CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Netflix show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” is causing people across the nation and the Queen City to clear out the clutter.
The show dropped on Netflix Jan. 1, and the Japanese organizer's KonMari method is inspiring people to choose and keep items in their home that bring them joy.
Shannon Huneycutt is the only certified KonMari consultant in the Charlotte area. Since the show premiered, she’s seen an increase in demand for her organizing services.
“Email has blown up, my phone, I mean, I have had just overwhelm and delight at the amount of people who have reached out who are ready to take their KonMari journey,” Huneycutt said.
The KonMari method focuses on five categories that people need to tackle: clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and sentimental items.
"Everybody sees all the clutter, and they're like, 'I have to get rid of that. I have to get rid of that,’” Huneycutt said. “That's not the focus. The focus is on, ‘I have to keep that. I want to keep that. I love that.’”
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Before becoming a consultant, Huneycutt had to use the KonMari method to de-clutter her own home.
She described the feeling when she was done as “life-changing.” Now she is able to help others choose joy in their own homes.
"By the time you get to the end of the KonMari process, you are so ready to let some of that go,” Huneycutt said. “Some of those things that were super, super, important to you that you were struggling with, it's time."
Goodwill locations in the Charlotte area are embracing the KonMari method and the donations it is bringing in this year.
Samantha Story, public relations manager for Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, said donations usually drop off in January, but this year, there’s been a 30 percent increase since the start of the year. Story said it’s unclear if the increase can be directly attributed to the Netflix show.
“The great thing is, if something doesn’t spark joy in your house, you can always bring it here, and it can always spark joy at Goodwill because someone else can take advantage of that item and enjoy it from our stores,” Story said. “And the proceeds from that sale create job training opportunities.”
Story said people who are de-cluttering their homes are welcome to drop off their items at any of the Goodwill locations across the Charlotte region.