Most people do. Could be a family member or a friend. Just like an alcoholic, you can’t help them until they’re ready for help. They have to be the one asking for help and it may even be an eviction situation.
Hoarding can be debilitating to the person with the problem but especially to their loved ones. It’s frustrating enough to know a hoarder but to live with one can be devastating. I’ve seen couples break up over it and I’ve seen hoarders that can’t have relationships and friendships due to the insurmountable piles that they can’t control. To put it in a nutshell, a hoarder can’t distinguish trash from treasures. Everything is usable, collectable, and might be used someday. Some people pull things out of the trash, others buy too much without a clue as to how they will use it.
A collection is usually nicely displayed, taken care of, added to thoughtfully, and in an honored place for friends to admire and enjoy. A hoarder’s collection will be so huge and overwhelming that it can’t be displayed, they really don’t even know what they have, and there’s not much joy in it. There’s a difference between collecting and amassing.
We’ll talk more about hoarding later.
For more information on hoarding visit: http://www.ocfoundation.org/1005/index.html
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Monday, December 22, 2008
Hoarders
Most people think of hoarders as people that just collect junk, but that’s not always the case. There are animal hoarders, information hoarders, article hoarders, newspaper, magazine, T-shirt, shoe, and even wrapping paper hoarders.
Sometimes they’re just as frustrated with it as their loved ones are but they don’t want to do anything about it because it’s a part of them. How would you feel if someone came in and just took your computer away? You’d feel cut off and like you’d lost a friend. That’s why others can’t just come in and remove all their stuff. Every little thing is extremely important and valuable to them. They can’t lose that contact with their stuff without therapy and an accompanying drug regimen. If you clean out a hoarder’s stuff and they’re not getting help for it, it will all come back again.
When I work with hoarders, I help them figure out a system for finding all their stuff. It’s too much stuff to just tuck into closets and cabinets so we contain, label, and inventory everything so they know where it is. I haven’t met one yet that wanted to “just get rid of it all” since it’s all so important to them.
You can’t take a hoarder lightly and just take it all away because for them, it’s like ripping off their skin. Tread carefully and have some respect.
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Sometimes they’re just as frustrated with it as their loved ones are but they don’t want to do anything about it because it’s a part of them. How would you feel if someone came in and just took your computer away? You’d feel cut off and like you’d lost a friend. That’s why others can’t just come in and remove all their stuff. Every little thing is extremely important and valuable to them. They can’t lose that contact with their stuff without therapy and an accompanying drug regimen. If you clean out a hoarder’s stuff and they’re not getting help for it, it will all come back again.
When I work with hoarders, I help them figure out a system for finding all their stuff. It’s too much stuff to just tuck into closets and cabinets so we contain, label, and inventory everything so they know where it is. I haven’t met one yet that wanted to “just get rid of it all” since it’s all so important to them.
You can’t take a hoarder lightly and just take it all away because for them, it’s like ripping off their skin. Tread carefully and have some respect.
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
When You Get a Little Behind
I feel a little naughty writing that title! We all get behind. Life happens. Death and illness happen. Divorce, marriage, whatever happens, it can put you off track. You can spend your whole life being an organized person, then BAM. Your father falls ill, you’re going through a divorce, and your employer has downsized so much that you’re doing the job of 3 people.
Opening mail, filing, processing the mundane things of everyday life have to take a back seat to your sanity! Most of it can pile up as long as you’re paying your bills on time. Late charges can eat into your budget and your credit rating.
I recommend that you set up as many online automatic payments as possible. It’s liberating, allows you to be gone for long periods of time, and takes that weight off your mind. Check with your bank to see just how simple it is. If you need some handholding, I can help with that as we get you set up. I’m happy to provide some referrals from other people I have helped with that. Besides, I’m not smart enough to figure out how to siphon off your money!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Opening mail, filing, processing the mundane things of everyday life have to take a back seat to your sanity! Most of it can pile up as long as you’re paying your bills on time. Late charges can eat into your budget and your credit rating.
