Hate mess? Call in the declutter doctor

A PROFESSIONAL organiser can make a difference in the sale value of a house. 

Organised space

CLUTTERED rooms can discourage buyers from paying top dollar for your home.

Hocking Stuart Brunswick director Rob Elsom said it was essential to declutter and expose wall and floor space before selling.

"It helps buyers to picture their own furniture in the house. If a home is cluttered, buyers can perceive the owner is hiding something,'' Mr Elsom said.

Now homeowners are turning to Facebook for inspiration to curb their domestic disarray, with impressive results.

Professional organiser and author MaryAnne Bennie moderates two groups devoted to home and office organisation.

More than 300 Australian and overseas members share before and after pictures, encouragement and confessions of falling off the wagon in their quest for clutterfree living.

"Not feeling alone is the big thing,'' Ms Bennie said.

The former RMIT marketing lecturer discovered the world of professional organisers, coaches who redesign and declutter spaces, while researching tools to help her own students.

"All I had to do was google the word organise and I got sucked into this vortex,'' she said.

After attending a National Association of Professional Organisers conference in the US, Ms Bennie started her own business in 2002.

"Back then, it was an unknown profession,'' she said.

"We all use cleaners and gardeners. We call in a plumber or electrician, but when it comes to organising a house sometimes we think we ought to be able to do it ourselves.''

In 2009, she co-authored Paper Flow with Brigitte Hinneberg and developed an eight-step home organisation system for her follow-up book, From Stuffed to Sorted, which challenged readers to tackle one room weekly.

"Four hours teaming up with a professional organiser can equate to 20 hours fluffing around alone,'' Ms Bennie said.

Consultations can be face-to-face or online, and organisers may specialise in commercial or residential spaces.

"We've seen it all, we know the rules, we know the solutions,'' she said.

Wardrobes, kitchens and laundries are clutter hotspots and take between four hours and an entire day to set right if working with a professional.

"If you really want to know what a person's home is like, go into their laundry,'' she said.

Often mistaken for cleaning or tidying, organising focuses on finding, grouping and arranging regularly used items, before letting go of the rest.

"It's having as much as you need, but not too much more,'' she said.

Readers and clients are encouraged to spend up to a month tracking things they used regularly, for example by placing a basket in the bathroom.

For someone who isn't a natural hoarder, a major event such as selling up and moving, the arrival of a new baby or divorce could trigger disorder.

"If people are disorganised or untidy they are often perceived as being less intelligent, less attractive and less competent,'' she said.

Domestic chaos often led to relationship breakdowns, left children too embarrassed to bring friends home and cost families money in forgotten groceries that expired before use.

"People think they need more space, they just need less clutter,'' Ms Bennie said.

To join Ms Bennie online visit facebook.com/FromStuffedToSorted or facebook.com/PaperFlow.