Just another Konmari Monday.

Been entertaining the past two weeks and the morning after I couldn’t find the new instruments for music time, didn’t have a good charge on my daughter’s school computer and in general noticed there are tons of toys everywhere, built up to discard bags in the closet and built up garden supplies waiting to be used. In essence it was time to declutter and clean again.

The main focus was the playroom, which smelled moldy. Behind the bed debris and toys had molded, I had to rotate the bed frame, which I realized was in a bad place as far as accessibility and traffic flow. It’s been a wet winter in our especially wet area, so therefore, mold has to be constantly addressed. I love the mold prevention spray we use now, I notice the places I do spray need to be cleaned a lot less or not for mold. The window sills were molding each week before, my daughter’s wooden desk hasn’t molded after it was applied, the back of the bed frame and the bottom of the mattresses were molding before and aren’t anymore.

Concrobium Mold Control is a proven mold fighting solution that effectively eliminates and prevents mold. It can also be used to clean up mold and get rid of musty odors with no harmful chemicals. The product works as it dries by crushing mold spores at the roots and leaving behind an invisible antimicrobial shield to prevent future mold growth. Use Concrobium Mold Control for water damage restoration, construction and renovation, pre-treatment of building materials, specialty mold clean-up and prevention and general interior maintenance. This patented formula is used by homeowners and professionals.

We finally got life vests for everyone and want to try kayaking with the kids, that is exactly the kind of stuff I want to do more in life and I want to be cleaning less (but still have a clean house) so I turn to minimalism where perhaps others would delegate, get help from family or pay someone.

Less stuff > Less cleaning > More Ocean Adventures (Hopefully)

I reread the first of my Konmari Monday articles today, I moved out of my old home of about 6 years since writing it. So much has changed in regards to what I keep and let go of…

Now I have a garden so there is that clutter magnet, now I am not by relatives that would need anything my kids used, now I live somewhere everything you own has to be cleaned because there is no way to store it in good condition otherwise.

It seems I always interpret circumstances as driving me further and further towards minimalism, but again I feel that way. Less stuff around makes cleaning easier, makes mold easier to keep at bay.

In my quanta system:

Level 1 would be hoarding,

Level 2 would be “collecting” that is semi-hording and semi-normal,

Level 3 would be the imaginary normal life with a box in the attic, but clear rooms,

Level 4 would be minimalism,

Level 5 would be the Konmari “Mythical Legendary Master Status.

My home got to a level 2 in just two weeks of ignoring it…

But just about a day of cleaning got me back to level 3, mostly.

The room I cleaned has a better layout now, the organization of toys, books, clothes and the Google Home Screen has changed. I took one video call, it was an easier angle. The kids seemed more happy to play there again. The mold smell is gone. It makes me feel hopeful that I’m going to be able to use it well for a school room and play room.

I blocked the gaps next to the bed with reused foam so no more toys or weird things fall through the cracks where it’s hard to clean, that should help keep the room more fresh than before.

All the stuffed toys got washed and dried, the bedding is drying right now, so once I finish cleaning the window sill and the last 1.5 boxes of clutter, plus the top of the closet shelf, the room should be nice and fresh.

The books all got moved, but it feels like the wrong place still, as does the stuffed animal herd.

So unlike Konmari I did focus on location, but I did check all my daughter’s clothes at the same time, a kind of hybrid approach. As far as my clothes I don’t think I have much extra, maybe some underwear that is too tight and can go (which is the same size as ones that do fit weirdly, poor manufacturing perhaps). My son’s diapers, we are done with them, but I don’t know off hand if anyone will take used cloth diapers in real life… they are cute, but they have elastic that needs to be replaced as it ages and that doesn’t seem worth the effort. Eventually I’ll have to research it… but perhaps I should just let it go.

My old schedule was:

8 Breakfast, 9 Teach School, 10 Exercise, 11 Lunch, 12 Freeplay/Writing, 1 Teach Music, 2 Mum and Me with Daughter, 3 Outside Play Mum and me with Son, 4 Dinner, 5 Video Call with my Sister to Tutor Daughter so I can do ASL with Son, 6 Kids play together I relax, 7 Kids play with dad.

My new one will be:

7 Breakfast, 8 School, 9 Cooking, 10 Exercise, 11 Lunch, 12 Freeplay/Writing, 1 Music, 2 Outside or Building Blocks, 3 Reading or Signing or Language, 4 Dinner, 5 Video Call with Dad for Kids, 6 EQ Journal and Tidy Up, 7 Settle Down.

Schedules and cleaning always seem to go hand and hand, in physics time and space are actually one force like electricity is magnetism, and for me I need less physical clutter to have mental space to be brave enough to make a new schedule.

I have a coffee cart, I think I want to move the books and papers there, and hopefully go through my clothes. I feel like I don’t have an clutter that is clothes or books or paper, but if I actually count everything maybe I will find out I did. Either way I want to approach all those three categories together since I don’t have much of any of them.

I feel better about the future this year than last year, last year there were too many unknowns to really thrive for me, I did my best, but it was just too chaotic to really fully relax.

Reading the past five Konmari sessions I realize I took so many steps backwards last year that I’ve only gotten to the place I was last August, in terms of organizing, in terms of routines, in therms of living my best life, but maybe that’s enough, maybe everything is fine.