Often seen – a linen closet, crammed full, so much so that it’s hard to see what it holds.
Everything was pulled out and refolded. A couple of college alumni association stadium blankets went up top, with other blankets. A number of pillow cases went together. Three big down comforters were put back in, with their folds facing out, to minimize “visual noise.”
Now, the family could see everything in the closet and pull out whatever might be needed for a comfortable and cozy night’s sleep!
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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.
Nancy wrote, asking for some help. Would I be available to clear clutter in her office closet? Of course!
As always, I suggested that we start in one corner, and work our way around, top-to-bottom. One goal of hers – to make office supply items like rubber bands and post-it notes easily accessible, so that it would be easy to replenish those supplies in her desk. She also wanted to “touch every item,” to be sure if it was a “keeper” or not.
We did exactly that, also discussing “what to put where.” Nancy is relatively short, and I wanted to avoid her having to use a step stool too much. (I’m also short, though taller than she is, and I don’t like having to “streeetch” to reach top shelves.)
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When we finished, Nancy was relieved. Success!
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 bathroom closet in Ann’s house could use some attention. Crammed onto the two top shelves were sheets and towels used on a sailboat she no longer owned, plus a variety of beach towels. Lower shelves held smaller towels and wash cloths, a collection of hotel and other toiletries, a hair dryer, neck braces, a heating pad, and other supplies for a disabled daughter, plus rubber workout bands, facial tissues, and toilet paper.
As ever, working top to bottom, the first task was to re-fold all of the sheets and towels. They were returned to the top two shelves, with their folds showing. It’s a subtle, though powerful, thing to do. It eliminates (what another client called) “visual noise.” More simply put, it just looks neater.
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Next, the smaller towels and wash cloths were straightened. Toiletries were organized and placed into two containers already there. The hair dryer, rubber workout bands and health supplies for her daughter went into plastic bags. The neck braces were stood up in the back, where they could be seen easily, with the heating pad nearby. The facial tissues and toilet paper remained on the floor, also easily seen and reached.
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At the end, everything was organized and easily reached. Attention paid!
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Etienne and Paul share a closet, which could present some challenges. She and I decided to make the space work better for both of them.
We started with Paul’s folded clothes on a shelf. We pulled out some items, refolded, and put them back. I suggested placing everything with the fold facing out. It’s a subtle, though powerful, thing to do, reducing “visual noise.” It looked neater and there was more storage room, if needed.
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Next, we worked on Etienne’s shelf, with relatively little already on it. Even so, folding and clearing clutter made more space available.
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Below the shelf, the rod holding Etienne’s other clothes could use some attention. We consolidated dresses and slacks and, as much as possible, hung long items together.
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Below, we pulled everything out, off the closet floor, hanging some items and placing shoes in the cubbie holes to the left.
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With a bit of time left over, we cleared the top of Etienne’s dresser. It would be much nicer to look at from across the room, in bed. Relaxing and restful, too!
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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.
Pogo and Sylvie have a lovely home. They’re selling it, and plan to move in just under two months to another house, reducing square footage by about 1,000 feet. In a phone conversation, Pogo asked me to “hold their feet to the fire,” encouraging them to get rid of excess items. Okay!
Arriving, I asked where to focus our work. Sylvie quickly suggested the basement. It has a closet that was chock-full of housewares, very neatly arranged. They entertain a lot. There were some duplicates. We would work our way across the shelves, separating out items for family, for donation, to sell, to discard, or to recycle. Example – we set aside several vases for a local florist that picks up flowers left over from events, then freshens them for donation to nursing homes and other facilities. While the program is on hold, amid COVID-19, vase donations are still accepted.
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What might be next? They weren’t certain – maybe helping in their new home. In the meantime, though, both Pogo and Sylvie were pleased with our process. Success!
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.
During the morning of our “double session” day together, and after clearing the living room, Josh and I worked on a hall closet. It held paper towels, two lunch boxes, a “lifetime” supply of plastic grocery store bags. Clogging its space most were central vacuum parts. The system didn’t work well. Sarah coiled its long hose, securing it with a strong plastic twist tie. We would put the parts downstairs. We removed a couple of other vacuums that didn’t work well.
Josh hammered some nails into its walls, to hold cleaning items. We placed “front and center” the best vacuum, which the family uses the most. The closet wasn’t full, which was good!
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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.
Jonathan and I are working our way around his apartment. This session included work in a closet. It held a variety of items – kayak paddles, bike tires, crutches, a table leaf, sketch pads, weights, brooms, kite string, flower pots, a tennis racket, a life preserver and a brightly colored safety vest.
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We pulled everything out from the bottom, wiped down the paddles, and strategized about where to put back all items. We placed the paddles along the left side, and the crutches, table leaf and brooms on the right. Against the back wall – the sketch pads and bike tires. In a red plastic bin retrieved from another room, we placed the flower pots, weights, and kite string. We hung the safety vest.
On the shelf, we placed the life preserver and tennis racket horizontally. Not bad for half an hour’s work! The best part – Jonathan was pleased.
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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.
Ava is a wide-eyed and artistic little girl. She doesn’t always say much, but it’s clear that she doesn’t miss much happening around her, either.
Her dad, Mike, and I spent some time organizing her closet. First, we pulled items from its shelf. Some went into the laundry, and others were set aside for other rooms.
Next, I told Mike about previous work in other closets. A few clients and I separated hanging clothes into sections for work and play, making it easier for them to get dressed, and maybe in less time, too. If there was enough room, we also arranged clothes by seasons.
Since Ava isn’t working yet, we hung her clothes according to the seasons. Easy peasy!
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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.
Molly won a 90-minute session with De-clutter Me! at a one-day conference for women business owners. After her winning raffle ticket was pulled, she said that she had put her request “out to the universe.” That’s very powerful spirituality!
I arrived on a rainy afternoon. Where to work? She wanted to focus on a small, irregularly-shaped closet under a staircase. It was narrow and short, with a slanted “ceiling.” It had one low shelf, which was hidden by a variety of housewares on and in front of it.
We began by pulling everything out. Each item was considered to keep, discard, donate, recycle, or give away. Next, we talked about how to use the space. I measured it. We looked online at a variety of shelving units, discussing their relative merits. We also considered over-the-door storage, which could hold lightweight stuff. Hooks on the walls’ sides could store additional items, to make good use of every available inch. With some additional storage options, this little closet will be more useful.
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Next, we thoughtfully returned some items to the closet, making sure that all could be easily seen and reached.
In the front red fabric bag – a tablecloth, lots of plastic cutlery and an American flag, supplies used for the Fourth of July. In the blue, rectangular box at the back – a big carving knife and fork, perfect for upcoming holiday meals. Other items include a huge skillet, a food processor, a pewter pitcher, placemats, and other things she may want to use.
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As we finished our time together, Molly looked relieved as she smiled.
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.
