How to Chose an Organizer

Organization has gotten a big boost over the past several years. Books from Mari Kondo and The Home Edit, as well as TikTok and Instagram influencers, have brought an immense amount of visibility to the field, but it has been around for decades. I actually worked for a client last week whose sister was an organizer and had been working for over twenty years (I was there, though, because she and her sister had differing opinions on how to tackle her house).

Finding an organizer is likely easier than ever. New organizers are entering the field every day, and the internet and social media makes it easy for you to find and connect directly to them. But with all the options, how do you choose one?

Like many similar industries, there is no regulation for organizers. And I am not implying that their should be, as it is a career that needs to be extremely flexible and nimble in order to adapt to each client, and many people have or can attain the skills to become an organizer without formal training. If you are looking for someone to make your kitchen flow more smoothly or to make your pantry more eye pleasing, most organizers are going to be able to help you out. It is important to talk to them and make sure that you are compatible and can communicate well, but beyond that there are a few other things you might want to consider.

• Is the organizer a NAPO or ICD member? NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizating Professionals) is the chief professional organization for PO’s (professional organizers) in the United States. I, however, am not a member of NAPO, because I am an ICD (Institute for Challenging Disorganization) member and I don’t see a huge benefit in gaining accreditation from both. IMHO, ICD’s focus on the mental health and neorodivergent aspects of clutter and chronic disorganization is more relevant to me and the type of clients I work for. If you would consider yourself chronically disorganized or you feel you have a condition like ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, Hoarding Dissorder, or something similar I would prioritize and ICD certificate over NAPO membership, although many organizers have both.
• How does the organizer make you feel when you speak to them? Whether on the phone or in person the organizer you work with should make you feel comfortable, above all else. They should never make you feel judged, and ideally should make you feel at least a little hopeful about your project.
• What services does the organizer provide? Will they drop off your donations? Do they charge for shopping time? Do they help with item consignment? These kinds of questions aren’t necessarily deal breakers for most people, but can add value to your service and make your life easier.
• Are they familiar with working with clients who _________? As I said above, organizers are not always formally trained. If your issue relates to excessive, long standing clutter and disorganization, and/or if you have any brain based conditions (ADHD, Autism, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, bipolar dissorder, age related congnitive issues, hoarding dissorder) that you feel contribute (diagnosed or not), make sure they have either training or experience.

Overall, you should be comfortable asking an organizer anything, no matter how strange you think it may be. We are used to the unusual, and for most organizers I have talked to the unusual, the quirky, the fiercly individual things that make you interesting as a person are one of the biggest perks of the job.

What You Should Know Before Your Organizing Day

Hopefully you have read your organizer’s website, spoken to them on the phone, and read and signed their contract or work agreement, and if so some of this will be repetative. However, especially if you struggle with anxiety, knowing as much as possible beforehand can help. Besides, I often make this list in my head while I’m working on my contract job (since I’m not the client facing person until I get on-site, I don’t always have control over what the person is told beforehand).

A subtitle to this list would be “things your organizer wants you to know“

• We will NOT throw any of your stuff away without your permission EVER. Now would be a great time to qualify that I cannot speak for all organizers, however, I will say that ANY GOOD organizer will follow this rule. Unless something is clearly useless (like a detatched clothing tag or an unreadable scrap of paper) I won’t even consider trashing it. If you worry you have important items that may appear to be trash, please tell your organizer not to throw anything away without you looking at it first. Trust is important for the client/organizer relationship, and I know that throwing things away without the go ahead is a great way to break that trust.
• We are organizers, not cleaners. We may wipe off a surface before putting things away, or clean up a small mess if it impeads our work, but organizers, generally speaking, wouldn’t make the best cleaners. The two require different sets of skills, and while both are important and valid they are actually very different. You shouldn’t expect your organizer to clean. We usually don’t mind dust, since that’s often a problem that goes right along with clutter (if it is bad, however, let your organizer know. we will not judge but some may prefer to wear a mask), however if there is mouse or other pest issue, or an issue with pet waste or other similar biohazard, please take care of that before your organization day, or at the very least talk to your organizer about it first. Many organizers will not stay for a job that presents the risk that comes with these biohazards, which are serious (mouse feces can carry Hanta Virus, which can be deadly, cockroaches and bedbugs are notorious for hitching a ride to spread their infestations, and any sort of pet or human waste can cause a wide variety of health issues). Some organizers will do clear outs that are required before biohazard cleaning can be done, but that varies widely by company and requires specific PPE.
• You don’t have to tell us why you’re keeping anything. Hearing peoples’ stories is one of the most interesting parts of the job. However, if you feel the need to explain or justify why you are keeping (or discarding, it goes both ways) each item, take a beat and think about why. If you have a large volume of items and are paying someone to be there to help you through it you will get the most value out of that time by sticking mostly to replying with “keep,” donate,” and/or “trash” and your mind will stay focused more on the task at hand.
• Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the done. Perfectionism is a common trait in the disorganized, actually, because many have decided that if they can’t keep it perfect they’re not going to do it at all. One thing I find myself saying to most clients is that most people can’t declutter more than 30% at a time. Don’t expect yourself to be able to go from cluttered to minimalist or to the perfect functional capsule wardrobe after one decluttering session. Even if it’s closer to 5%, that’s far better than not doing it at all, and you can do another pass in a few weeks and get rid of another 5%.
• Have a plan for trash. The vast majority of organizers will not deal with your trash for you, but if you ask they might have suggestions for the most economical ways to deal with it. If you know your job is going to involve a large amount of trash, consider renting a dumpster or picking up a Bagster at your local home improvement store.
• Is it trash or is it junk? Ngl, I’m not even sure how to explain this one so I’m going to tell a story. We worked with a client a while back who was clearing out her mother’s house after said mother had moved into assisted living. Her stepfather’s stuff (the stepfather had died many years prior) was still filling the garage and the workshop of the house, nearly floor to ceiling. A lot of it was old tools in poor condition, scrap wood and metal, appliances and other devices that weren’t working… the lifetime accumulation of a tinkerer, in other words. That kind of stuff would cost a lot of money to just trash because of the weight and sheer volume, but if you look for a junk collector (or 1-800-got-junk) they will haul it for you for a price, but the price is often less than what the number of dumpsters required would be, and they can keep at least some of it out of the landfill.
• We love your pets already. Okay, this one is probably more me than all organizers, I’m sure some don’t like pets. But let your organizer know you have pets, and be sure to be respectful if they ask to keep a pet out of the work space. And as much as I love animals, it can be a good idea to keep them (especially if they are large and prone to knocking things over) out of the area. I was sorting a cluttered room once and the family’s husky came in and knocked a lamp off the desk across the room from me. I felt bad even though I had been far from the catastrophe.
• Don’t try to hide things from us. Wow that sounded ominous. I meant don’t think you can hide things like sex toys or weird erotica from us. If we are working in the area of the house that these items are in we will find them, because it is our job to find every nook and cranny and bring things into the light. But also, we aren’t weirded out, we have seen IT ALL, and we won’t laugh, be uncomfortable, or make any sort of scene. If you are uncomfortable with us finding things, though, either 1) tell us to avoid the area/box/shelf/cabinet, 2) move the items to an area of the house we aren’t scheduled to work on, or 3) my dear friend with curious kids got a locking tool box for her adult toys, which I thought was a brilliant idea.
• On the same note, we don’t mind touching your (clean) underwear. It’s only weird if you make it weird, but if you are uncomfortable with someone else handling your intimates again, just ask us to avoid them.

The best advice I could give you though? Be honest and communicate with your organizer.