Because of the vast number of emails I get from people requesting decluttering help in the home or unsure of how to go about sourcing professional decluttering help for themselves, a loved one, or a client in their geographical area, this is a post I feel really strongly about today.
The areas of clutter and hoarding are very misunderstood and indeed sensitive and complicated, so we need to understand the type and depth of support we actually need with our decluttering. Because so many of us – and rightly so – are protective of our private and intimate living spaces, it’s important we don’t underestimate all the things to consider when hiring professional decluttering help into the home.
I’ve been teaching people who want to work in the area of professional decluttering and organising since 2016 through The Declutter Academy professional training certification. The continuous feedback from my students is that they had no idea all the skills and information they needed in order declutter a wardrobe and home with true meaning and lasting success, and also, even though they were somewhat comfortable with their own personal decluttering, they weren’t aware how very different the set of challenges is in helping someone else declutter.
It’s confusing for sure, as I find the word “decluttering” is very much used out of context, even on a professional scale, and unfortunately I’ve seen again and again how all the focus on storage solutions, what’s in fashion or skills like cleaning, tidying or organising bring no relief to a person who is weighed down by their clutter. Unless we are being taught and supported in identifying and letting go of what’s not serving us, we’re sadly not decluttering, and we’re certainly not opening up to the massive benefits of decluttering that are available to us when we learn to do it in the right mindset.
At a more general level, the professional decluttering help you hire into your home needs the awareness and skills to give you clarity so you can move beyond the overwhelm of clutter. Much more than a love of cleaning, efficient tidying, clever organising or great at “throwing things out”, they need to be genuinely comfortable and capable in dealing with the wide range of challenging emotions around decluttering like guilt, shame, sadness, indecision, doubt (regrettably, not too many people are!). As every person encounters different struggles with their clutter, the help – most critically – needs to understand the vast and often-complex causes of clutter and the many unhelpful blocks to decluttering and how these can be overcome in the healthiest and most meaningful ways (in my experience, this skillset is unfortunately really lacking at a professional level). Only this is what brings lasting results.
Studying, practising and further developing all the information, tools and techniques for successful decluttering for the last two decades, I began educating and creating awareness around decluttering and letting go in 2010. Working with one-to-one clients and groups for many years as well as providing training in professional decluttering, I’m really, really passionate about people getting the relief from their decluttering that they deserve.
How I can help you with your decluttering today
For true freedom from clutter, it is vital you, your loved one or your client gets the appropriate level of professional decluttering support, and I created my very accessible Understand Hoarding support tool so you can take the essential first step before you start any decluttering. Amongst other crucial time-, energy- and money-saving information, this tool will help you decide whether you’ll benefit from hiring a professional declutterer into the home, and if so, how to source this and which questions you need to ask to ensure you get suitably-skilled help for your individual situation. Find out all you need to know and register today to get immediate access here.
You may be surprised, you may not even need the type of help you initially thought you did in your home, or even any help at all, when you get the right information and inspiration – believe me, stranger things have happened!