I recommend that you set up as many online automatic payments as possible. It’s liberating, allows you to be gone for long periods of time, and takes that weight off your mind. Check with your bank to see just how simple it is. If you need some handholding, I can help with that as we get you set up. I’m happy to provide some referrals from other people I have helped with that. Besides, I’m not smart enough to figure out how to siphon off your money!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Bain of the Organizer’s Existence
HGTV. There, I said it. I watch it, I learn from it, but it’s like a sitcom or game show. It’s staged. If someone came to you and said, “We’ll pay for everything you need if you’ll just do what we say”, would you do it? Hell yes! Of course you would.
The reality part of these unrealistic shows is that they make it look like the messy room is transformed in a weekend. First of all, the only day they don’t film or work is Sun. so they’re not really doing it in a weekend. Second, there are hardly any Professional Organizers that organize, paint, design custom furniture, and hang shelves. Wow, they must get paid a lot if they do! What, they don’t get paid?? The people on the show don’t know where all their stuff goes that gets removed from the room? They’re perfectly happy every time with what the organizer presents to them? Hmmm.
I know a few of the organizers that have been on “those shows” and a 20 minute show can take 5 - 6 weeks of filming! Crews of people come in, the organizer does what the producer tells her to do, (for show value), and the people have to stay elsewhere for a while.
If you can afford to move out, agree to all the perfect matching containers and baskets that they purchase, hire a painter, handyman, and don’t care how many people it takes to clear your clutter and maybe never see any of your stuff again, (without your input) then I’ll do it for you but it’s not what I normally do!
Jan Davis
The reality part of these unrealistic shows is that they make it look like the messy room is transformed in a weekend. First of all, the only day they don’t film or work is Sun. so they’re not really doing it in a weekend. Second, there are hardly any Professional Organizers that organize, paint, design custom furniture, and hang shelves. Wow, they must get paid a lot if they do! What, they don’t get paid?? The people on the show don’t know where all their stuff goes that gets removed from the room? They’re perfectly happy every time with what the organizer presents to them? Hmmm.
I know a few of the organizers that have been on “those shows” and a 20 minute show can take 5 - 6 weeks of filming! Crews of people come in, the organizer does what the producer tells her to do, (for show value), and the people have to stay elsewhere for a while.
If you can afford to move out, agree to all the perfect matching containers and baskets that they purchase, hire a painter, handyman, and don’t care how many people it takes to clear your clutter and maybe never see any of your stuff again, (without your input) then I’ll do it for you but it’s not what I normally do!
Jan Davis
Monday, October 6, 2008
Mice Mice, Baby
You probably don’t have mice in your house but if you have a storage shed on your property, they’re partying in there right now.
Personally, I’m a rodent lover but that’s just me. I’ve had several hamsters, a couple of mice, and would have a rat if I had time to take care of one. I think they’re cute but two cats are enough to care for!
When they get in your stuff and chew it up and potty all over it, though, that’s not cool. I had a client that had proudly saved her oldest son’s schoolwork in a cardboard box with a drawer for each year. Then she stored it in the shed. I know, but this was pre-Jan.
Not only did it stink, but who would want to pull that out years later when they’re sitting around the fire with their grandchildren looking at what Daddy did when he was young? The whole thing was pretty chewed up.
I’m not an advocate for killing vermin, but we eventually hired a pest control company to eradicate the rodents from the shed. Happy day for the client but sad day for the rodents. She eventually had garage cabinets installed and I moved everything from the shed that wasn’t a tool or metal and containerized everything in good, sturdy plastic containers and put it all in the garage. At least her son is spared the embarrassment of sharing his school work with his children someday!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Personally, I’m a rodent lover but that’s just me. I’ve had several hamsters, a couple of mice, and would have a rat if I had time to take care of one. I think they’re cute but two cats are enough to care for!
