Make Your Life Easier: Professional Organizers
Get rid of clutter by hiring a pro to go through your piles of stuff.
By
Ellen Ryan
Published Sunday, August 01, 2004
Need to unclutter your basement before putting a house on the market? Has a loved one died and left belongings to sort through? Do you waste time searching through piles ofpaper? A professional organizer can help you decide what to toss and how to store the rest. These organizers tackle everything from kitchen clutter to paperwork, promising to leave behind a system that will make you more efficient. More referrals are available from the local chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), 202-362-6276, dcorganizers.org. Most organizers charge an hourly rate, and have a two- to four-hour minimum. Many charge for travel time beyond a certain driving distance. | Organizer | Area of Service | Hourly Rate | What's Special | | Back in Sorts Organizing Systems; Rockville; 301-603-7678; janecamcpo@comcast.net | Metro area | $600/room | Have trouble tossing things?Jane Campbell has a PhD in psychology. | | Back to Order; Bowie; 301-464-3123; backtoorder.com | Maryland, DC | $40-$50 | Joyce Hedgepath specializes in ADD clients. | | Clearly Organized; Reston; 703-471-6085; clearly-organized.com | Metro area | $50-$60 | Florence Feldman and her staff aim for long-termorganizing and maintenance. | | Closets 911; Alexandria; 703-845-1473; closets911@erols.com | Metro area | $55 | Sally Reinholdt not only clears out closets and other clutter; she'll haul stuff away. | | Clutterbusters!; Rockville; 301-309-9614; theclutterbusters.com | Metro area | $70 | Betsy Fein and her team are available on 24 hours' notice. Also arranges photo albums. | | ClutteRx; Olney; 301-774-2827 | Metro area | $60-$75 | Besides organizing attics to basements, Ellen Newman gives workshops on downsizing. | | Come to Order; Northeast DC; 202-526-2667; cometoorder@comcast.net | Metro area | $60 | Peggy Hackett specializes in home offices; works weekends and evenings. Military discounts. | | Create Space!; Kensington; 301-946-0236; createspace.biz | Montgomery County, DC, Northern Virginia | $55-$85 | Pamela Butler-Stone knows feng shui and design and can make a room beautiful as well as functional. | | Dynamic Organizing; Silver Spring; 301-792-8367; dynamicorganizing.com | Metro area | $50 | Laura Bugash-Cambridge offers paper and time management.Microsoft certified, she does computer files too. | | Getting It Straight; Springfield; 703-912-9284; getstraight@msn.com | Metro area | $45-$85 | Barbara Jolly wrote a book on managing households, based on what she learned in the Navy. | | Glad 2 Organize; Vienna; 703-725-3827; glad2organize.com | Montgomery County,DC, Northern Virginia | $75 | Gladys Kozlik is willing to work some weekends. | | Great Solutions; Ashburn; 703-724-1129; greatsolutions.org | DC, Northern Virginia | $75 | Melinda Mitchell specializes in clearing up paper. | | Insightful Solutions; Woodbridge; 703-497-5904; insightfulsolutions.org | Montgomery County, DC, Virginia to Fredericksburg | $65-$75 | Melissa Sorensen is the local NAPO president. | | Jill-of-All-Trades; Capitol Hill; 202-544-5455; jilltrades2@aol.com | Inside Beltway | $85 | Jill Lawrence, a "certified chronic disorganization specialist," can work with ADD, elderly, and disabled clients. | | Kathy Clutter Buster; Rockville; 301-460-6858 | Montgomery County, DC | $60 | Kathy Lelis, a "gentle organizer," has been in business 11 years. | | Karen Johnson Moy; Arlington; 202-550-2225; karen@moys.biz | Inside Beltway | $60-$75 | Moy, who handles only home offices and businesses, can help you make sense of information overload. | | Organize This!; Bethesda; 202-236-7323; fgcohen@verizon.net | Bethesda, DC, Chevy Chase | $85 | Fran Garten-Cohen can make better use of existing space and help re-adapt rooms for greater functionality. | | Perfect Timing; Derwood; 301-926-6754 | Metro area | $60 | Want a long-term change in clutter control, not just to clean up a mess? You're Joyce Becker's kind of client. | | Personalized Solutions; Alexandria; 703-921-5478; personalized solutions.net | Montgomery County, DC,Virginia to Richmond | $70 | Jill Weaver enjoys working with children. | | Simply Organized Systems; Silver Spring; 301-384-6310; sosorganizer@yahoo.com | Maryland, DC | $55 | Has a loved one died or moved to smaller quarters? Lynette Bell can help, even pulling together important papers. | | TimeWise; Northwest DC; 202-686-1302; twiseinc@aol.com | Metro area | $70-$90 | Terry Watson has specialized in paper and information management for nearly two decades. |
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