Hey there,

I have been saying for about three years now that I need to start blogging. Six years ago, I became a Professional Organizer and I have so much to write about that I just didn’t know where or how to start.

So, what will I be writing about in this amazing blog? One thing is ideas I have used or tried at my house and the struggles of keeping a house organized with kids. Another is great ideas I find online or concepts I want to share or embellish on. Also, I will be talking about some of my clients (anonymously of course) and you can see the before and after transformations of their spaces. Lastly, I will be introducing a family I will be working with all year on their house and organizing their small space in The Busy Family Home Makeover.

I am not your typical organizer -one who was born to organize. It didn’t come naturally to me. I can still remember my dad threatening to bag up all my clothes on my floor and dump them in the garage for garbage day. How do I remember that so vividly? Perhaps because I have been giving the same threat to my eleven-year-old daughter who can’t seem to get her clothes the five feet to the laundry basket outside her room.

Before I became a Professional Organizer, I ran a home daycare for six years and although I was constantly rotating toys they just always seemed to be everywhere. This caused a lot of friction in my marriage as the whole main floor and parts of the upstairs were taken over by my daycare.
So when we made the move to Stoney Creek six years ago, the daycare had to go, and I needed to find a business which did not take up space in my house and not cause any additional stress.

I had enjoyed clearing out my grandmother’s estate back in 2000 and preparing her triplex for sale. We peeled wallpaper (some even made of velvet), pulled shag carpeting off to reveal hardwood floors and repainted everything a neutral colour. Then about seven years ago I started to help a good friend out who suffers from depression. Her apartment had turned into a very cluttered space with hardly anywhere to walk. Over the course of a few months (working when I could with my two young girls) we got the apartment decluttered and she was better able to function in her space. She had it remodeled a few years ago and it is a gorgeous place now. Both of those projects had me thinking that maybe I could go into this line of work. My schooling was in Psychology as well as Early Childhood. I had kids of my own and had dealt with many a mess. I had worked with my friend who had depression. I understood how easily things could get out of hand when you have busy lives and not enough systems in place to keep your place tidy.

I started working with some friends I had met through #momstown on decluttering some of their spaces. Then I gave away some sessions through silent auctions for various causes and those clients rebooked for more areas of their house. I worked with an interior decorator decluttering rooms for her clients before they could get their new space. Got my FB page started and then I began to be referred by my friends to their friends and the business started growing. I worked, and still do with other organizers on bigger projects and enjoy working in a team environment as we collaborate well and thrive on each other’s energy. My website has been up for a year now and people are starting to see it and call, and I couldn’t be happier with my chosen profession.

So last year I decided to focus my energies on working with families that are overwhelmed. This could be because both adults are working full-time, and they have small kids and not enough time. It could be that one or both of your parents needs to downsize, and you just don’t have the time and energy involved to help them out. Or it could be the sad and daunting task of going through a parents’ estate.

Whatever the reason, my goal as the owner of Clutter Relief Services is to create long term relationships with families and to be the organizer/friend they call when they need help.

As the senior population continues to grow and the need for material objects does not seem to be slowing down, Professional Organizers will soon take centre stage in many more peoples’ lives. Serving Hamilton. Halton, Niagara, and surrounding areas my team and I will be there when you need us -for one session or for long-term maintenance. Thanks for reading!
~Judy

This Blog post was originally published in 2016 – republished in 2020