Spring is in the air, which means it's time for spring cleaning — and no one knows that better than Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, stars of the Netflix hit “Get Organized with the Home Edit.”
On April 24, Shearer and Teplin dropped by TODAY, where they helped declutter and organize Hoda Kotb's studio office.
Shearer and Teplin, who founded the home organizing company the Home Edit in 2015, gave Hoda's larger work office an epic makeover in 2022. On Monday, they returned to help combat her smaller office attached to the TODAY studio.
The pair had their work cut out for them again this year, as Hoda & Jenna co-host Jenna Bush Hager pointed out at the beginning of the segment. "They've been wearing gloves and hazmat suits," Jenna teased Hoda, adding, "They found some things that were moldy. Let's just put it that way."
Think Jenna was only joking? Nope. Shearer and Teplin held up two moldy oranges they found in Hoda's small refrigerator.
"Wait, was that really in there?" Hoda asked, cringing.
Shearer and Teplin showed a "before" shot of Hoda's studio office, which showed her desk and bookshelves piled full of unorganized papers, clothes and other items. A nearby bookshelf teamed with books tossed any which way. Bags full of Hoda's personal belongings took up space on the floor and under Hoda's desk.
The first "after" shot showed Hoda's desk again, this time free of all clutter. The books in the adjacent bookcase were now stacked in a neat row, and the bags of Hoda's stuff were neatly stored out of eyesight.
Even Hoda's desk drawers got a much-needed sprucing up.
"Look at the drawers!" Hoda gushed when she saw an "after" shot showing the drawers now lined with handy plastic bins to keep pens, notepads and scissors in their own separate spaces.
Organizing tips for your office
Shearer and Teplin offered a few easy tips for viewers at home who want to give their own workspaces a springtime refresh.
- Try an acrylic desk riser.
These see-through risers often come with drawers to hold paper clips, thumbtacks, pens, sticky notes and other office items. "You get everything up and lift it off so there's no clutter on the desk," said Teplin.
- Insert bins inside desk drawers for maximum organization.
Avoid the dreaded junk drawer by using bins and/or dividers to create separate spaces for pens, tape, scissors and more.
- Stick museum gel under your bins to prevent sliding.
Add a small dollop of this putty-like substance to the bottom of the bins in your drawers so the bins will stay in place when you open and close your drawers.
The "Home Edit" team also showed Hoda how to use desktop shelves to act as an inbox and outbox in an effort to help organize paperwork.
The bottom line? A cleaner desk is not only prettier, it can also help you work better. A messy desk "demotivates" people, explained Shearer. "It's hard to work with clutter."
"Any time you can use any bit of storage opportunity to get things up off your desk, just do it," added Shearer.