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'Does This Spark Joy?': Spring Cleaning Inspiration

By Mary Cohrs, Contributing writer | March 21, 2017

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Bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo is a great inspiration to tackle clutter and spring cleaning.

Book Buzz is a blog produced in collaboration with neighborhood librarians from Houston Public Library, Harris County Public Library and the Bellaire Library.

Spring cleaning. Two words that can either bring excitement or terror to a household as the days become warmer and the light filters through the dirty windows now exposed with the opening of the blinds to welcome the spring sunshine. In some of us, a biological frenzy takes over while others respond by just closing the blinds. I tend to lean toward the frenzy until I run out of steam while my husband can sit in the rocking chair on the porch and just enjoy the warming sunshine oblivious to what I consider an urgent need.

There are many books on what and how to clean, controlling clutter or getting organized, but one book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo in 2014 was a bestseller and continues to inspire those who are trying to claim control of the clutter that can invade homes making cleaning and tidying a never-ending chore.

Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant, approaches this organization activity in what has been described as graceful with a deep respect for all items. Yes, the purging of items is part of the process, but she tells readers not to focus on what to purge, but instead tells them to focus on what they want to keep. She believes the decision is easier on you by asking the question “Does this spark joy?”

This little turquoise book is one of many titles that can help you with your spring cleaning or helping you organize things by getting rid of the clutter that keeps the rest of your life from being in order.

Spring is a time of renewal and a time to tackle closets, garages, and attics and there are plenty of hints (or hacks) to help get things done. This spring, I plan on starting a long-needed purge of the garage with a little less than the usual spring cleaning frenzy and with more joy questions.

Editor's Note: For more on inspiration by Marie Kondo's book, see Tidying Up: Sparking joy with less clutter by Jennifer Oakley (Jan. 2015). For more on spring cleaning, see Spring Forward: Psyching yourself to spring clean by Cheryl Ursin (April 2015).