Tidying up: Not life changing, but pretty darn satisfying

IOWA CITY - When something disappears in our household, my husband and kids often come to me with recriminations.

This is because I am the one in the family who tosses things. Usually the things I toss aren't needed, like expired coupons, pencils without erasers or holey clothing. If stuff doesn't have a specific and regular use - out it goes - because clutter stresses me out.

This is why my husband, a librarian, brought home the best-selling book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo. There's been international clamor for this slim book, which has sold more than 2 million copies.

Can eliminating clutter actually change your life? Kondo, whose tidying method she calls KonMari, says her clients have started new careers, increased sales, ended unhappy marriages and lost weight after decluttering and reorganizing their homes.

My life doesn't need an overhaul, but what middle-aged woman couldn't use a little magic?

Per Kondo's advice, I amassed every item of clothing I own on the floor of my bedroom. This included shoes, bags, coats and accessories tucked into every closet and drawer of the house. I sat amid the piles, thumbed open the book and waited for further instruction:

'Take them in your hand one by one, and ask yourself quietly, ‘Does this spark joy?',” Kondo wrote.

I picked up a shirt, black-and-white stripes, purchased from a consignment store last spring. Did it spark joy?

Well, I like stripes and the boat neck was nice. But it was a little too tight in the stomach and I'd often bypassed it for more flattering shirts. So no joy.

Some clothes were no brainers - I mean, too-tight mom pants? Basic cotton 5K shirts? Joy killers.

Shirts and sweaters with bright colors make me happy, so those I kept, and cozy sweats and leggings without holes also made the cut. I decided being comfortable, but not sloppy, promotes a certain type of domestic joy that shouldn't be discounted.

In the end, I reduced my clothing by about a third. Not as much as Kondo recommends, but it felt pretty good.

Buoyed by my success with tidying up my clothing, I moved on to books. Kondo's criteria for keeping books is even higher than clothes - does it give you a thrill of pleasure when you touch it? This wasn't too hard for me because, as an avid library user, I rarely buy books and only keep the ones I truly love.

I extracted a half-dozen books, including Marilynn Robinson's 'Home” and Gregory Maguire's 'Wicked,” to take to the consignment store for someone else to enjoy at a bargain.

Sorting papers is harder. Much harder. Mountains of snowy whiteness drift into our house every day in the form of newspapers, magazines, mail, homework, permission slips and artwork. Plus, my husband - bless his heart - keeps receipts for almost everything.

Kondo's rule of thumb is to discard everything unless it's currently in use, needed for a limited time or needs to be kept indefinitely. But you can't just keep this stuff piled on your counter. Papers that need attention, such as permission slips or bills, should be dealt with immediately. Papers to keep, such as wills or insurance forms, should be filed.

Kondo's next category for cleaning is Komono

, or miscellaneous items. This covers everything from knickknacks, toiletries, tools, kitchen appliances, electronics cords and CDS/DVDs.

I decided to tackle a massive drawer of kitchen utensils so tangled that finding the carrot peeler usually involves two minutes of noisy wrangling.

I use a lot of kitchen tools regularly, but a careful review of the drawer showed many duplicates and triplicates. Do I really need four knife sharpeners?

Warped wooden spoons, a partially-melted dough cutter and utensils of unknown purpose went in the garbage. I set aside a few nice tools for Goodwill. Using a drawer organizer, I sorted the remaining gear into wooden spoons/spatulas, serving utensils and flippers. Tiny tools, including measuring spoons and that carrot peeler, are in the front and the rolling pin - used once or twice a year - is wedged in the back.

I could probably still get rid of more stuff, but the drawer now closes smoothly. Like magic.