Organize Your Home
You’ve probably heard the old phrase “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” But when was the last time you could describe your home that way? Occasionally, things get out of hand, or you’re simply tired of an untidy room or cluttered closet and need a little help sorting out the mess. Whether your question is how to start organizing your home, how to know if you should keep an item or get rid of it, or how to maintain the organized home you’ve achieved, we’ve found helpful Web sites that can give you some answers.
Expand All Guide SectionsStart Organizing Your Home
Finding the motivation to organize your home and deciding where to begin are among the biggest ... read more »
Home Organization Products
If you find your home lacking in storage space or you just aren’t sure what to do with some ... read more »
Professional Home Organizers
If you feel like a room in your home, or even your entire home, is in too much of a disorganized state to start restoring order by yourself, there are professional home organizers and other people who can help. We’ve found some Web sites that teach you where to look for assistance with your space.
Dulcinea's Insight
- If you use a professional organizer, make sure you understand all of the costs involved—not just the fees for the organizer’s services, but also the cost of any storage products that need to be purchased. Some organizers will keep costs at a minimum by using storage supplies you already have. Others will suggest items for you to purchase. Others still may purchase organizational tools for you and possibly bill you for the time they spend shopping. Know what you want to spend in your efforts to make your home more orderly, and make this clear to the professional organizer before you get started.
- Most professional organizers have Web sites that include before-and-after photos of their work. View these before hiring anyone to see if you really like their particular approach to home organization.
- Sometimes the hurdle of home organization is emotional, rather than needing help deciding where to put your stuff. If you just can’t bring yourself to part with any of your possessions, professional help is available to aid you in the process.
- According to the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, hoarding is a compulsion most commonly affecting people with obsessive compulsive disorder. For this reason, we’ve included online resources for OCD support groups and treatment in this section. For help finding a therapist who may help with the problem, see our findingDulcinea Counseling and Therapy Web Guide.
Dulcinea's Picks
For professional organization help …
The National Association of Professional Organizers
has a search tool that allows you to search for professional organizers who specialize in space organization, information organization, time management, event planning, and more. Search by city, state, and specialty. The site also teaches how to hire a professional organizer.
The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD)
recognizes that for some people, disorganization is more like a state of being than a temporary problem. If you or someone you know needs help with chronic disorganization, the NSGCD has a referral form and may be able to offer you assistance. The site also features free fact sheets that can help you determine the type of disorganization you experience (situational or chronic), help identify the causes of disorganization, and offer tips to overcome the problem.
For support groups …
Oprah.com
explains how to form a “clutter buddy” support group, which could give you and other fellow packrats an in-person way to find help managing your messes. There are also tips for running a successful clutter-buddy meeting.
The Obsessive Compulsive Foundation
has a listing of online support groups for hoarders, plus advice on starting an in-person group of your own.
To learn about the mental and psychological effects of clutter …
Oprah.com
suggests that those anxious feelings about an out-of-control mess in your house could be bad for your health. There’s also a helpful article titled “Let Go of Your Junk.”
Mind Over Clutter
follows the idea that people who live in cluttered homes feel cluttered internally as well. This very uncluttered site has a great section of articles that focus on the personal feelings that may be preventing you from addressing the disorder in your home. Review the “Motivating Quotes” section if you need a little inspiration to organize your home.
Psychology of Clutter
is a blog by a psychologist who specializes in helping people eliminate the material clutter in their lives. The entries in the blog are meant to help people understand why they may be holding on to too many items and learn what to do to start fixing the problem. They aren’t loaded with too much psychological jargon, either, making them easy to understand.
Mayo Clinic
is a trusted medical resource that explains when to seek professional treatment for problems with hoarding, whom to seek treatment from, and how to help yourself break free of compulsive hoarding.
Disposing of the Clutter
If “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” it’s true that some ... read more »
Maintaining an Organized Home
Don’t waste all that hard work you put into getting your home organized by letting it slip. ... read more »
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
