It is never too late to tackle the clutter in your life, and what better time to start than with a spring cleaning! Here are some tips from local professional organizers to start the journey to becoming organized and creating your happy place.
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Luisa & Co.: Luisa Lopez
luisaandco.com
“My main focus is to help my clients with everything that comes at them and have control in their life, which is the space around them,” says Luisa Lopez, owner of Luisa & Co. “It’s not always Pinterest perfect, because for my clients, this is real life,” Luisa says.
Organizational styles
“What is organized to you might not be organized to someone else,” Luisa explains. She works with her clients and their organization styles based on their lifestyle. “I really listen to what is important to them and what they deal with on a day-to-day basis and try to find a system that works for them,” she explains. “Sometimes things change in life. Something that might work for them right now might not work for the next year. That can be because of a new family member, family members leaving, or some sort of change.”
Priorities
She says a professional organizer is there to listen to their clients’ wants and needs and take into consideration what is realistic and important to them. “My main thing is to write down all their priorities and priority areas,” she says. “Some have kids, some don’t, some are retired, some are going through a chapter in life that they are trying to clean out and start fresh. Some are very busy and don’t have time for all that. It’s really listening to those main points and structuring the system that is going to benefit them the most in the long run. It’s definitely not cookie-cutter.”
Enlisting the help of a professional organizer
Some popular and satisfying organizing videos infer that the whole house can be organized in a few short days, and consumers sometimes end up buying products that don’t always provide proper solutions, resulting in a lot of money spent. That is the advantage of turning to a professional organizer for help. “We do this for a profession. We’ve already done the research for you,” Luisa says. “I’ve experienced other spaces that are different sizes, and different people who like different tastes. Some people like labels, some people hate them. We’ve already done all that headache for you.”
Mental health plays a large role in organizing, and when clients are going through a tough time, she is there to help maneuver and coach through every situation, Luisa says. “What works for me is helping people be able to decipher things and do things on their own when I’m not always there for them,” she says. Organizing with clients helps them in the long run so they can learn how to organize on their own and know how to approach a space, Luisa says. “We’re like people's personal cheerleaders. I’m here to cheer you on through the whole process,” she says.
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Cultivate Your Space: Michelle Dew
cultivateyourspace.com
The best approach to organization depends on one’s personality and how they operate, says Cultivate Your Space owner Michelle Dew. For some, she recommends taking space by space, and for others, she suggests setting a timer. “Either way, take it in bite-sized pieces, whether it's one room, one space, one closet — or a certain amount of time,” she says. “Set a goal instead of trying to do your whole house at once.”
The importance of being organized
Being organized can improve stress levels and increase productivity, Michelle says. “Outer spaces impact your inner spaces, and inner spaces impact your outer spaces,” she says. “[Clutter] impacts our productivity, our peace of mind, and our ability to be still.” Michelle and her team are all about creating spaces that are life-giving and healing for people. “We set them up to live their life in a way that they want,” she says.
The Closet
Michelle suggests getting rid of items that are never worn, narrowing down your wardrobe to essential pieces, and limiting the number of hangers — her best tip for keeping a less-chaotic closet. “If I start to run out of hangers when all my laundry is clean, it means I need to let go of a couple of things,” she says.
Kids Toys
Michelle suggests that parents do the initial clean-out by separating items into like kinds, and then bringing in the kids afterward to prioritize what is special to them. She suggests presenting them with the idea of donating their duplicate toys to children in need. “We’re teaching kids at a young age how to take good care of their items and know when something is special,” she says. “We are teaching them skills for their life of consumption.”
Paper Clutter
Michelle recommends opening the mail as soon as it comes into the house. “Deal with it, because most likely a lot of it is junk, and it's more of a mental game,” she recommends. “It’s like a chore in your head, and really, it might take you five seconds.” When bills arrive and are still on your mind, sign up for digital notifications via email to reduce unnecessary paper accumulation, she says.
