You may not even know it, but you need the Marie Kondo organizing tool in your life. It’s really quite simple, yet extremely effective. Today I’m going to show you why you need this tool. Believe it or not, you really can have the best organization you’ve had yet!

What Is The Marie Kondo Organizing Tool?

Marie Kondo’s favorite organizing tool is a box. But not just any box! Marie Kondo has been collecting pretty little boxes since she was small. Boxes are more widely used in Japan than they are in the United States, so Kondo uses boxes to store a plethora of items in her own home. Every room of the home has things that can be stored more effectively in boxes.

Why use boxes for organizing?

Boxes, and even bins, are the perfect vehicle for taking your closets and drawers from an unorganized mess to Marie Kondo-worthy. They have several things going for them, but the best way to use them is to organize fabric items. Some fabrics, such as the items in your underwear drawer or linen closet, are flimsy and don’t like to remain neatly folded no matter what you do. This is where the box method comes in!

How to use boxes for organizing

First, locate appropriate sized storage boxes and bins for your messiest drawers and closet shelves. For an underwear drawer, obtain several boxes that will fit neatly together in one drawer. This is helpful for organizing and keeping all your items where you want them. Designate a box for bras, a box for panties, and a box for socks. Use boxes in the kids’ drawers to organize their t-shirts, socks and underwear. You can even organize these items by color if you like. The options are pretty endless!

In the linen closet, use boxes to store folded sheets and pillowcases. They store neatly on their sides, so that you can quickly see exactly what you want.

Finally, if your chosen boxes come with lids, Marie Kondo recommends not using them as lids. Lids make it hard to see what is in your boxes, so Kondo uses the lids as storage trays in shallow drawers. That means you get double the use from each box.

For more, see DIY Organization Ideas Using Cardboard Boxes.