What is the “Can’t Throw Away” Situation of the Bubble Generation’s Parents? The best time to go back to your parents’ home! How to clear out your parents’ house full of stuff at once!

Fed up… “My parents’ house is overflowing with stuff!”

Many of you may have returned to your parents’ home for the summer vacation and are fed up with “My parents’ house is overflowing with stuff! Many of you are probably fed up with the overflow of stuff at your parents’ house. According to an Internet survey conducted by a real estate-related company (respondents in their 30s and 40s), “76.0% of respondents feel that there is too much stuff at their parents’ house,” and “71.8% want to clean it up or want their parents to clean it up. Could this summer be a chance to put an end to the “too much stuff at parents’ house” problem?　We ask Noriko Kondo, a professional tidying-up and housing advisor, for a solution.

Parents of the “bubble generation” are young, busy, and self-established.

The current generation in their 60s were raised by parents who lived in a time when things were scarce, and taking good care of things was considered a virtue. Women have entered the workforce, could afford to buy things with their own money, and have been trained to use them well. Because they had enhanced their sense of value by wearing good things, it is hard for them to get rid of them, and they do not have the grace of today’s young people.

Furthermore, I have a strong feeling that I will always be young, and in fact, because I can be active, I am busy every day and can’t get around to tidying up. They have a strong sense of self, and they do not think like people of the past, “I’m too old, so I’ll listen to my children. (Noriko Kondo)

This is quite a formidable ruthless boss. How on earth can we conquer this ruthless boss? Let Ms. Kondo explain the key points.

1 ____. Clean up your own house first and talk about the experience

Tell them about your experience and show them pictures of the process, such as, “I sold something I thought was trash for 7,000 yen.” Parents are always parents. Don’t try to persuade them. Instead of telling them to clean up their messes, respect their feelings and sometimes ask them “What do you think about the position of this piece of furniture? and sometimes ask, “What do you think about the position of this piece of furniture?

2 ____. Explain the theory until it makes sense.

Don’t tell them to get rid of it right from the start, but rather say, “Let’s first clear our heads together. For example, if there are too many dishes in the kitchen, ask, “How many guests do you usually have?” If there are five, explain why you should put them away, such as, “It’s hard to take them out when they are all stacked on top of each other, so let’s just leave five sets. When people understand why you are doing it, they will enjoy putting it away.

3 ___. No one is happy about end-of-life living.

I hate the term “end-of-life”. Why should we have to work towards the end?　Everyone should want to be active for the rest of their lives. So let’s talk to them in a way that makes them want to be active for the rest of their lives. Let’s say, “You don’t have to throw anything away, you don’t have to destroy one room, but let’s first secure a comfortable space so that we can enjoy our lives from here on out. Even if the result is the same, the point is in the way you say it.

4 ___ “ It is the child’s ego that decides what is “unnecessary”.

One of the reasons for wanting to clean out the family home is that there are too many unnecessary items, but parents should decide whether they need them or not. Keep in mind that it is taboo to say, “This stuff is just trash,” or “You can’t take it with you when you die.

Many children feel guilty about throwing things away after their parents’ death, saying, “I can’t throw them away because I think they were very dear to me. To prevent this from happening, communicate this feeling while your parents are still in good health, and ask them , “Which ones are really important to you? It is also a good way to clear the mind to ask, “Tell me so I can pass it on to my children.

5 ___. Start with the easy places where results are immediate.

The method of tidying up for a young person is completely different from that of a person in his or her 60s. For older people, we recommend starting with a place where results are immediate, for example, the front door. The entryway is usually an easy place to put off, but it’s a small space, so it’s easy to do, and every time you walk by, you can say, “My kids did this with me. It feels good,” so parents can also feel more positive about the cleanup process.

Washrooms, for example, are also affordable, and since it’s a place that everyone uses, you can give reasons such as, “I want to make it easy for me to use when I come to stay here. From there, go to the guest room, or the room where we stay, and then the living room, and lastly the kitchen because it has a lot of stuff. When you get around to it, you can start with the food.

6 _Let’s get them to understand “the habit of holding, buying, and using”.

When organizing your closet, instead of throwing things away, divide your closet into two categories: clothes to fold and clothes to hang.

Put off folding clothes because they are easy to put sleeves on and are often worn on a regular basis, so you will feel like you can’t throw any of them away. First, observe the clothes you hang. Then you will see similar clothes, clothes you bought on impulse, and other habits that you have, buy, and use. If you throw out clothes without understanding them, you will repeat the same thing, so be careful. Take your time here and make sure you do not throw things away until you understand your own habits. The same goes for dishes, food stock, etc.

7 _Let’s make this a time for parents and children to enjoy each other’s company.

While cleaning up the bathroom, talk about childhood memories of bathing, or say, “Cleaning was hard then because of child-rearing, so I’ll do it now. What are we going to eat if this sells?” or “What are we going to eat if we sell this? Fun tidying up is an irreplaceable time for parents and children.

When the room is clean, the parents can say, “Mom, you did a great job, didn’t you? Look at how hard your mother worked. This will give them the initiative to clean up other areas as well. With the feeling that parenting has been turned around, praise them for even the smallest of things. The most important thing is to remember to thank your parents. This is the key to success in tidying up.

And if it is really difficult, one way is to ask a professional to intervene. However, it will be counterproductive if the person is more concerned with tidying up than being attentive to the feelings of others, so be careful in your assessment.

Noriko Kondo is a housing advisor who has been solving housing problems for more than 30 years and is well known for her Kondo-style lifestyle proposals. She is active in a wide range of fields, including media, lectures, product development with companies, commercialization of original storage units, and supervision of floor plans. In 2007, he launched the storage product “Vitas Panel” with LIXIL Corporation. In China, he has received the “China Customized Housing Design Contribution Award” from the National Association of Furniture and Decorative Businesses.