The irony of difficulty
Kondo says that although her clients continually suggest that their house will take a long time to clean, her professional average remains close to six hours per home. Obviously some are worse than others, but the fact that she can completely transform someone's life in less than a work day is evidence of dramatic irony. Without trying to clean, people are trapped in the myth that cleaning will be difficult and painful (sometimes it is, but rarely to the extreme levels that they fear).
The irony of obligation
When a person sees an object, Marie challenges them with this question: did the possession actually spark joy? Ironically many of the 'prized' possessions are sources for stress and pain, because the clutter is binding to the person. They often are ashamed of inviting people into their lives, which means that ironically, their possessions are a kind of burden or obligation in their lives. Like a dragon unable to leave their cave for fear of losing its stored up gold, so also possessions are obligations.
The irony of joy
When a person who doesn't like to clean meets someone who loves cleaning, that is ironic, which means that Marie Kondo's profession is literally ironic, because she travels from home to home, teaching people the ironic truth: Cleaning is freeing and fun, and it is a healthy part of every day life. Marie Kondo is pleasant and happy, regardless of the work she does, which is ironic, considering that her profession is difficult.
The irony of nostalgia
Kondo says that nostalgia is a kind of double edged sword. On the one hand, nostalgia can be an important part of one's identity. Keeping a keepsake that symbolizes something amazing or transformative in one's life can be an amazing gift, but on the other hand, nostalgia can be painful and bitter, so she encourages her clients to mourn their attachment to loss and suffering, and then to eliminate the emotional clutter of such attachments.
The irony of feng shui
To a person, a house might seem external to their self. Most people feel they are only their body, but when Marie Kondo enters a home, she obeys the principles of feng shui which state that a person's environment is literally a representation of their internal emotional life. By viewing one's surroundings as a reflection of their own emotional health, the process of cleaning can be seen for what it really is: It is a religious process of growth.
