How to declutter your home, from people who know

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Americans are engaged in a frenzy of decluttering, thanks in large part to the Netflix series "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo."
If you’re trying to get organized, you might want to start small and take your time, according to two decluttering experts we spoke with.
They said the best decluttering process for you could depend on your organization style. Here are their best tips for decluttering.
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If you want to go full Marie Kondo and dump all your belongings in the middle of the room at once, have at it.

But, if you’re like most people, a more incremental approach to decluttering your house might be more successful.

"We think Marie Kondo has been remarkable," Karen Shinn, co-founder of Toronto-based Downsizing Diva and a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers, told Business Insider. "We are thrilled to have her on the scene."

But Shinn sees decluttering as a more of a process, not something that can be done in one day. And Lis McKinley, owner of the organization company Let’s Make Room, shared her view.

"Unless you know what questions to ask yourself to decide whether you’re going to keep something or not, you can get stuck," McKinley told Business Insider.

We asked McKinley and Shinn to share their best advice for decluttering your home.

Here’s how you should do it, according to the experts.

Know your organizing goal

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McKinley asks people to think about their goal for decluttering. Do you want to be able to have people over and entertain more? Are you looking for a sense of peace?

"When they get started, they kind of start to develop a curating muscle, if you will," McKinley said. "People are looking for reasons to hold onto things." Instead, you should ask yourself whether each object supports your goal for your home.

Start small

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"Start small. And start with something that’s impacting your daily life," McKinley said. "Sometimes taking on something simple like organizing your hanging clothes or organizing one drawer in your dresser can be very motivating because you can see the results quickly."

Take stock of everything you have

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"You want to know what you have," McKinley said. She described a recent job for a client where her crew laid out all the clothes in a closet in categories: black pants, blue jeans, white blouses, graphic T-shirts, and so on. The client was able to come in and immediately see what she had and pick the best items in each category to keep.

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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Laura McCamy)