Trash in FloorI'm helping 2 new clients right now with de-cluttering (and removing loads of trash) their entire home. One is a single person who lives in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath high rise, the other is a single mom of 2 boys who live in a small 3 bedroom home (less than 1,500 sq. ft.).
I'm copying an email that I wrote to one of them (2 rooms and 1 more bathroom and we'll be done with the entire home). The kitchen, living room, dining room, 1 bath room and 4 "hall" closets" will have taken a little over 24 hours to complete the purging, sorting and taking out trash. This does NOT include organizing. That comes last in a situation like this. The organizing will be "a cinch" once the major work is done.
I e-mail said: I hope to be able to see you through "this whole process" ... if done right, that's ultimately up to you. IE: Purge, Exterminate, Clean (everything - all nick-nacks, books, shelves, mirrors, baseboards, etc.), Take care of any maintenance issues that have gone unattended ,shampoo the carpets and "Organize and Rearrange your belongings" .You must change your habits, patterns and behaviors that led to this. If you don't do all those things it will return to the original cluttered and chaotic state… GUARANTEED. Obviously, it's not just "making it look new/different, but changing habits, etc.
I tell people sometimes to start out with 2 weeks pretending they’re in someone else's home after we get this ALL done. Then "act" the way you would / should as if you were a guest in their home. IE: Help THEM put up the groceries, put away things before bed, do a load of wash and HELP fold it and put it away....help unload the dishwasher and stick dishes in. Bring in "their mail" and open it and put it in its designated spot, empty the trash once a week...etc.
Then extend your "pretend visit" to a month, then 6 weeks....you have to find ways to change your patterns/habits and MAKE yourself do "it"
FYI: Twice a week the trash goes out here and gets picked up. Wednesday and Sunday nights I PEEK in my frig to toss leftovers I may have brought home, but didn't eat or anything that needs to "go" .Then about once a quarter the frig gets wiped out and it never takes more than 10-15 minutes because when I do it I let "it get empty" before I wipe it down and restock.
Need help with a few habits and hang-ups relating to your home? Are you a clutterer? What is clutter?
I'd be honored to help you get on a new path,
Rebekah Phelps
703-980-1114
