Free Your Space: Best catastrophe ever

Posted by Annette Reyman on August 22, 2012

Ask anyone who’s hired a professional organizer about how the cost of hiring them has actually saved money and you’ll hear a great story. I can tell you many, from unearthing “long-lost” items: grandma’s diamond engagement ring found in a pile of “empty” jewelry boxes, caches of supplies that were about to be needlessly re-ordered, forgotten cash stashed in pants, coat pockets, old birthday cards and books; to discovering needed repair work such us leaking pipes, hidden behind years worth of clutter. This summer though, I am happy to tell about my best success story as a professional organizer thus far.

I was contacted in May by “Sue,” a self-proclaimed hoarder, who had decided she was ready to reclaim her life by reclaiming her space. She told me of her very full row home in Philadelphia, two bedrooms on the second floor, three rooms on the first floor and a full basement. Sue had decided she was ready to part with the rescued items and furniture she’d been collecting. She determined that she would tackle the two main floors herself but would like my help in addressing the basement. So in July, after an impressive effort in the upper levels, Sue let me know that she was ready for me.

I arrived to begin the first five hours of our planned 10-hour session. Sue had purchased some shelving for the basement prior to my visit and had her boyfriend put it together. We worked our way through furniture, boxes of books, piles of clothing, paperwork, tools, games and exercise equipment. Sue confessed that she didn’t think 10 hours was going to be enough. I returned one week later and we continued with five more hours of sorting, purging, re-boxing into plastic crates, organizing and labeling. Our work together was done. I left Sue a short list of follow-up tasks: have boyfriend remove a couple of last large furniture pieces and sort through tools to see what they each wanted to keep. We left a small dresser for storing what tools would remain.

When we spoke a week later to follow up on these homework tasks Sue told me that not only were they done but that she also had a story for me.

The day after the old couch went out the door and the last tool was placed in its storage drawer, she came home from work to hear a noise from the basement — Sue’s water-heater had burst. She told me how she looked at all the water flooding her basement, smiled and called her boyfriend. He came over and went straight to the tool dresser, easily grabbed the tools he needed and disconnected the water-heater. Sue mopped up while he went to Home Depot and bought a new heater. Within a few hours the floor was clean and the new heater was running. Here’s what she posted on Facebook:

“Hi Annette! Quick story... Just a couple of days after you and I finished the gargantuan task of organizing my basement, my water heater went on me. River of water throughout the basement but NOTHING was ruined, as is normally the case when this happens, because NOTHING was on the floor!!! HA! How awesome is that! I've never been so ecstatic to have water in the basement! Thanks again for your patience and encouragement Annette.”

Sue is calling this her best catastrophe ever.

* To contact Annette Reyman for organizing work, productivity support, gift certificates or speaking engagements in the Greater Philadelphia area call (610) 213-9559 or email her at annette@allrightorganizing.com.
Reyman is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO®) and Board Member of its Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Visit her website at www.allrightorganizing.com or follow All Right Organizing on Facebook.