When they get in your stuff and chew it up and potty all over it, though, that’s not cool. I had a client that had proudly saved her oldest son’s schoolwork in a cardboard box with a drawer for each year. Then she stored it in the shed. I know, but this was pre-Jan.
Not only did it stink, but who would want to pull that out years later when they’re sitting around the fire with their grandchildren looking at what Daddy did when he was young? The whole thing was pretty chewed up.
I’m not an advocate for killing vermin, but we eventually hired a pest control company to eradicate the rodents from the shed. Happy day for the client but sad day for the rodents. She eventually had garage cabinets installed and I moved everything from the shed that wasn’t a tool or metal and containerized everything in good, sturdy plastic containers and put it all in the garage. At least her son is spared the embarrassment of sharing his school work with his children someday!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Monday, September 22, 2008
How to Protect Your Stuff from Critters
Silverfish love paper. I don’t know why but every time I open an old box containing paper, they scramble away from me. I don’t know if they cause much damage but they’re just kind of gross.
Don’t store paper in a cardboard box. That’s like coating ice cream in chocolate! Mice will chew thru it, spiders will set up shop, and silverfish will have a daily cocktail party for their friends!
Plastic containers with snapping lids will deter them. I’ve never found mouse poop in one and even though silverfish are slim, I’ve never seen one in a plastic container with a good snap down lid. The ones with lids that fold down like wings don’t deter them and a loose lid bulging from too much stuff will allow them in, too.
If you really want to protect your stuff, not only use a good plastic container with a tight lid, throw in a lavender or cedar sachet. That’s like a stink bomb to them. They’ll move on to the next place that has nice, juicy cardboard boxes!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Don’t store paper in a cardboard box. That’s like coating ice cream in chocolate! Mice will chew thru it, spiders will set up shop, and silverfish will have a daily cocktail party for their friends!
Plastic containers with snapping lids will deter them. I’ve never found mouse poop in one and even though silverfish are slim, I’ve never seen one in a plastic container with a good snap down lid. The ones with lids that fold down like wings don’t deter them and a loose lid bulging from too much stuff will allow them in, too.
If you really want to protect your stuff, not only use a good plastic container with a tight lid, throw in a lavender or cedar sachet. That’s like a stink bomb to them. They’ll move on to the next place that has nice, juicy cardboard boxes!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Perfectly Organized?
Some people think that an organizer will come in and make everything look perfect. All lined up, matching baskets and containers, everything labeled and looking all nice and neat.
What we really do is make it look the way you’re comfortable with and within your budget. I like to reuse what you already have so you don’t have to go buy a bunch of new things. It probably won’t look perfect and match, but it will save you money and not be as intimidating once I’m gone. Most people prefer good enough to perfect. They’re just happy to be de-cluttered and can find things and don’t care about the matching baskets like you see in ads.
Buying a bunch of those can be expensive and they’re difficult to label so you have no idea what’s in them. Then add other household members to the fray and things get all mixed up. Is this the battery basket or the basket of unknown wires?
I’m not a big fan of baskets since you can’t see in them. I love clear or tinted plastic containers and drawers. The Container Store at www.Containerstore.com has tons to choose from at reasonable prices. If you live near one, go in and browse around. It’s like heaven on earth! In all of San Diego county, the only one we have is in Mission Valley but it’s worth the drive!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
What we really do is make it look the way you’re comfortable with and within your budget. I like to reuse what you already have so you don’t have to go buy a bunch of new things. It probably won’t look perfect and match, but it will save you money and not be as intimidating once I’m gone. Most people prefer good enough to perfect. They’re just happy to be de-cluttered and can find things and don’t care about the matching baskets like you see in ads.
Buying a bunch of those can be expensive and they’re difficult to label so you have no idea what’s in them. Then add other household members to the fray and things get all mixed up. Is this the battery basket or the basket of unknown wires?
