Thrift Stores Are Seeing a Surge in Donations, Thanks to Netflix's Tidying Up With Marie Kondo

If you've recently been asking yourself “Does this spark joy?” about the many items in your home, you've probably been bitten by the Marie Kondo bug. You're not alone. The organizing consultant’s Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, has become a major hit for the streaming network—and has left viewers feeling the sudden urge to clean out their closets. As a result, thrift stores are feeling the "Kondo Effect," too.

As People reports, Goodwill Stores have been inundated with clothes, furniture, and other pre-loved items ever since Kondo’s Netflix series premiered on January 1. In the show, Kondo teaches families how to tidy up their houses and organize their belongings by category, including clothes, books, papers, sentimental items, and komono (miscellaneous things).

“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,” Lauren Lawson-Zilai, a Goodwill representative, told People.

The spike is hard to quantify because Goodwill’s stores are run by 161 independent organizations across the country. However, a number of individual branches have reported that donations are way up. Branches in Houston, Washington, D.C.; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Roanoke, Virginia all saw surges of between 16 and 30 percent in January.

That might not seem like a significant amount, but a 3 percent increase in donations to Tampa Bay area stores translated to an extra 5 million pounds of donations being processed in a single month. Other factors may also be responsible for the uptick in donations—like warmer weather in some areas, or New Year’s resolutions—but the Kondo craze is still driving much of the decluttering.

Other nonprofit organizations and thrift stores have also seen an increase in donated goods, including some Salvation Army outlets and stores operated by Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana.

“The Tidying Up craze has struck a chord with people of all ages,'' Debbie Gillum of Volunteers of America told Cleveland.com. "People are starting to ask themselves what in their homes sparks joy and they are donating things that no longer bring them joy. The best part is when they donate their stuff, it can bring joy to someone else.”

[h/t People]