Vikke got in touch. Her disabled sister Laurel needed help in her condo, bought a year ago. Could I help to make life easier? Sure! How did they learn about my business? Vikke lives about 90 minutes south of her sister, and asked a professional organizer in her area for advice. Patty found De-clutter Me! online and suggested the company.
There were a number of areas in Laurel’s home that could use some attenion. Where to start? She chose the bedroom. Right away, I suggested that we clear the rolling cart with three compartments. It clearly looked like a clutter collector, and blocked space, too. We methodically explored its three deep areas. They all stored crochet supplies, as she enjoys the hobby. We set some aside to store with other like supplies, others for the trash, and she also kindly set aside some yarn for me to offer to a younger woman in a chorus that we both sing in. The top one also held several ceramic dishes with angels, attached to holders for hanging on walls. We could get to that but, for the moment, I asked Vikke for some wrapping material to protect them. She brought paper towels.
Next, we went through a big-ish box next to the rolling cart. On top – a bag of bags. (Doesn’t everyone have one?) They might come in handy in our “travels” around the condo. We separated the box’s contents into laundry, donate, or toss. With the box moved away and collapsed, the little area felt much bigger. Bonus points – Laurel would be able to enter the bedroom much easier with her walker.
Why are the photos at such an odd angle? The closet doors have mirrors. I didn’t want to be in the photos!
There was more to do in the bedroom, but we didn’t have enough time during our first session together to start another project there. Instead, we worked on a set of shelves in the little dining area. We could make some fast progress there.
Laurel explained that moving in had been a somewhat hasty process, and it had been difficult to attempt adjusting where some items had “landed.” I suggested my professional organizer’s tried-and-true method of working top-to-bottom. On the top shelf – a framed Van Gogh print, glue, and picture-hanging supplies. The other shelves held a similarly odd assortment of cooking pots, a muffin tin, a hammer, a gin bottle, and more. We could do better than that! We added the picture-hanging supplies to other hardware in a nearby drawer. I pulled a decorative angel from a corner cabinet and placed it on the second shelf. We emptied boxes that held some canned foods. We rearranged the shelves a bit, with my stated promise to do more during our next session. We also would thoughtfully place the cooking pots in the kitchen so that Laurel could reach them easily.
With our first session’s time used up, Laurel and Vikke were happy. We’d cleared some bedroom and dining area clutter. We scheduled two more sessions, and I asked them to again thank the other professional organizer who had recommended De-clutter Me!
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.