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Success Story: How I Got an Affordable Home Organization Makeover

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craft room after

Success Story: How I Got an Affordable Home Organization Makeover

By Wendy Bromlewe

My house needed serious help. I couldn’t do it alone, and I couldn’t afford to hire people to come do it for me. BE Clean, a 30-day online, guided home organization makeover, seemed like the perfect solution with low risk. All of my clutter came with a price: I was too embarrassed to let anyone into my home. In fact, when the postman came to the door, I wouldn’t open it more than a few inches.

I Fell In Love with My Timer

Before starting, I had things stored in places where they had no business being. I had too much stuff and no place to put it.

My home got a new lease on life (and perhaps, me too), when Vanessa Stewart, professional organizer and Feng Shui expert for our online program, introduced me to a timer and the 15-minute cleaning blitz.

I started on the smallest room in my house: the bathroom. And was completely surprised to see the difference, especially because it only took me 10 minutes, and that included mopping the floor!

This opened my eyes to the true potential of cleaning blitzes. I loved my timer already. You see, I am a major procrastinator. So much so, that a friend wanted to start procrastinators anonymous in my honor. But I really didn’t want to live that way anymore.

What a Joy to Come Back to My Clutter-Free Kitchen

I discovered that 15 minutes is just short enough to convince me to “get it done and over with.”

So the next night, right on schedule, I tackled the kitchen blitz before heading out. It felt great. I smiled. I released a deep breath. Then I forgot all about my clean, clutter-free kitchen until I returned home and enjoyed the surprise all over again.

I even applied myself to the kitchen drawers (and swear they have stayed orderly even after the course).

Kitchen Drawer Before

Kitchen Drawer Before

Kitchen Drawer After

Kitchen Drawer After

 

 

 

 

Beyond the 15-Minute Cleaning Blitz

My other rooms required a little more effort. It took a whole timer session to clear off one chair in the living room. My craft room had been overtaken by paper and clutter. I had to randomly pick an area of the room to get started because I had no idea where to begin.

before

The first photo illustrates the day-to-day state of my craft room. The second one shows how many boxes it took to pack up all the clutter.

I used the Box System from Be Clean to streamline all my paperwork: Keepers with a home, keepers with no home, throw away and recycle. That felt really good.

Following Vanessa’s protocol for magazine decluttering, I reduced SIX years of subscriptions into four files of keeper articles, tossing the rest into recycling.

All total, it took 10 hours to clean the floor, revamp cupboards and bookshelves, move out boxes and reclaim my craft room. (See my After picture at the top of this article)!

The Hard Work Paid Off – I Won a Phone Call with Vanessa!

As my craft room transformation ended, so did the the Be Clean program. All that work had paid off in big ways: I felt great about my decluttered rooms; I learned how to implement cleaning and decluttering strategies on my own; and the best pay-off: I won a private phone session with Vanessa based on my before and after photos. That was a terrific surprise because my bedroom and living room were still in desperate states. To be continued …

Look for my next blog post where I will share my experiences working one-on-one with Vanessa Stewart!