What do you expect from a home organizer?

zaq

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 12:18 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

while I think exactly the way you do, I've come to realize that most people are more sentimental than I am and they do want to keep all these things.
is it possible to organize so many keepsakes if one wants to maintain order and is possibly limited in space?
also, for those that have hired organizers, say you were organizing your existing bins, did she wash them out for you? use them dirty? did she tell you to wash them out?

An organizer doesn’t clean. That’s the client’s job. But if you don’t mind cleaning, advertise as an organizing and cleaning expert and charge extra for the cleaning.

Organization is easy if space is unlimited, duh. You can’t have it all. If space is limited, you can’t keep all the “keepsakes” unless you part with something else like food, toilet paper and family members. So, no, people need to learn to set priorities and make difficult choices. They can keep SOME—no one will say throw out the single surviving copy of your parents’ wedding portrait, but there is no excuse for hanging on to all 37 shots of you or your dd gazing lovingly at her wedding bouquet, including the ones in which you were about to sneeze, were sneezing, and just finished sneezing. ( You had no idea you were allergic to stephanotis.)

The organizer’s mantra is Keep the best and chuck the rest—a good motto for life in general.

gande

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 12:19 pm

I would like the organizer to tell me what kind of shelfs/draws/bins to use while minimizing clutter and have everything easily accessible when I need it and easy to maintain.

Another great service is she should help me get rid of my stuff by finding out where to donate/sell them and do it for me. I have some valuable and not so valuable good stuff that I dont have a heart to through out.

keym

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 12:38 pm

I would appreciate an organizer who is flexible to the individual family's needs, rhythms, and what works.
A few years ago there was a series of articles in the Binah that unfortunately turned me off from the whole concept. The things that bothered me:
1) the insistence that all boxes or bins in specific areas needed to be uniform. I get that in a perfect world all the toy boxes in the playroom will be the same. But if I were to follow the concept, I'd have to buy 30 brand new boxes just for the playroom.
2) the insistence that a bedroom can only be organized if the dresser tops are clear. I know things can be an eyesore. But as I was reading it, I was shaking my head. Families operate differently. And some families operate with books, lens case, contact solution, piggy banks, medicine bottles on night tables or dressers.
3) in general, most of what was proposed was not practical for my lifestyle. Buying dozens of velvet hangers- which you cannot hang wet clothes on, adds tons of extra work if you drip dry clothes- which I do for a lot.

Im not in the market for an organizer, but if I was, I would go for one flexible with materials on hand or easily acquired, willing to go with what works for the family, and generally understanding that most families don't have tons of spare change to blow.
Jmo.

amother

Turquoise

Tue, Nov 05 2019, 8:03 pm

Alot of the people I know that hire organizers are people that just bought houses and people that can afford it. I wish organizers were more reasonable so more people can use there service. I live in Lakewood and the people I know who hire organizers are also the ones who want there houses to look like museums. Which include matching bins. I wish there were organizers that have affordable prices for people that actually could use the help but cant afford those prices or lifestyle

amother

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 9:54 am

what is a reasonable price point for an organizing service in NY area?

is it fair to tell the client that they need to provide bins and I'll work with that? this way she can go buy what she wants and I'll make it work.

I'm also wondering what happens if they need cleaning too. I don't want to have to scrub down their cabinets and shelves but if it's dirty I can't really leave it and just do the organizing. I wouldn't feel good about that.

amother

Papaya

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 9:57 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

As I wrote earlier, I would really want the organizer to have extensive knowledge of different storage options and recommend the best option for me. So no, I would not like to research bins on my own. Though it's fine to go in, do your assessment, recommend storage pieces for me to buy, and then come back to do the organizing once I have all the materials.

amother

Cyan

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 10:04 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I don't think having the client buy what they want is a good idea. They hired you for your professional opinion and expertise. They would not know what to buy.

Rather, you give them a list what to buy, and work from there.

About cleaning, I would keep a damp rag nearby, and would just give a quick wipe where needed.

Prices vary, anywhere from $50_95 an hour. I guess it depends on how experienced you are. Also,some organizers offer to shop for the client. So that might up the price as well.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

amother

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 10:12 am

so I should probably ask on the phone if they are interested in buying bins. I don't want to stock bins.
What if they don't want me to come twice because they're looking for a one time thing? I would need to see the space and quantity of stuff I'm dealing with in order to know what to provide...

southernbubby

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 10:21 am

I would think that people hire organizers the same way that they hire anyone else to do time consuming chores.
This time last year, we were downsizing and moving. We put about 100 pounds of old financial records through the city shredder and put another probably 100 pounds of shaimos in the cemetery. There was expired food, medicine and lotion to dispose of and lots of useful items that we gave away.
We put the rest of the stuff in two moving pods because we bought some appliances and were given some furniture from the last tenant and we bought some new things as well.
It took lots of work and I am sure that some people would rather hire someone for all of the sorting through and disposing.

zaq

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 2:39 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Some people really do just need someone to give them a road map, or step-by-step instructions what to do. For example, they may be quite capable of dejunking on their own but not realize they need to dejunk before they rearrange and long before they buy anything. Others may need the full hand-holding treatment in which you sort their stuff together and then plan a whole new storage layout, with or without new hardware like bins, boxes, baskets and shelves.

goforit

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 2:52 pm

gamzehyaavor wrote:

Op. if you’re in Brooklyn area I would totally hire you Smile

I used a organizer that sounds like this. Very anti buying more stuff. She emptied my box the plastic cutlery came in and put all scotch tapes in it. (Its still like that)
Idy 7186339595.

amother

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 2:56 pm

goforit wrote:

I used a organizer that sounds like this. Very anti buying more stuff. She emptied my box the plastic cutlery came in and put all scotch tapes in it. (Its still like that)
Idy 7186339595.

were you happy with that?

southernbubby

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 3:07 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I'm starting to think that maybe I need to go to school for this and get a full blown degree. this is so much more complicated than I imagined. Very Happy

There are training programs now for professional organizers. Many organize offices, businesses, classrooms, etc.

There is also elderly downsizing where a lifetime of stuff needs a new home and special training is needed for hoarders and the chronically disorganized.

People who are building and remodeling may benefit from a professional organizers.

Sunny Days

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 3:11 pm

goforit wrote:

I used a organizer that sounds like this. Very anti buying more stuff. She emptied my box the plastic cutlery came in and put all scotch tapes in it. (Its still like that)
Idy 7186339595.

Thanks. Was she reasonable?
I have pretty good organizing ideas myself- just no time and in a tiny apt...

Rachel Shira

Wed, Nov 06 2019, 5:06 pm

There are training programs for this, which would help with the business side of how to structure your sessions, pricing, etc. But I think most professional organizers include a consultation before they actually start so they can give a price estimate for the job and buy bins, things like that.