Japanese consultant Marie Kondo works to keep many different homes in order in her new Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

In the show, Kondo visits families of all shapes and sizes who are unhappy with the amount of clutter that has accumulated in their homes and are looking for a way to start organizing it all.

Kondo emphasizes a cleaning technique she calls the KonMari method, which attempts to organize household items by category rather than location. This method has five main categories: clothing, books, papers, komono and sentimental items. Komono refers to miscellaneous items that can be found in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, etc.

The way Kondo works is by first analyzing the house she is in before giving instructions to the inhabitants, sometimes greeting the house as a gesture of courtesy.

Once she has taken a look at each room, she then proposes a first step from the KonMari method that the homeowners are given a set amount of time to work on, generally around a week. After the family is finished, Kondo comes back to check on their progress and provide some suggestions based on what she sees.

There are also segments in the show in which Kondo provides short and sweet lessons giving cleaning advice, such as how to store photos or what to do when stuck while tidying your living area. These segments allow Kondo to connect with the audience and give them helpful little tips for their future endeavors.

One problem that some individuals looking to declutter their spaces have is being unable to decide which items they really need to keep with them. The advice that Kondo always gives them is to take a good look at the item and make sure that it sparks joy.

In general, Kondo is always about making the home a healthier environment by spreading happiness.

In order to put things into perspective for those who tend to hoard their belongings, Kondo suggests that they take all of their things that fit into one particular category, such as clothes, and lay it out in one big pile. Kondo claims that when people do this and realize how much they have accumulated over the years, they experience a shock factor that becomes the perfect kick starter they need to start clearing their stuff out.

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo shines a spotlight on the impact decluttering homes has on families. Families coming from different backgrounds and of different age categories agree that their adventures with Kondo have helped shift their perspective or lifestyle in one way or another.

In one particular episode with an older Japanese couple looking toward retirement, the wife, Wendy, commented that the whole process had allowed her husband to think more creatively while trying to reorganize the spaces in their home.

In her endeavors throughout the show, Kondo focuses on preserving the heart of every home she enters and making the living space more enjoyable for those who come to her asking for help. She always keeps a cheerful and optimistic outlook on her job and inspires others to work toward becoming better at managing their belongings. So far, Kondo’s show is only one season long, but for those who are looking to take their cleaning practices to a new level, Kondo is the way to go!