Professional Home Organiser and Declutterer, serving families in Bristol and surrounding areas
What?
What exactly is decluttering and home organising?
Decluttering
Decluttering is more often that not the foundation for good home organisation. Essentially, it's reducing the volume of things that you own.
This could involve getting rid of anything broken, toys that are played with, or bulky items that you rarely use and don't really have space for. It often involves letting go of things that you don't use, but always thought you would, and those tough realisations and painful honesty about the reality of the situation are why people struggle to tackle it alone. Sometimes though, it's just sheer volume of stuff that requires an extra pair of hands.
It's not about binning everything or being completely brutal, but it is a process of refining what you own and reframing the value of certain things. For instance, weighing up the value of owning lots of things just in case vs the value of having more space in your home.
As well as what we do in the present, i'm also going to use my consumer psychology expertise to help you shift your mindset and turn off the tap of things coming in.
It isn't:
-
Minimalism (or what you probably think of as minimalism): You don’t have to live in a white box with one chair; you just need to be surrounded by things you actually use, and a curated collection of precious keepsakes.
-
Cleaning: Decluttering deals with the objects; cleaning deals with the dirt. You can't truly clean a space until it is decluttered.
-
Forced Disposal: It isn't about being forced to throw things away; it’s about choosing what is worthy of your space and energy.
Organising
Whilst decluttering is taking stuff out, organising is adding systems that make your home function better. Every object should have a home. And, ideally, everyone in the house should know where that home is, so they can put things back when they’ve finished with them.
It sometimes involves buying storage, but it often doesn't. It’s very important not to buy storage until you’ve decluttered because you just don’t know what you’ll need. And guess what redundant storage becomes? More clutter!
Home organising isn't about grouping by colour (although it can be) or making your house Instagram-perfect; it’s about making the house functional and supporting your day-to-day living. That absolutely doesn't have to be at the expense of aesthetics. If it brings you joy to open your wardrobe or look at your bookcase and see everything in colour groups, then go for it—but if you know that system won't be maintained, maybe you should question whether your effort could be better spent elsewhere.
Organising at its finest supports the executive function of every family member, making it easier to stack habits and get things done quickly. By empowering everyone in the family to be independent and lightening the mental load of the main tidier, it helps reduce stress and anxiety in the home.
It’s my job to chat to you and come up with a solution that works for your budget, your personal style, and how you need your home to work for you.
FAQs
How do I get people to stop buying me/my kids stuff we don't need?
There are lots of gentle (and not so gentle ways) to ask people to stop giving you well intentioned gifts that end up as clutter. Each situation is unique -- get in touch if this is a problem and I'll help you with those tough conversations.
Is decluttering just throwing things away?
Only if it's rubbish. For everything else we'll talk about other ways to relocate it. I can advise on local places to donate items, or help create listings if you want to sell it. There are lots of good uses for things that are taking up space in your house and it often helps with the psychological aspect of letting things go if you know they'll be useful to someone else.
What is the difference between 'tidying' and 'decluttering'?
Tidying is a recurring job where you move things that aren't in the correct place. Decluttering is removing some of those items from the tidying and getting messy again cycle. An item will need to be tidied several times, it will only need to be decluttered once.
What is the difference between 'tidying' and 'organising'?
Tidying is the process of moving an item so it's not in the way, or doesn't look untidy. Hopefully this means putting it back in the right place, but often it just means shoving things is a cupboard, or upstairs, so the house is 'tidy enough'. Organising involves taking a step back, looking at why the mess is happening in the first place, asking if
What actually counts as clutter?
Anything that takes more than it gives
What is good storage?
Good storage allows items to be both tidy and accessible. It works for the home and the family it serves.
Some people like to be able to see everything because they struggle with defiecient working memory of items that are in closed stoarge, or - as you and i would say 'out of sight, out of mind'. Other people find that the need to have everythign neatly hidden because they feel calmer with less visual clutter. Some like it packed away in micro categories for easy retriveal, others want a more macro system where all the things in one broad category are in roughly the same place.
A really common tension is where multiple people in the same household have different preferences.
Does it include digital files and paperwork?
YES! These are often some of the worst culprits, certainly the most common, and they're insidious too, because they often don't take up too much space. They do take up mental space though, and they do still stop you finding the things you need or love.
What if my 'clutter' is actually valuable?
What if your space and time is actually valuable? If it's not useful to you then sell it. You might have to be realistic about how much you can get for it, and also realistic about
I've tried and failed to organise in the past. why will this be different?
How will you be able to design a solution that works for me when we've only just met?