Sign in
Ask the Experts: Professional Organizers
Yes, it’s that time of year. The time when we try to figure out where the gifts received will go in our homes. Instead of playing Closet Jenga, why not use this time in the quiet of a new year to start fresh and finally get organized?
We spoke to two professional organizers to try to learn from the best. Whitney Tevis is co-owner of The Organized Nest, and Kami Ford owns deKlutter with Kami. Both generously shared some tips and tricks to help us all get started on conquering the clutter.
left: Whitney Tevis
right: Kami Ford
Madeworthy: To begin, what made you decide to become a professional organizer?
Kami Ford: I have always been an organized person. When I became an empty nester, I took a job quiz that led me to professional organizing for others.
Whitney Tevis: When Debbie [Horton, co-owner of The Organized Nest] started the company, there were only two or three other organizers in the Fort Worth area. She saw a need… and she started hiring employees within the first two years.
MW: When you begin a project, what is your process?
WT: It gets worse before it can get better. Let’s say we are starting in a kitchen/pantry space — we take everything out of the cabinets and drawers. We group like items together and hopefully find items we can donate or pare down. In the pantry, we look for expired food, old spices, and items that might need containers so that they stay fresh longer… Once we know what’s staying, we come in with product to make the space function better.
KF: My first goal is to connect with the client. I meet with the client and discuss what their goals are. I want the client to understand my process and how we can obtain it. I give the client homework… [There will be] a system in place at the end of the organizing process.
MW: Do you have an “organizing philosophy?”
KF: Everything belongs in its “home.” Return items to where you find them.
WT: Our philosophy is that “everything has a home.” We tailor our approach based on each customer’s lifestyle and life stage. Our goal is always to maintain order, keep things functional while being aesthetically pleasing, and create a successful system that they can use after we are gone.
MW: Do you follow a specific organizing theory/method, or did you develop your own?
WT: We have developed our own method based on the many years we’ve been in business. This is a unique career in that it really takes on-the-job experience to know what works well and what doesn’t.
KF: Our method for any space we are organizing is: 1) pull everything out and sort with like items; 2) purge anything that needs to go away; 3) decide how we will organize the items back in the space; and 4) buy organizing products and label everything for that space.
MW: I need help getting organized, but I’m REALLY embarrassed at how bad I’ve let my home get. How do you handle confidentiality?
WT: We state in our contract that we do not discuss clients with anyone outside of the job. Not with our spouses, friends, or family. We are deeply honored to have gained the trust of our customers over the years.
KF: My team signs an NDA. I take my client’s privacy very seriously. It takes a lot of courage to ask a professional organizer to come into one’s home and see one’s clutter. I affirm to my clients that we do not judge. My mission is to give my clients back the control and confidence to live a decluttered life.
MW: Is there a room or space in your home that’s still a “work in progress?”
KF: My office is a constant “work in progress”. I look for new ways to declutter this area and make it more efficient.
WT: Oh my goodness, YES! We are like the cobbler with no shoes. If you spend all day, every day organizing other people’s homes, the last thing you want to do is organize your own! I do keep most of our shared spaces very tidy and mostly organized. There is a front closet in my own home that’s become the spot where ALL things land. I usually clean it out once a year over the Christmas holiday.
MW: Do you have a favorite before-and-after story? (Without violating client confidentiality, of course!)
WT: We did a garage out in Weatherford several years ago that was a huge overhaul! What started as a dumping ground for holiday storage, extra furniture, and items that never quite had a home became a beautiful space with movable storage racks, easy-to-access holiday items, and [the client] could finally park a car inside! It was a complete transformation.
KF: I have a client who lost her child several years ago. Five years ago, she called and was ready to go through her child’s things and pick the pieces of her life back up. We went through schoolwork, pictures, cards that were written, and boxes of items that had not been seen for many years. We sat on her kitchen floor and wept together, as we went through her boxes of pain. Her home, which was on pause for several years, is now being lived in again.
MW: And finally, what’s your favorite organizing tip?
KF: “One in, one out.” For example, if you buy a new pair of shoes, take one pair out!
WT: Start small! Customers tend to start big projects and then become too overwhelmed to finish them. We always tell them to pick a small space (even just a few drawers!) so that you can start AND finish the project without it snowballing into something unattainable. Oh, and ALWAYS ALWAYS get matching hangers for your closet!