I’m not a big fan of baskets since you can’t see in them. I love clear or tinted plastic containers and drawers. The Container Store at www.Containerstore.com has tons to choose from at reasonable prices. If you live near one, go in and browse around. It’s like heaven on earth! In all of San Diego county, the only one we have is in Mission Valley but it’s worth the drive!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Are You Being Served?
Does your stuff serve you or are you just paying rent for your stuff? What is it worth? If you pay for a storage unit, then there better be some damn good stuff in there to make it worthwhile. Storage units aren’t cheap but have you noticed how many of them are now?
Write in and tell me why you think there are so many storage places now. Is it because:
▫ We like to get in our cars to go visit our stuff?
▫ People are living in storage units because it’s cheaper than rent?
▫ We may need it someday?
Evaluate just how much you love your stuff as opposed to your day to day living. Do you love it so much that you’re willing to do without $100-$150 a month worth of gas, food, clothes, or whatever is truly important? Go in that storage unit and take a look around with a new eye. Do you really need it?
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Write in and tell me why you think there are so many storage places now. Is it because:
▫ We like to get in our cars to go visit our stuff?
▫ People are living in storage units because it’s cheaper than rent?
▫ We may need it someday?
Evaluate just how much you love your stuff as opposed to your day to day living. Do you love it so much that you’re willing to do without $100-$150 a month worth of gas, food, clothes, or whatever is truly important? Go in that storage unit and take a look around with a new eye. Do you really need it?
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
A Picture’s Worth… well, 1000 Pictures
Ok, so back to “One In, One Out”. Whew. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest about yucky stuff.
This rule works well for everything in your house. Not just clothes. The rule’s partner rule is “Do I Really Need This and Where Will It Go?”
You’re in Chinatown and you see this adorable Foo Dog. Ooooh, it’s soooo cute! STOP! Where will you put it? Is it four inches big or FOUR FEET big? Will the cats easily knock it over? Will your 5 year old want to play with it? Picture where it will go.
If you’re on a budget, (and who isn’t these days?) is it worth that amount? If it’s a four dollar 4 inch Foo dog, that’s a little different from a $400 FOUR FOOT Foo dog. Use your Foolish head! Picture where you will put or use anything before you buy it! I’ll be sitting on your shoulder. I’m watching!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
This rule works well for everything in your house. Not just clothes. The rule’s partner rule is “Do I Really Need This and Where Will It Go?”
You’re in Chinatown and you see this adorable Foo Dog. Ooooh, it’s soooo cute! STOP! Where will you put it? Is it four inches big or FOUR FEET big? Will the cats easily knock it over? Will your 5 year old want to play with it? Picture where it will go.
If you’re on a budget, (and who isn’t these days?) is it worth that amount? If it’s a four dollar 4 inch Foo dog, that’s a little different from a $400 FOUR FOOT Foo dog. Use your Foolish head! Picture where you will put or use anything before you buy it! I’ll be sitting on your shoulder. I’m watching!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Clothes Challenge Part II
I live in a condo so I don’t have an expandable closet. I envy the people I work with that seem to believe their closet will expand as they add more clothes to it. Mine unfortunately stays the same size. Since it’s not made of rubber or whatever my clients’ closets are made of, I like to practice the rule of “One In, One Out”. If I bring an article of clothing into my non-expanding closet, then something else has to be donated to some poor woman that is dying for a 4 year old piece of clothing.
Ok, now this is going to turn into a rant and I’ll have to finish this original train of thought later.
The Rant: If it’s so ugly, stained, torn, or otherwise gross, why even bother to donate it? Poor people have their pride, too. Many of the articles of clothing I see clients donate are mildewed, stained, and just otherwise gross. It’s OK to throw away clothes! If you watch TV and see people in poor parts of Africa, they’re wearing the clothes that are donated in the US but they’re not wearing the mildewed ones! Give yourself permission to just throw away some things. Clothes, tablecloths, whatever doesn’t make a good rag!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Ok, now this is going to turn into a rant and I’ll have to finish this original train of thought later.
