What is a professional organizer?
A professional organizer has specialized skills and training and provides up-to-date information, support and hands on organizing, transferring his or her organizing skills and empowering clients through creative and innovating organizing solutions for sustainable results. Professional organizers are excellent listeners, non-judgmental and extremely dedicated to their clients. They help you to do more in less time, and with more energy.
At ClutterBGone we have the ability to:
- Ask the right questions to understand your needs
- Teach and transfer basic organizing skills
- Visualize spatially and see the big picture
- Break goals down into manageable steps
- Categorize, manage large organizing projects and plan ahead, possessing physical and mental endurance
How are you different from a cleaning service?
A cleaning service will come into your home or office and clean it from top to bottom. But we get to the root of the clutter and disorganization, creating a plan of action to de-clutter and organize and in some cases, downsize. We implement processes and organized systems that are easy for you to maintain.
Will you make me throw away my stuff?
No, absolutely not. The reality is we don’t throw your stuff away. We work in collaboration with you to assess items and their level of importance. We help you make conscious and informed decisions in terms of what items you wish to keep, what you can donate, sell, what we can re-purpose in the space, consign or what should be trashed. The decision is always and ultimately yours, but we will challenge you when necessary. We don’t like to see items go into the landfill so we offer suggestions for those items you no longer wish to keep.
How do I know you are the right organizer for me?
Great question! Just as you would if you were hiring a contractor, designer, personal fitness instructor or any other service professional, you need to look at expertise, background, skills and insurance. During our telephone consultation, take time to evaluate our personality and communication style and ask about our process to see if you “click” and feel comfortable with us. When you meet us in person for your on-site consultation you will know for sure. Trust your instinct.
How much does it cost to hire a professional organizer?
You will find that an organizer’s hourly rate is based on many factors including years of experience, professional training, areas of expertise and the background the organizer brings with him or her to a project. For instance, at ClutterBGone we have training in communication styles and a background in social services and are fully insured to work in your home or office.
You can invest a small amount or a large amount depending on your specific needs and what you want to accomplish. While pricing may be a consideration when choosing a professional organizer, it should never be the sole criteria for making your final decision. You want results that last. Experience, expertise and value for your investment are all important considerations.
Do you provide an initial on-site consultation?
Yes. This is mandatory. Our initial on-site, in-depth consultation and needs assessment takes approximately one hour or more and is designed to assess your specific needs, timelines, goals, space challenges, storage requirements, physical or psychological challenges, provide time estimates and ultimately provide you with an estimate of your investment in the project.
What should I do before you come for my on-site initial consultation and assessment.
Do nothing. Leave your space as you would normally so we can better understand your organizing needs, make an accurate assessment and offer suitable solutions.
How long does the average organizing project take?
That depends largely on the volume and scope of the project, size of the spaces, timelines, whether it is a one organizer project or a team project, as well as your physical ability or desire to work hands on with us. A single small space can be dramatically transformed in a few hours and a complete home organization can take several sessions. Many factors come into play. We will give you a fairly accurate estimate of time and our recommendation at the end of our on-site consult with you.
Do I always need to be present for the project?
For decision making yes, but for actual hands-on organizing, no. To honour your valuable time we are able to schedule short decision-making sessions so you can get back to your other responsibilities quickly. We can easily organize spaces while you`ve stepped out for an appointment.
My mother/son/friend/husband is so disorganized and may be a hoarder. Should I hire an organizer on their behalf?
At ClutterBGone we don`t see people as being `hoarders` but rather as individuals with hoarding tendencies or disorders. The person is first – the disorder is secondary. We don`t recommend hiring a professional organizer on behalf of another person unless they have specifically requested you do so, or unless you are hiring an office organizer to come in and train staff members. To be truly effective clients need to be committed to effecting true change. Often, individuals with true hoarding disorders won’t approach a professional organizer until pressured by family members or landlords to make changes.
Who tends to hire a professional organizer?
- People who work hard, either in their home or office, feel overwhelmed and need help to tame the clutter and stay in control
- People who place value on their time and see the value of hiring a professional
- People who want to get the most out of their space
- People who want an expert to help transform their home or office into an organized, functional and easy to maintain living or working environment