What Services Do Professional Organizers Provide?

Home Organizing

Home organizing is one of the most common services professional organizers provide. You can hire an organizer to work on one space or multiple areas throughout your home.

Common projects include kitchens, pantries, closets, bedrooms, bathrooms, home offices, playrooms, nurseries, laundry rooms, garages, attics, basements, and other storage areas. Not every organizer works in every area, so it's worth checking if you need help with a particular space.

During a home organizing project, an organizer may take items out of drawers, cabinets, or shelves, sort and categorize everything, determine where items should go, create zones, and put everything back in a way that makes sense for the space.

Some organizers also provide light cleaning as they work. For example, an empty kitchen drawer or bathroom cabinet may be wiped down before everything is organized and put back.

How a space is organized should depend on the person using it. The same closet or pantry may be organized differently for two clients based on what they own, their routines, available storage, and how they use the space.

Organizing products and labels may also be used, but they aren't necessary for every project. Some organizers use more products than others, and the amount needed will depend on the space and the client's preferences.

Decluttering

Professional organizers can also provide hands-on help with decluttering. This may be done one-on-one with an organizer or with a team for a larger project.

A common approach is to sort belongings into categories such as keep, donate, and toss. Depending on the project, there may also be separate categories for items to sell, give to family members, or move somewhere else in the home.

The client generally makes the final decisions about what stays and what goes. The organizer can help keep the process moving, ask questions, provide guidance and accountability, sort belongings, move items, fill donation boxes or bags, and handle much of the physical work involved.

Some organizers also provide donation drop-off. What they can take will depend on the company. An organizer may be able to take several bags or boxes but not furniture or other large items, while another company may offer additional removal options. There may also be an additional charge for this service.

It's also worth checking whether supplies such as trash bags, boxes, or donation bags are provided or whether you'll need to have them available.

Packing Services

Many professional organizers provide packing services for people preparing to move.

This can start with decluttering before anything is packed. If there are belongings you don't want in your next home, an organizer can help you go through them first rather than spending time, packing supplies, and moving costs on things you no longer want.

Organizers can also help keep belongings organized during the packing process. They may sort items by room or category, fold clothing, organize drawers as they work, pack boxes, and label everything so it's easier to know where belongings should go at the new home.

Some organizers can also source or purchase the packing supplies needed for the project, such as boxes, packing paper, tape, and other materials. Others may provide a list of recommended supplies for you to purchase. Ask how packing supplies are handled and whether their cost is included in the service or charged separately.

Unpacking and Organizing

Some professional organizers can help after a move by unpacking and organizing the new home.

Rather than simply taking items out of boxes, an organizer can sort and categorize belongings and determine where they should go based on the new space. This may include setting up kitchens, pantries, closets, bathrooms, bedrooms, home offices, and other areas.

Depending on the project, they may also fold clothing, set up organizing products, add labels where useful, and break down boxes and other packing materials as they work.

Some organizers may also be able to remove and dispose of the empty boxes and packing materials for you, while others will break everything down and leave it for you to dispose of.

Move Management

Some professional organizing companies offer move management for clients who want help with several parts of the moving process.

Depending on the company, move management may include decluttering before the move, organizing, packing, labeling, unpacking, and organizing the new home.

Some professional organizers may also help coordinate certain parts of the move or communicate with movers, while others focus specifically on the organizing, packing, and unpacking portions.

Because move management can mean different things from one company to another, ask what's included before booking the service.

Preparing a Home for Sale

Professional organizers can also help homeowners prepare a home to put on the market.

This may include decluttering rooms, organizing visible areas, packing belongings that aren't needed before the move, and separating items for donation or removal.

Organizing closets, pantries, cabinets, garages, and other storage spaces can also be part of the process. These areas may still be opened and viewed by potential buyers, even if the rest of the home already looks organized. Some professional organizers also offer home staging or related services, but staging isn't automatically included with professional organizing.

Downsizing Services

You don't have to be a senior to hire a professional organizer for downsizing.

People may downsize when moving into a smaller home, combining households, relocating, moving from a house into a condo, or simply deciding they no longer want or need as many belongings. An organizer can help sort through what you own, decide what will move to the new home, separate donations and other items that won't be moving, and organize what's being kept. Depending on the services offered, they may also help with packing, unpacking, and organizing the new home.

Senior Downsizing Services

Professional organizers may also specialize in helping older adults and their families with downsizing.

This may involve moving from a longtime home into a smaller house or condo, retirement community, independent living community, assisted living community, or a family member's home.

A senior downsizing project can involve going through years of belongings, deciding what will move to the new home, setting aside items for family members, preparing donations, packing, and helping organize the new space. Family members may also be involved in the process, particularly when helping a parent or relative prepare for a move.

ADHD Organizing

Some professional organizers specialize in working with clients with ADHD.

Rather than using the same organizing system for everyone, an organizer may focus on creating systems based on how the client uses the space and what makes belongings easier for them to find, use, and put away.

Depending on the client, that may mean keeping certain belongings more visible, making frequently used items easier to access, using simpler categories, reducing the number of steps needed to put something away, or setting up routines for maintaining the space.

Not every professional organizer specializes in ADHD organizing, so look for someone with experience providing this type of service if it's important to you. Read more about what an ADHD organizer does.

Virtual Organizing

Virtual organizing allows you to work with a professional organizer without having them physically come to your home.

Sessions are typically held by video. The organizer can help you decide where to start, work through decluttering decisions, determine how to organize a space, recommend organizing products or systems, and create a plan for what to work on between sessions.

Unlike hands-on organizing, you'll generally be doing the physical sorting and organizing yourself while the organizer provides guidance and accountability remotely.

Other Services Professional Organizers May Offer

Professional organizers may provide additional services depending on their experience and specialties. These can include:

• Estate sale preparation
• Holiday organizing
• Paper and file organization
• College or dorm organizing
• Storage unit organization
• Digital organization
• Organizing product sourcing
• Donation drop-off
• Maintenance organizing sessions

Some organizers also offer services that fall outside traditional home organizing, such as decorating, home staging, or working with clients to maintain previously organized spaces.

If you need something specific, check the organizer's services or ask whether it's something they provide.

What Don't Professional Organizers Typically Do?

A professional organizer isn't necessarily a house cleaner, moving company, junk removal company, interior designer, contractor, or therapist.

There can be some overlap depending on the company. An organizer may provide light cleaning while organizing, pack and unpack belongings, take donations, source organizing products, decorate spaces, or coordinate certain parts of a move.

If you need a service that goes beyond organizing, ask what's included and whether the organizer handles it themselves or if you'll need another company for that part of the project.