The Rant: If it’s so ugly, stained, torn, or otherwise gross, why even bother to donate it? Poor people have their pride, too. Many of the articles of clothing I see clients donate are mildewed, stained, and just otherwise gross. It’s OK to throw away clothes! If you watch TV and see people in poor parts of Africa, they’re wearing the clothes that are donated in the US but they’re not wearing the mildewed ones! Give yourself permission to just throw away some things. Clothes, tablecloths, whatever doesn’t make a good rag!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Clothes Challenge Part I
Oh, have I seen tons of clothes as a Professional Organizer! I’ve seen big shouldered jackets still hanging in closets with 20 years of dust on them, I’ve seen men’s rayon shirts from the disco era, and a 50 year old woman with her prom dress still hanging in her closet. Why? Because all fashion eventually comes around and they spent so much on these clothes, they must be worth something!
Let’s talk about fashion. Yes, fashion constantly resurrects itself but when it comes back around after 20 years, it’s in a little bit different format than before. And you know what else? Twenty years later your body is probably just a wee bit different. Ok, so maybe you can sell it. Is it worth the closet space to be able to sell a $60 pair of pants for maybe $15? Didn’t you get your money’s worth out of it 20 years ago? If it was that fabulous, don’t you have photos of you in it?
If you don’t and you still have the piece of clothing, lay it out, take a picture, and donate it so someone else can have a great Halloween costume!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Let’s talk about fashion. Yes, fashion constantly resurrects itself but when it comes back around after 20 years, it’s in a little bit different format than before. And you know what else? Twenty years later your body is probably just a wee bit different. Ok, so maybe you can sell it. Is it worth the closet space to be able to sell a $60 pair of pants for maybe $15? Didn’t you get your money’s worth out of it 20 years ago? If it was that fabulous, don’t you have photos of you in it?
If you don’t and you still have the piece of clothing, lay it out, take a picture, and donate it so someone else can have a great Halloween costume!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Monday, August 18, 2008
Up a Lazy River with Me
Ahhh, laziness. Sloth. It’s soooo easy and an easy trap to fall in to. You set something down, followed by something else, followed by paper, followed by important things, and before you know it…. PILES. Piles that become so overwhelming that after a while become insurmountable. Where to begin? “I can’t deal with all of this so I won’t deal with it at all. I’m depressed. I can’t act.”
There’s a big difference between being lazy and truly having an inability to comprehend getting organized or just getting behind in your organizing that you used to do. I once had a client that said she had a problem with her laundry. “What’s the problem?” She responded that once she washed the clothes she didn’t like to put them away.
I’m giving you space to reflect on that. Am I a bad organizer because I responded, “Then you just have to put the clothes away.”? Do you have an idea for how else the laundry would get put away? I suggested a housekeeper but that wasn’t in her budget. Please, help me on this one. She lived alone by the way. Suggestions welcome!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
There’s a big difference between being lazy and truly having an inability to comprehend getting organized or just getting behind in your organizing that you used to do. I once had a client that said she had a problem with her laundry. “What’s the problem?” She responded that once she washed the clothes she didn’t like to put them away.
I’m giving you space to reflect on that. Am I a bad organizer because I responded, “Then you just have to put the clothes away.”? Do you have an idea for how else the laundry would get put away? I suggested a housekeeper but that wasn’t in her budget. Please, help me on this one. She lived alone by the way. Suggestions welcome!
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Saturday, August 16, 2008
No More Piling, No More Piling
Repeat that mantra. It’s tough to break the habit of just setting down a piece of paper. It’s so easy to do. But you make the choice whether you put it down or put it away.
Mull that over. Put it down or put it away. That works with not only paper, but anything you have in your hand.
It would be so nice to just literally drop whatever you are doing and someone would put it away for you. Will that happen in your house without someone else getting really ticked off? I doubt it. That’s the height of laziness. If you live alone and you think, why bother, think again. Have some respect for your living environment and the way it affects you. Can you imagine never hanging an item of clothing? I see it all the time. That’s not disorganization…that’s laziness.
