Your home should be a relaxing haven, not an obstacle course or an eyesore.
Spring is a natural time to clear out cobwebs and clutter, but who wants to do it?
We asked some Redmond-based experts about tips for restoring order in your living space. For Part 1 of this series, our sources were Alyssa Hagen of The Conciergerie, a company that provides cleaning or other personal services on an hourly basis; and Katie Munoz of Moving Forward, which helps senior citizens downsize, often after decades in the same home. They’ve seen — and conquered — mind-boggling messes.
BLESS THIS MESS
Hagen said “stuff” that people accumulate “isn’t necessarily clutter or garbage, so much as collections that have overgrown, but have sentimental value.”
Thus, folks just don’t know what to keep or toss. And most of us have multiple messes to attack.
Munoz noted, “The thing that typically overwhelms people is taking on too big a project at once. Clutter usually took a long time to accumulate and it is unreasonable to expect yourself to fix it all in a short time. So be easy on yourself. Pick one spot that is bothering you a lot and focus on just that one spot. It might be the kitchen countertops.”
Said Hagen, “De-cluttering is not as overwhelming when two people tackle a space and move to quickly to categorize and put items away. Some people hire us to clean because they understand what their time is worth. While they are at work, spending time with their kids, or having fun, their home is thoroughly cleaned. They don’t have to dread the weekend chores if their cleaner stops by on Friday.”
If you need or want to do the work yourself, Munoz suggests that you ask yourself, “Are there recyclables or trash that can be removed right away? … In some situations, this can be a large project in itself. So it might be a good idea to pause after this step and congratulate yourself.”
Next, said Munoz, look for things that could be put away in the cupboard — or if there’s no room in the cupboard, skip that step for now. Don’t get sidetracked.
“Now look for items on the counter that are related to each other,” Munoz continued. “Put all of the papers together. Put all of the utensils together. Put all of the pens and pencils together. Then you can sort through each of the piles you have just assembled to discard what is obsolete.”
Temporary containers, especially clear containers that will allow you to see what’s inside, can hold the collections until you’re ready to go on to more work, said Munoz.
In Hagen’s experience, the biggest “problem areas” are closets and other dumping grounds that guests can’t see. “We have also seen garages and storage units piled to the ceiling,” she said. “We sort the items and help the clients take their space back. Some clients end up making money by hiring us, because they don’t have to pay for the storage unit anymore and the furniture and home decorating items that we help them sell turn a profit.”
STILL PROCRASTINATING?
“Clients request assistance with problem areas and whole house cleanings equally,” said Hagen. “We have seen our fair share of expired food in fridges, but by the time we leave, we can always see the effect that simply having a clean house, fridge, closet or storage shed has on the client. They look happier and relieved. Their inevitable response is, ‘I should have done this a lot sooner.’”
She advises people to tackle the most challenging problem first and work toward the easiest.
“I am an organized person by nature,” Hagen admitted. “I love sorting, categorizing and merchandising. When I walk into a project, I look around, make a game plan. … Sometimes we start at one end of the room and make our way to the other side. Other times, we take the largest items out of the picture, which reduces the overall mental picture of the task at hand. Then the smaller stuff is easier to manage.”
Munoz recommended, “After you achieve your (first) goal, it is very important to take a break, have a cup of tea or a walk. … Imagine how you would talk to a child who has just accomplished something difficult. Would you ignore her? Or would you say, ‘Well, it’s about time you learned how to make the bed?’ If you said that, do you think your child would be excited to make their bed again? But this is the very way that most people have clutter problems talk to themselves internally.”
Hagen added, “If you can’t hire an assistant, you can try to take your mind off what you’re doing. Talk on the phone or listen to music while you work.”
BE PROACTIVE
Once you’ve successfully emptied a room — or a kitchen countertop — of junk, how do you prevent junk from piling up again?
“Try to limit the number of items that come into your house,” said Munoz. “Make a deal that if you bring something new into the house, you need to donate or dispose of something equivalent. … Create places in your house to easily dispose of those things that tend to accumulate. For instance, put a recycle basket where you are able to drop off the junk mail before you put it down on the counter. … Make a time every week to go through your house, picking up those things that didn’t get put into the right place the first time. Some people might call this planning to fail, but I call it being realistic.”
For information about The Conciergerie, call (425) 788-3192 or visit www.TheConciergerieSeattle.com.
For information about Moving Forward, call (425) 702-8761 or visit www.movingforwardinc.com.
