to those chunky wooden boxes. It has two layers so you can separate your pieces to avoid items getting tangled with each other.
How you organize your jewelry can vary depending on your available space, the number of pieces you own, and where you want to store them. The Container Store reports that storing and organizing your jewelry has never been easier, thanks to new box designs. While you may want to display your most-used pieces on a countertop organizer, having a dedicated jewelry box can help keep off-season pieces protected from dust. You can also rotate what you store in the box, so you always have something new to wear and display.
Purchase the Linen Jewelry Bento Box from Marie Kondo starting at $59.99.
Storage box for important documents
One of the categories in Marie Kondo's decluttering hierarchy is paper. This includes everything from documents, receipts, school reports, and more. Paper clutter is quick to build up and even harder to get in order when it becomes too much. That's why she created this storage box for important papers. Having a dedicated home for your most precious documents is key as this will allow you to find them a lot faster when needed. How do you know what papers are important enough to include in this box?
Set Things Straight suggests keeping documents that would be needed in case of an emergency. These can include personal records like birth certificates, W-2s, and passwords for websites. You should also add any home and auto insurance paperwork, government-issued documents, and medical records for each member of the household. Knowing that all of these important papers are together in one place will give you peace of mind as well as easy access. You might consider buying a second one and using it to store all of your tax information. This way when tax season comes around, you have everything you need in one storage box.
Purchase the Very Important Papers Vault from Marie Kondo starting at $57.
Cotton rope storage bin
Storage bins are a staple organizing product in homes. Ask any professional organizer, and they'll give you a hundred different things you can use them for. From toy storage to keeping throw blankets organized, these bins can bring a neat and tidy touch to any home they enter. Marie Kondo has her own special uses for these bins and offers a bunch on her website, though this cotton rope storage bin is the most simple and minimal in design.
These storage bins can be used in almost every room for almost anything you can imagine. Abby Organizes shares a ton of options for them. She mentions using them to store Nerf guns, bathing suits for summer, hats or gloves for winter, and extra wallets or small handbags. Use one as a central donation bin and, when full, bring the contents to your local dropoff center. You can also get creative with labels so you know what item is in each one. Once full, you can easily store them on shelves, in closets, or in the corners of rooms.
Purchase the Sage Green Cotton Rope Storage Bin at Marie Kondo starting at $24.99.
Handmade wooden tool and organizing box
If you're constantly on the move in your house, it can be difficult to carry what you need. For example, if you're cleaning your home and moving from one room to the next, it can be exhausting going back and forth for the necessary cleaning supplies. If you're a gardener and don't have an outdoor space for your tools, carrying what you need in and out of the house can become a juggling act. That's where this tool and organization box from Marie Kondo can come in handy.
This caddy is lined on the bottom to protect the supplies you store in there. It also makes for easier cleaning, especially if you bring it outside. According to Cnet, the average gardener needs 10 essential tools on hand. They include a trowel, bow rake, hoe, weed puller, and more. Can you imagine carrying all that by hand? That's why having a caddy you can use and organize your tools in will help. You can also gift it to students heading off to college for their bathroom and showering essentials.
Purchase the Koppa Tool & Organization Box from Marie Kondo starting at $120.
Digital label maker
Home organization doesn't stop at getting your items in dedicated areas and discarding your unwanted stuff. Often, the final stage is labeling your home. Using labels has many benefits, especially if you just overhauled your house and need to remember where everything is now. Marie Kondo offers a simple digital label maker on her site. It easily pairs with your smartphone and makes printing labels a quick and easy process. A major part of her KonMari Method is labeling after the initial decluttering, as this helps you find things faster.
You may think labels will make your home look boring, but making them can be a fun and creative project. According to Dexterous Organizing, you can match your labels to your personal style by handwriting them. If you're not the best with a calligraphy pen, you can create them online. You can also play around with some fun names. For example, instead of making a label called "coffee," you can change it to "the stuff that wakes me up." And no one says you have to keep the labels on forever. Once you become accustomed to where everything is, you can remove them.
Purchase the Neat & Tidy Japanese Label Maker from Marie Kondo starting at $65.
Linen magnetic planning board
If you like the idea of a central message board for your family, then Kondo's linen magnetic planning board is for you. There are many ways you can use a planning board in your home. If your kitchen has space, you can hang it there and use it to plan meals, shopping lists, and more. Or you can display it in your home office and keep important reminders and notes on it.
Something that's been growing in popularity in the professional organizing field is the need for a family command center. This, according to Set Things Straight, is the place for you to share anything important with your family. This can include a calendar with family events, a chore list, a weekly dinner menu, upcoming sporting events, and more. Other popular uses for it might be to sort mail or documents, create a picture wall, or a literal planning board for creatives.
Purchase the Linen Magnetic Planning Board from Marie Kondo starting at $59.99.
Tidying box for wires
Cords and wires can be an eyesore in any home, but in this digital age, rooms are filled with them. You need them for phones, computers, tablets, televisions, and more. Organizing cords is one of the toughest chores to undertake, but it can be done with some creativity and patience. You might also want to try this tidying box for wires from Marie Kondo. The product was designed to neatly and minimally conceal wires, so they're not running haphazardly on the floor.
Since this can lead to tripping hazards, getting your cords off the floor and into some form of organization is important. Cnet reports that cord boxes are one of the best and quickest ways to get wires in order. This is because once you have them all inside, you can store the box in a way that suits you. You can either hide it somewhere, like underneath a table or behind furniture. You can also display the box on a surface and place other decorative pieces around it, so it doesn't look like a boring box.
Purchase the DIgital Tidying Box for Cords from Marie Kondo starting at $40.