Frequently Asked Questions

Professional Organisers work with clients either in person or online to help them achieve their decluttering and organising goals.

They are both coach and hands-on helper, offering guidance, encouragement, strategies and practical support to improve home and office environments.

Professional Organisers can also help with setting up storage systems and household routines, including paper systems and filing, in order to maintain a calm and uncluttered home.

At Smart Organising we offer Study Skills support for teenagers and General Productivity Coaching for adults. Do ask for more details.

The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers  (APDO) was founded in 2004 when the industry was relatively new to the UK. It is a non-regulatory association but its members are bound by a Code of Ethics, must be insured and are encouraged to be ICO-registered to show commitment to high standards, confidentiality and on-going training.

I have a wealth of experience in helping others declutter, downsize, relocate and organise.

I have attended training with APDO and Hoarders UK and regularly attend CPD events in related disciplines such as mental health conditions. I have retained my membership with PATOSS (The Professional Association for Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

I have a particular interest in supporting clients who experience overwhelm either from the amount of their possessions or from cognitive challenges such as difficulties with focus and attention. I am sensitive to dips in energy and can structure our sessions accordingly.

I believe that decluttering really does set us free and I am thrilled each time a client says they now feel lighter, happier or more in control.

Get excited that something lovely is about to happen! You are taking steps to feel better about your home and your life, and each session will get you closer to that goal.

If necessary, do make arrangements for childcare, and for keeping pets away from our working area.

For health and safety reasons, please remove any obvious hazards (unless they are part of our project).

Other than that, if we are going to be working in the kitchen, you might want to clear the washing up and create a space on the table or worktop. 

Or if we are going to be dealing with clothes, you might want to have done the laundry and cleared a flat space on a bed or the floor.

It is always handy to have emptied the bins and recycling containers so we can fill them again, and to have some bin bags and a donations box on standby.

Do have some water and a snack at the ready. It is good to stay fed and hydrated!

We will take this into account in our planning and we may need to be more modest in our expectations for each session. We may need to adjust activities within the session to match how you are feeling.

You may wish to choose the shorter two-hour sessions or it may be sensible to arrange the help of a willing volunteer to work alongside us, especially if there are heavy items to deal with.

We will take this into account in our planning, and consider what is realistic within a session. On the day we will tailor our time together to suit your energy and concentration levels, with breaks to regroup and rehydrate, and a variety of tasks and approaches to maintain progress and momentum. 

Tight deadlines create stress and pressure so where possible it is best to plan well ahead.

But where that is not possible, we will do our best to help you achieve what you need.

During our consultation we can establish what is most urgent and important, and make a plan according to your priorities and the time and resources available to you.

No, all decisions are yours. I will help you determine your goal and will ask questions - sometimes quite challenging ones - to help you get there. But you remain in control at all times.

If your ability to release items does not quite match your aspiration to declutter, we may need to revisit your goal or adjust expectations for a while. 

Again, this will be your choice and responsibility. 

I do not remove items from your property as I do not have a Waste Carrier Licence.

Sustainable options include donating or selling items so they can be re-used or upcycled.

There are also ways to recycle many items, through Local Authorities, specialist charities or High Street schemes.

Landfill should be our last resort.

Not quite.

Our homes are not static like an exhibition or shop display. New clothes will be bought, toys will be played with, more paperwork will find its way in, messes will be made. This is normal living.

But through our process of decluttering and organising, everything will have a home and can be put away. New tidying habits will form.

The ebb and flow of life will continue but you should feel more in control of it.

From time to time you may want to re-evaluate and adjust your routines and systems, and if a maintenance session or two would be welcome, I would be delighted to come back and give you a hand.