Storage solutions
The SKUBB Drawer Inserts from Ikea are among Michelle’s favorite storage solutions and can bring order to chaos for sorting socks, clothes, etc. ($6 for a set of 6). Clear containers are also handy because items can easily be seen after being separated into like kinds, and the containers can be labeled and stacked, making them an efficient solution for out-of-season clothing, kids’ artwork, holiday decor, etc.
Michelle’s Four-Step Process
1. Pull everything out. “Get everything out of the space. Don’t try to go through your closet with everything hanging,” Michelle says. This is true for drawers and cabinets too.
2. Sort everything by like kinds. “All my denim jeans here, all my black jeans here,” she says, for example.
3. Go through and let go. “Let go of what you’re going to give away, sell, or trash,” she says.
4. Organize. “You don’t want to organize the stuff that you don’t need,” Michelle says.
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Clutter Be Gone Designs: Laury Arnold
clutterbegonedesigns.com
Clutter Be Gone Designs owner Laury Arnold tells her clients to start small, and the process will get easier. “Today you do one drawer, and maybe tomorrow you do two drawers. It can be very overwhelming because it takes a lot of mental and emotional capacity to go through things and put them where they go,” she says. “Working up to a full room is a lot.”
Importance of being organized
“When you start to clear up your physical clutter, your brain thinks more clearly and you see things differently, in all aspects of your life,” Laury says. “If you walk in on Monday morning and your desk is a mess, your whole Monday is probably going to be a mess,” she says. “If you just take the 5-10 minutes before you leave on Friday to stack things up and make a priority list, when you walk in on Monday, you don’t feel so overwhelmed and stressed, and you’re more likely to be productive.”
The Closet
“When starting in the closet, I encourage everybody to take everything out. You need to be able to make a decision on why you’re putting that back in,” Laury says. To keep your closet in control, turn the hangers backwards, she suggests. Then, once an item is clean, hang it up the correct way so in time, it will be clear which items have not been worn. “One of two things will happen: I’m either going to get rid of them, or I’m going to make a decision on why I’m keeping them,” she says. Ask yourself important questions when sorting, such as: When was the last time I wore it? Does it fit? How do I feel when I put it on? Another easy rule is one in, one out. “If I buy a new shirt, is there a shirt at home that I could swap it out for?” Laury says.
Kids Toys
“Toys just explode themselves, they’re everywhere!” Laury says. She recommends fun and functional organizational bins. “This teaches kids that things have a place,” she explains. She recommends involving them in the process. “It's their stuff, and they’ve got to learn to take care of it. You can’t always be there picking up after them, or you’re going to feel overwhelmed by their stuff as much as you do your own.” Laury reminds parents that cleaning and organizing can be emotionalfor children as well as adults. “We all struggle with getting rid of our [well-]loved belongings,” she says.
Junk Drawer
Nothing is wrong with having junk drawers, but they should serve a function, Laury says. She suggests dividing items using small organizational containers of varying lengths that can be easily arranged according to purpose and to sort through them once a quarter, if not more. “Go through those drawers that accumulate mail so that you are continually getting rid of it, and it doesn’t continue to build upon itself,” Laury says.
Storage Solutions
“Be open to what's out there and be able to use it anywhere!” Laury says. “A silverware divider from the kitchen works wonderfully inside of a drawer in the bathroom, but most people don’t think about it because they get stuck on the word ‘kitchen,’” she says. She recommends labeled containers, lazy susans, and tiered shelves for pantry items. “Having systems in place — like drawer inserts, canisters, and spice jars — can make the space more efficient and are space-saving,” she explains.
Laury’s Three Bucket Process
Laury recommends a three-step organizing process, whether you start small or decide to tackle a whole room.
Bucket 1. This doesn’t go here. This item is in the wrong place and needs to be moved. Rather than risk distraction, finish your initial mission by placing it in the bucket.
Bucket 2: Trash. Throw it in the bucket, and trash it when you’re all done. “It’s such a good feeling!” Laury says.
Bucket 3: Donate. I don’t need this item anymore, but it’s still in good, usable condition and can be donated to someone in need.
