What is a home organizer & Declutterer?
Few people have experience with a home organizer & declutterer. For some reason we think that organising our homes is a job we should be able to do on our own. But women’s magazines and social media make it obvious that many people struggle to maintain a tidy, uncluttered home. Why?
No one taught me how to tidy. Were you taught? I was shown how to clean but not to tidy. I was exhorted, day in – day out, to go and “tidy my bedroom”. But no one ever took me through the process. It was assumed that I would know how to do it by “osmosis”. Could this be why most of us don’t know how to tidy our homes? A home organizer will change all that. I will help you declutter your home, and help you to decide how and where to store all your possessions. For good!
What do you mean by home organising and decluttering?
Many of us confuse organising and decluttering (tidying) with – cleaning. Years ago, when I first employed a cleaner, I had three small children all under fives, and life was hectic. The cleaner demanded that the house was tidy and everything put away before she came to clean. I thought she was mad. Surely that was part of her job!
But she was right. Cleaning is the removal of dirt which builds up in our homes. Tidying is returning to their proper place things that we’ve used throughout the day. It’s much easier to clean a house if it’s tidy. To be able to tidy, each and every one of your belongings needs a home. It is nigh on impossible to find a home for everything if you have too much “stuff”. I will help you organize and declutter your possessions.
I’ve never been tidy, I’m too old to change?
I am living proof that you can change. And my job as a home organizer and declutterer is to show you, once and for all, how to tidy your home. And keep it that way. You’ll still have to put your stuff away each day. But, because you’ve decluttered your space, everything will have a home. And you’ll know where everything belongs.
We call it a Tidying Festival. It’s a one-off process. It involves you taking everything you own in your hands – from your Chanel to your tin opener – and deciding if you love it, need it or use it. If the answer is “yes” you keep it. Otherwise you discard it or “rehome” it. By the time you finish, you’ll be surrounded only by things that spark joy. You’ll then give each and every item a home. And, from then on, you’ll give everything you bring into your home a place. That way, you’ll be able to maintain a tidy home. I promise you the transformation will take your breath away.
How long does it take to organise & declutter your home (complete the Tidying Festival)?
It depends on the size of your home, how much “stuff” you have, how commited you are and how quickly you want to finish. One week? one month? You want to complete the Tidying Festival within 6 months. Compare that to a lifetime of clutter.
How long will each category take?
There are five categories: clothes, books, paper, “komono” (miscellaneous) and sentimental items.
It might takes you a day to sort your clothes. One client wanted to try on every stitch of clothing she owned. And she had a lot! So it took us three days.
A moderate book collection can be sorted in a day.
Papers vary. But, if you have 40 years’ worth stuffed under the bed, you’ll need to allow at least three to four days to work through them.
Although “Komono” is a big group, we break it down into smaller sub-categories to ensure lots of easy “wins”: CDs, DVDs, toiletries, bedding, bath towels, Christmas decorations, gifts, stationary equipment, shoe cleaning kit etc. The biggest sub-category is “kitchen” and you will need a full day to sort it. If you live in a small flat, you can complete “Komono” in one or two days. But for a family home, you should allow at least three to five days. “Special collections” may need an additional day or two to sort.
Depending on your age, “sentimental items” can take a while. Often people have inherited photos from parents, most of which are uncatalogued. you might prefer to tackle it by yourself, once you know what you are doing. It can be a good idea to involve other family members at this stage. So do allow at least one day for “sentimental items”; and longer, if you feel you’ll need my support to complete the category.
How can I justify the expense of employing a professional home organizer & declutterer?
For most of us, our home is our biggest single asset and our place of refuge and comfort. So it’s essential to look after it, make sure that it keeps its value and is somewhere we want to be.
Some of us are lucky enough to be competent at basic DIY – or have a partner who is – but most of us need to call in an expert from time to time: a plumber, builder, architect, electrician, plasterer, joiner…. garden designer. We might resent the call-out fee and the quote for hundreds – or even thousands – of pounds. But we know there’s no choice but to pay up, and get the job done, in order to maintain our peace of mind and the value of our property.
“New research from the “find-a-tradesperson” platform “Rated People”, shows the pandemic has increased the value of cleanliness and hygiene for homebuyers. Dirt, clutter, and bad smells were found collectively to knock almost £54,000 off a property’s value”. Read the full article here:- https://www.idealhome.co.uk/news/tips-to-add-value-to-house-quickly-268986
Maintaining a tidy, clutter free home is essential if you want to maintain the value of your property.
Not sure I can afford to hire a professional home organizer & declutterer?
Decide what you can afford. Consider the five categories: clothes, books, paper, “komono” (miscellaneous) and sentimental. You could book a three hour session to get you started with each of the categories. You could then work by yourself, following the principles I have laid out, and complete the category.
But, if you’ve been procrastinating for ages as the clutter builds, and you simply haven’t the energy, confidence or will power to go it alone, I can help you through the whole process.
Most of us accept that we have to regularly pay a cleaner – tradesmen – professionals – that we employ off and on throughout the year. But you’ll only ever employ me once. The Tidying Festival is one off. Once you’ve finished, you’ll have a beautiful, tidy, home. Follow through with the KonMari method and you’ll never rebound.