Marie Kondo-mania and why giving your junk to charity isn't always a good thing

Do charity shops really even want your old junk? Photo / Getty Images

If you've climbed aboard the Marie Kondo bandwagon because of her new Netflix series, you've probably already spent part of your weekend folding your undies.

If such a thought wasn't unappealing enough, seeing the masses of unwanted or unnecessary items in a pile in front of you usually is.

But, in a sad turn of events, now those piles are ending up at charity shops — or dumped beside overflowing bins.

While op shops usually welcome unwanted — quality — items, major charities have had to issue reminders they're not a substitute for the tip, and they don't want or need your broken or damaged stuff.

Red Cross National Retail Manager, Talei Kitchingman, noted that while the organisation is always appreciative of donations, they're after quality items in good condition.

"We're always after good quality items. Generally, we need donated clothing to be in great condition, clean and tidy things that will be loved by their new owner. We've also opened seven new super stores over the last year, featuring a contemporary format, which allows us to stock even more furniture and homeware.

"The donations we need the most at this time of year are good quality furniture and household items. A spare bed or a chest of drawers can go a long way to helping people in vulnerable situations."

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A sneak peek behind the scenes of my upcoming @netflix show, "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo". Have you added it to your watch list? I am so excited for the premiere on January 1!

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The services are run by volunteers who spend their time trawling through the overload of items you've purged in your Marie Kondo-verdose.

"January can be a really busy time of the year for Red Cross Shops," says Talei Kitchingman, National Retail Manager for New Zealand Red Cross.

"People have had a chance to do a bit of a spring clean during their time off, and we receive a lot of donations, with people bringing in unwanted gifts and household items.

"We do receive a lot of stuff that can't be resold because its in poor condition, so it's important to remember while we do what we can to bring items back to life, donations do need to be good condition and in working order."

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@justanothermummyblog folds her clothes using the KonMari Method 💕 The color gradation of the jeans is 💯😍 Photo by @justanothermummyblog.

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The Salvation Army National Family Stores Manager, Gareth Marshall, agrees, noting that the charity doesn't have the resources to fix your broken items.

"Mostly people are really good to us in what they donate, but there's always going to be some stuff that we can't sell. We often don't have the resources to repair things, so if items are broken we usually can't sell them, but with things we can't sell we try and find a use for as much of it as we can."

It's no coincidence the overload comes as Netflix viewers go nuts for Kondo's new series Tidying Up.

The Japanese sensation's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up already gave her a cult following, but she's now gained a frenzy of new followers thanks to the show that sees her visit people's homes and help them declutter.

It seems new fans might have taken things a little too literally and in their quest for a minimalist home, have removed anything that didn't "spark joy", as Kondo suggests, ultimately sending these items to landfill.