How to Prepare Your Home for a Professional Organizer

Preparing for Home Organizing

For a typical home organizing session, you usually don't need to straighten up or organize anything before the organizer arrives.

It's a little different from preparing for a house cleaner. Before a cleaning service comes, you might pick up belongings so they can more easily clean the surfaces underneath. With a professional organizer, those belongings are often part of what they're there to help with.

If a closet is overflowing, a kitchen counter is covered with things that don't have a place, or cabinets need to be emptied and reorganized, you can leave them as they are. The organizer can sort and categorize the items, determine where things should go, and organize the space with you.

If you don't need help decluttering and would rather go through some belongings on your own, you can do that before the organizer arrives. For example, if you already know there are clothes you no longer wear or items you don't want to keep, you can set those aside for donation or get rid of them beforehand. This can leave more time during your session for the organizing work you hired them to do.

But you don't need to declutter first. If you want guidance, support, or hands-on help deciding what to keep and what to let go of, leave everything as it is and work through it with your organizer.

Seeing the space as you normally use it can also help the organizer understand what's working, what isn't, and what may need to change.

Preparing for a Decluttering Session

Before a decluttering session, it helps to know which spaces or belongings you want to work through first. You don't need to start going through everything on your own beforehand.

During the session, the organizer can help you sort through your belongings and decide what you want to keep, donate, toss, sell, give to family members, or handle another way.

If there are certain belongings you don't want touched or decisions you aren't ready to make, let the organizer know before you begin.

Preparing for Packing Services

If you've hired a professional organizer to pack for a move, one of the most important things you can do beforehand is separate anything you don't want packed.

This may include medications, important documents, toiletries, chargers, clothing, valuables, children's necessities, pet supplies, or anything else you'll need before or during the move.

Keep these items together in a designated area and make sure the organizers know they shouldn't be packed.

If the organizer is also helping you declutter before the move, you don't need to go through everything beforehand. They can help you decide what you want to take to the new home before packing begins.

Your organizer should also let you know how packing supplies will be handled. Some organizers can source or purchase boxes, packing paper, tape, and other supplies, while others may provide a list of what you'll need to purchase before the packing session.

Preparing for Unpacking and Organizing

There usually isn't much you need to do before professional organizers arrive to unpack and organize your new home.

If there are certain boxes you need opened first, belongings you need immediate access to, or preferences for where certain things should go, let the organizers know before they begin.

Otherwise, there may be very little you need to prepare. The organizer should let you know if they need anything specific from you before the unpacking session.

Have Any Organizing Products You Want to Use Ready

Professional organizers typically bring the basic supplies and tools they use while working. Depending on the company and project, this may include step ladders, paper towels or wipes, resealable bags, scissors, tape, labels, markers, and other basic supplies. Unless they tell you otherwise, you generally don't need to gather supplies for them.

Organizing products such as bins, baskets, drawer organizers, turntables, or containers are a little different. Some organizers source or recommend products, while others may ask you to purchase them.

If you already have organizing products at home that you'd like the organizer to use, gather them in one place before the session and let the organizer know they're available. This saves time looking for products around the house and lets the organizer see what can be reused before anything new is purchased.

Make Sure the Organizer Can Access Your Home

Make sure the organizer has the information they need to access your home and the areas where they'll be working.

If you live in an apartment, condo, or another building with controlled access, provide any instructions they'll need ahead of time. This may include where to park, which entrance to use, how to get to your unit, gate or building codes, whether they need to check in with a front desk, or other building-specific instructions.

If you won't be home, ask how they handle access. You may need to provide a key, door code, gate code, or another way for the organizer to enter your home.

If they'll be working in an attic, garage, storage area, or another space that may be difficult to access, make sure they can safely get into the area.

You should also ask about pets. Some organizers are comfortable working around pets, while others may ask that dogs, cats, or other animals be kept in another room or crated while they're working. This can be especially important if the organizers will be carrying boxes, donations, products, or other items in and out of the home.

If you have children, contractors, or other people who will be home during the session, let the organizer know if it could affect access to the areas where they'll be working.