'Do a Joy Check' – Marie Kondo’s simple and effective top tips for tidying your home before hosting

If there’s one person we, and millions of others around the world, wholeheartedly trust when it comes to decluttering and organizing, it is, of course, Marie Kondo, who created the famous KonMari organizing method.

And, with Christmas and festivities fast approaching, it’s time to get homes in order for incoming guests, and sort out all those areas we have been guilty of putting off for far too long. While it may seem like a time-consuming task now, you’ll surely thank yourself when you’re able to relax and show off your host with the most prowess to your friends and family.

Luckily, Marie Kondo has shared her top tips for tidying before hosting guests on Instagram, so once you’ve tackled your pre-guest cleaning checklist, streamlining your home will feel a breeze.

Marie Kondo's top tips for tidying before hosting

Do a ‘Joy Check’

This is one of the lessons I learned from Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, available at Amazon. Cleaning and decluttering is so often considered a somewhat negative chore, so we love Marie's positive perspective. After all, hosting for the holidays is a time for fun, which will only be enhanced if you don’t have to stress about mess.

On her KonMari Instagram post, Marie begins, ‘We become so accustomed to living in our space, that it is difficult to see it objectively. Start by walking through the front door as if you were a guest. Move through each room, looking at it with fresh eyes.'

Taking in your entryway ideas and living room ideas as if seeing them for the first time, focusing on areas your guests are likely to spend the most time relaxing and socializing. Don’t forget to approach your powder room ideas, with the same fresh perspective. This might be the first place guests go after a long journey.

Adding a diffuser or candle, in a fresh scent, such as the COCORRÍNA Reed Diffuser Set in Clean Linen, available at Amazon, is one of the things people with nice smelling powder rooms always do, and sets a welcoming, inviting impression, too.

‘Perhaps you’ve stuffed things in a closet or piled items you’re feeling unsure about,’ continues the KonMari post. ‘Take this opportunity to ask yourself if these things really spark joy. If they don’t, thank them and let them go.’

As Marie Kondo says in her bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, available on Amazon, ‘When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order too,’ and we couldn’t agree more.

Why not take a basket, such as the Household Essentials Wicker Basket available at Wayfair, with you as you walk round, and fill it with things to donate as you go.

Letting go of these items which no longer serve you will give your house breathing room, and make much-needed room for loved ones.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Then, decide where things belong

As with most organizing and decluttering tips, deciding where things go in your home is a vital step in curbing mess. As you walked around, did you discover anything lying around, for example, which should be put away?

'This is your opportunity to decide exactly where it belongs,' continues the KonMari post. 'Having a vague idea that something should be kept "around here" isn't sufficient.

'The remote control goes in a gold tray on the right side table (or as part of your coffee table styling ideas), pens on the counter go in the ceramic holder, and the pile of mail goes in the pending box on your desk,' in your home office ideas.

‘If you want to maintain a tidy home, you – and everyone else who lives there –must know precisely where each item belongs.’

If an item has a home and usually ends up somewhere else, consider adding a storage solution where it often ends up living, which is part of the Desire Path decluttering method.

Finally, keep a neat kitchen

Finally, keep your kitchen ideas neat and reduce visual clutter in the kitchen to create a warm and open heart of the home.

‘The kitchen in particular tends to look cluttered because it’s home to so many miscellaneous items,' continues the KonMari post. 'The key to making it look as neat as possible is to display only your favorite items on the countertop.

'Anything that can go in a drawer or a cupboard should be put away. If you keep the area around the sink clear (following the kitchen sink organizing rules), it will be easy to wipe drops of water and maintain a clean kitchen.’

We recommend using a microfiber cloth, such as the HOMEXCEL Microfiber Cleaning Cloth available at Amazon to do so, as they’re super soft, absorbent, and lint-free, and leave surfaces streak-free and shiny when paired with the Method All-Purpose Cleaner available at Amazon.

Feeling inspired? Try Marie Kondo's top five tips for how to declutter, the KonMari way, and learn about the crucial tidying mistakes to avoid.