Thanks toMarie Kondo, people across America are getting rid of everything in their homes that doesn’t spark joy, and nonprofits likeGoodwillsay they are gladly accepting all that “clutter.”
Lauren Lawson-Zilai, a representative for Goodwill, says many of their local organizations have seen a spike in donations in January that correlate to the rising popularity of Kondo’sNetflix series,Tidying Up, which premiered Jan. 1.
“We know that a number of our community-based Goodwill organizations have seen a year-over-year spike in donations in January that they attribute to Marie Kondo’s show,” she says.
She notes that because Goodwill is comprised of 161 independent organizations across America, she can’t provide a nationwide overview of the apparent uptick. But branches around the U.S. have documented the surges they’re experiencing.
In January, Lawson-Zilai says donations in the Houston market were up 22 percent, while donations in Roanoke, Virginia, rose 20 percent, Washington D.C. was up 30, and Grand Rapids, Michigan went up 16.
TheTampa Bay Timesrecently reported that, across Tampa Bay, Goodwill has experienced a 3 percent increase in drop-offs throughout its 10-county region, resulting in an additional 5 million pounds of clothes, furniture and other items being dropped off just in the month of January.
Denise Crew/Netflix
“Our donations departments keep getting calls from people saying they’ve been inspired to clean out their clutter,” Tampa’s Goodwill spokesperson Chris Ward told the outlet. “At our Wesley Chapel store, donations have tripled.”
While Lawson-Zilai says not all Goodwills have experienced an uptick in donations and some of the local organizations cite other factors that might have contributed to their increase, such as warmer temperatures andNew Year’s resolutions, the popularity of Marie Kondo is certainly reaching far and wide.
WATCH THIS: We Tried It: Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
“We are seeing a steady buzz about the show on social media channels across the Goodwill network, and we thoroughly embrace the philosophy of reorganizing your closets and reusing your household goods!” Lawson-Zilai says.
Kondo’s 8-episode series has inspired fans to hilariouslydocument their obsession on social media, binge-clean their homes, and purchase her first book,The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, in record numbers, putting it back on the bestseller list, five years after its initial U.S. release in 2014.
Netflix
Kondo’s method spread across the globe with the popularity of her book, which has sold 8 million copies and been translated into 40 languages.
Inspired to try KonMari? Pick upLife-Changing Magicor its illustrated companion book,Spark Joy,and tune intoTidying Upon Netflix. All episodes are now streaming.
source: people.com
