How did I get into this profession? I get asked all the time….

 

 

How did I get into this?   I get asked this question all the time. I have a professional home de-clutter/organization business in Fairfield County, CT. It all started when I was a teenager. My mother, my influencer, a realtor for 47 years in Rochester, NY, would pay us to help get her listings on the market fast. My brothers would cut the lawn/fluff the gardens, while my sister and I would help the homeowner de-clutter. I loved going through other kid’s toys and clothes…sometimes we inherited some great stuff! Other times, I was appalled to see how folks lived. I always promised myself that I would never be a ‘clutter bug.’

 

Well, after having 4 children and 2 large Labrador retrievers, I was guilty of accumulating more than my share of well, crap. It all came to an end when we decided to rent our waterfront home in Westport, CT. in the summer of 2006. With the stock market on the brink of an unforeseen crash and money growing tighter each year, this was the way to garner huge amounts of cash easily? Hardly, I began clearing every closet, cupboard and room realizing that this was going to be a huge undertaking.

 

I was so overwhelmed that I ended up packing it all up and shoving it into the attic, locked the door and left for the summer. Upon our return, I brought it all back down, set up the kid’s rooms exactly as they were, afraid that I would scar them for life if their stuff was gone!   We rented again the next summer, and I began to purge all that was no longer needed. Any items packed away in the attic were sorted by category, stored in large labeled bins for easy retrieval. When we came home Labor Day, I only brought down the basics. I waited for the kids to ask for what they wanted, needed and loved.   It was then, that I realized how freeing and wonderful it was to live a minimalist lifestyle. I began helping friends and family downsize and created my business ClearedSapces.com in 2008.

 

Today, I work with a plethora of real estate agents helping them make a plan to get their listings ready for sale. I am not the stager, if hired, they come after I have done my best to clear the property of items no longer needed, loved or used. The biggest challenge is usually when family members struggle to decide what to keep and what to shed. I always say “I save marriage’s!”   I offer 4 hour de-cluttering/organizing sessions. I find that I lose their focus after 4 hours. I need them to be right there with me scouring through the piles, boxes, and papers deciding on their fate.   It can be exhausting because I ask a lot of questions and/or it stirs up memories with mixed emotions. However, in the end, all feel lighter, relieved, and happy that they are moving on and taking only what they need, use and love-period.

 

Besides being the queen of de-cluttering, I teach yoga/meditation 4 times per week. I realized the parallels of clearing the mind, the body, and the home while learning to become an instructor in 2012. One of the main goals in yoga is to create and maintain balance. Balance in the home with the things you love need, and use helps to give a spacious and loving ambiance to a home. “Your home should be your sanctuary, not make you feel guilty or bad about yourself?   So many suffer from the “CHAOS” (can’t – have – anyone – over -syndrome). Take your space back today I say!! Clear your clutter and you will clear your mind-I promise! I offer my services for many auctions at many local schools and non-profit organizations.