Marie Kondo home declutter craze as Netflix series sparks unexpected side affect
Queen of clean Marie Kondo’s booming popularity is spurring countless Australians to clear out their homes and heads for the year ahead — but there’s been an unexpected consequence.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Queen of clean Marie Kondo’s booming popularity is spurring countless Australians to clear out their homes and heads for the year ahead — but there’s been an unexpected consequence.
The Japanese declutter guru has penned two best-selling books, but it’s her recent arrival on Netflix that has sparked a wave of clear-outs in Australian homes.
However, piles of discarded possessions are now choking charity shops — and workers are struggling to stay on top of all the loot.
WE DON’T NEED MARIE KONDO, WE NEED SELF-CONTROL
MARIE KONDO’S NEW NETFLIX SHOW IMPRESSES MINIMALISTS
Wendy Daff, committee member at Mornington’s Church of Christ Op Shop, said the Wilsons Rd thrift store had been “absolutely inundated”.
“It’s just everything (being donated). In our sorting area, we have so much stuff,” she said.
“We’re bursting at the seams. We chat to the people who are bringing stuff and they are talking about Marie Kondo.”
St Kilda-based charity Sacred Heart Mission is buckling under the pressure of post-Christmas donations, even having to turn some people away due to space constraints and the boost in donations.
Op shop manager Wade Piva, who manages the charity’s 12 stores across Melbourne, said donations had almost tripled during the summer school holidays.
And he said the Marie Kondo effect was definitely a factor.
“We’ve had significantly more donations and some people have mentioned that show, so it might be inspiring people to donate which is great,” Mr Piva said.
“We try and process as much as we can … but it’s hard at this time of year. We’re under-resourced with volunteers and our donations double — and even triple — after Christmas.”
Mr Piva said the Centre Rd, Bentleigh, and Clarendon St, South Melbourne, stores had been the most overwhelmed with donations, but encouraged people to keep giving quality goods, reminding them not to dump their trash at op shops.
He said the mission spent upwards of $100,000 a year sending trashy donations to the tip.
Salvation Army op shop volunteers revealed some of its stores stopped taking goods for several periods last week due to the high volume of goods being donated.
For the past four years, Marie Kondo has been growing in popularity. Her books on how to declutter and organise your home were numbers one and two on The New York Times bestseller list, simultaneously. She has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
The Netflix eight-episode season of Tidying Up With Marie Kondo is a hit.
MORE NEWS