Kate emailed from Massachusetts. She had worked with a professional organizer there. She and her brother wanted to give their mother similar help for her birthday. Would I be available? We talked on the phone, she sent a check and, soon, I arrived at their parents’ lovely home.

Mary had admitted to being a bit nervous, but soon she was smiling and laughing as we worked on a hallway closet. She had emptied some of its contents onto the floor and the stairs.

The hallway floor, with items from the closet
Before

Explaining my professional organizer’s tried-and-true method of working top-to-bottom, we first cleared the closet’s shelf. There were some objects wrapped in paper. What were they? We soon discovered that they were candles. We set them aside for her local son and his family. We pulled other items to discard or donate. What was left? Empty space! How rare! With time, some items might “migrate” there but, for the moment, there was space for the eyes to rest.

 

Next, to the other side of the shelf. We emptied most of it, placing just a few things there, including a pretty hat box. More empty space! Below it, we hung many of Mary’s tote bags. (She has a lifetime supply.) We set some aside for donation and a few to leave in her car for grocery shopping. That cleared much of the floor space.

 

We looked online for boot and shoe trays for the closet floor, which she would add later.When we were done, the floor and stairs were cleared.

The hallway floor and stairs after we cleared their clutter
After

What might be next? Mary wasn’t sure yet, but she was pleased with the first part of her children’s birthday present.

About De-clutter Me!
De-clutter Me! offers non-judgmental, competitively-priced and confidential assistance to help clear clutter in your home and/or business. We’ve been changing chaos to calm since 2013.

A Birthday Present!