Tackling Major Messes

Community Manager — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:54:00 GMT

There are messes, and there are mountains. Sometimes a mess is just too big to tackle alone. Messes can grow excessively large and out-of-control for a variety of reasons: sometimes a neglected area of the home such as an attic or a garage becomes a dumping ground over the years, other times a move or a major remodeling throws a home into chaos. For others, a form of mental illness creates a hoarding mentality that engulfs a home in clutter and debris.

When a mess is out-of-control, when the clutter interferes with daily functioning and happiness, or is a source of embarrassment or stress, it's time to get help.

Friends & Family: Some messes can be tackled by enlisting friends and family. Empty a full garage or attic in the spring or summer with a garage sale. You might consider working with neighbors to create a multi-family sale; having helpers will make sales logistics such as advertising, set-up and clean up faster and more fun.

Older families can also help empty overflowing homes and rooms by asking adult children and grandchildren to remove childhood memorabilia and unneeded items. Often, as children grow and move out, they leave items behind over the years. Schedule a day for a walk-down memory lane: family members can revisit items, deciding which special mementos should be saved in their own homes and which items can be trashed, sold or donated.

Numerous non-profit organizations are happy to accept donations of gently used goods. So purge your old skis, well-thumbed paperbacks, outgrown bikes and seldom used décor and kitchen items knowing that the items will be happily used by others.

Read here for tips on managing a garage sale and here for help on finding charities that accept donated goods.

Professional Organizers: Sometimes an unbiased outsider is the most effective resource for dealing with disorganization, clutter and chaos. Packing up a family for a big move or remodel is a major endeavor; if you are already juggling a job, young children or ill health, doing the work yourself is not always feasible.

Outsourcing the work to a pro ensures that the job gets done and done well. Professional organizers can also help defuse some of the emotional upheaval that accompanies organizing; a pro's unbiased eye and professional feedback helps homeowners suss out what makes sense to hang on to and what needs to go.

For help finding a certified organization pro in your neighborhood, visit the National Association of Professional Organizers.

Mental Health Experts: Hoarding, the compulsion to collect, and unwillingness to discard items, even those without value such as old mail and outdated newspapers, is rooted in mental illness. Sometimes a hoarder collects only one type of item, other times entire homes can be swallowed in junk. We've all seen the commercials for Extreme Clutter on TV; tackling the major messes of a serious hoarder requires expert intervention. If you, or a loved one, are struggling with a hoarding compulsion, seek professional mental health advice first, and then work with an organizing pro to help restore order to your home.

For more on hoarding as a compulsion read here and here. To find a mental health expert, visit The International OCD Foundation's resources on hoarders.

Have you tackled an extreme mess? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Beyond Folders : messes

Tackling Major Messes