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Mull that over. Put it down or put it away. That works with not only paper, but anything you have in your hand.
It would be so nice to just literally drop whatever you are doing and someone would put it away for you. Will that happen in your house without someone else getting really ticked off? I doubt it. That’s the height of laziness. If you live alone and you think, why bother, think again. Have some respect for your living environment and the way it affects you. Can you imagine never hanging an item of clothing? I see it all the time. That’s not disorganization…that’s laziness.
Jan Davis
www.Clutterbye.com
Thursday, August 14, 2008
I Can See for Piles and Piles
I Can See for Piles and Piles and Piles
Everyone piles. Even we Professional Organizers pile sometimes. You’re in a hurry, short on time, you pile. Yes, even if you’re organized you pile occasionally. The difference between being organized and piling and just piling without a plan is that when you’re organized, you can quickly file and dispatch the piles. When you just pile, you just keep piling until:
▫ You can’t take it anymore once you’ve lost something truly valuable
▫ Your Significant Other threatens to leave you
▫ Your boss threatens to fire you
▫ Your children threaten to report you to Oprah!
You don’t want to go on Oprah do you? With a proper filing system that suits the way you think, it should be easy, enjoyable, and a no-brainer to file away all those papers that you’ll probably never even look at again!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Everyone piles. Even we Professional Organizers pile sometimes. You’re in a hurry, short on time, you pile. Yes, even if you’re organized you pile occasionally. The difference between being organized and piling and just piling without a plan is that when you’re organized, you can quickly file and dispatch the piles. When you just pile, you just keep piling until:
▫ You can’t take it anymore once you’ve lost something truly valuable
▫ Your Significant Other threatens to leave you
▫ Your boss threatens to fire you
▫ Your children threaten to report you to Oprah!
You don’t want to go on Oprah do you? With a proper filing system that suits the way you think, it should be easy, enjoyable, and a no-brainer to file away all those papers that you’ll probably never even look at again!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
You Can't Freak Me out!
You’re So Vain, You Probably Think This Article’s About You
Sorry Carly Simon. Most of my clients think they must be the worst I’ve ever seen. Au contraire! I’m going to share with you the worst I’ve ever seen so you know you won’t shock or surprise me. Picture this:
▫ Spiders and webs in all the kitchen cabinets because they haven’t been used in years.
▫ Cockroaches nesting in the coffee maker and in every cabinet happily co-existing with the spiders.
▫ Mice feces all over the bedroom floor under the papers, food, plates, and clothes.
▫ The only bathub/shower being inaccessible to anyone, much less the woman in a wheelchair.
▫ Medication all over the bedroom floor accessible to the many small dogs that “lived” there.
▫ Collecting 17 large yard bags of trash from the living room and dining room.
▫ Finding mouse bones in the bedroom closet that hadn’t been opened in years due to the pile of clothes in front of it.
Get the picture? Now you know that your stacks of paper in your home office can’t freak me out!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
Sorry Carly Simon. Most of my clients think they must be the worst I’ve ever seen. Au contraire! I’m going to share with you the worst I’ve ever seen so you know you won’t shock or surprise me. Picture this:
▫ Spiders and webs in all the kitchen cabinets because they haven’t been used in years.
▫ Cockroaches nesting in the coffee maker and in every cabinet happily co-existing with the spiders.
▫ Mice feces all over the bedroom floor under the papers, food, plates, and clothes.
▫ The only bathub/shower being inaccessible to anyone, much less the woman in a wheelchair.
▫ Medication all over the bedroom floor accessible to the many small dogs that “lived” there.
▫ Collecting 17 large yard bags of trash from the living room and dining room.
▫ Finding mouse bones in the bedroom closet that hadn’t been opened in years due to the pile of clothes in front of it.
Get the picture? Now you know that your stacks of paper in your home office can’t freak me out!
Jan Davis
www.ClutterBye.com
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