Whether it’s fixing up Gwyneth Paltrow’s pantry or filming an episode of their new series for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine network, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin are coming for your mess, whatever it is—one labelled bin at a time. “We’re just a bunch of nerds and we love getting to organize,” says Shearer. The friends-turned-business partners are the experts behind The Home Edit, which merges organization with design and interior styling. Their signature ability to turn any space into a catalogued rainbow has garnered them over a million followers on Instagram, celebrity fans like Shay Mitchell and Olivia Culpo, and the unofficial title of “Hollywood’s hottest organizers.”

The duo’s latest collaboration with GE Appliances tackles one of trickiest rooms to get organized—the laundry room. Usually a cramped space even in the biggest of houses, Shearer and Teplin explained how to make the most of it. “We always look for negative space and figure out how we could maximize it, whether it’s hanging a unit over a door or adding floating shelves that will give you a little extra space to place things.” Another tip they shared: Invest in smart appliances like those from GE Appliances’ Designer Line Evolution, which can store and automatically dispense detergent, and even double as a sink. We caught up with the two while they were in Toronto with the brand for a master class in decluttering.

 

WORK WITH WHAT’S AROUND YOU

“The first thing to do is to organize a space. Edit the items that you have so that you make sure you’re only left with things that you use or you love. Once you bring them back in, use containers like baskets and bins that meet your aesthetic. If you have an industrial loft, use metal bins.”

 

FEELING OVERWHELMED? START AS SMALL AS YOU CAN

“Organizing principles are really the same whether it’s a tiny or gigantic space. If you start with a drawer, you can go through A to Z of the process. You have to take it all out, clear out the things that don’t belong or any duplicates or junk that’s left in there. Then create your set-up using drawer inserts, categorize it all, group the like items together and it’s done. If you can make it through that process, you’ve completed a small, contained project and then you can extrapolate it out to larger projects.”

 

ON STAYING ORGANIZED BETWEEN SEASONS

“It depends on the space you have. I will say that the one thing we put in almost every home—I know I have it mine—are seasonal bins. Usually we swap it between cold weather and warm weather. We have one up high and one down low and whatever season it is, is down low.”

 

RESPECT YOUR SPACE

“Understand your space limitations. If we come in and give you this much room for snacks, you can’t just start piling up a million things and putting them on the floor. You need to understand the space you have and be respectful of it.”

This interview has been condensed and edited.