When ‘use it up and wear it out’ seems impossible

SHARON — A capacity crowd seeking tips on how to organize acquired stuff gathered at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon on Sunday, Sept. 15, to hear professional home organizer Jan Baltrush assure them that it can be done and to provide tips on getting from clutter to order in the house.

This was the first of three sessions with Baltrush as part of the library’s fall event calendar. The second of the series is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 6, when the topic will be downsizing. 

The final session, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17, will cover cleaning up to prepare for holiday entertaining — and relieving the stress of doing so. Both of the remaining sessions begin at 4 p.m. at the library.

Bringing her 10 years of experience as a residential organizer to the session, Baltrush said her clients range from young families to young professionals who would like to entertain but who feel that too much stands in the way. 

At the other end of the age spectrum, her clients can be older and looking to downsize, needing help with what to keep and what to dispose of.

“Organizing means you can find things,” Baltrush said. 

“Everything has a home, a place to be,” she repeated, noting that one’s home should reflect one’s present lifestyle.

“Your home should reflect how you live now,” she emphasized.

When a home is unorganized or disorganized, a person feels overwhelmed by the thought of dealing with it.

As for clothing, Baltrush told her audience that we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.  We only need 20% of the paperwork we retain.

And besides, clutter collects dust and it’s hard to clean around it.

Time management is a good way to go at it. Set an appointment with yourself to clear a bit of clutter. Do it a bit at a time. You can go through a pile of papers in 15 minutes. 

“The kitchen junk drawer will not take forever,” Baltrush promised. Be sure to reward yourself when an area is done; that area could be as small as a portion of the dining room table.

Once you get going, and you decide to move on to a larger area, then find a hallway nearby to “stage” your items as you make the decisions, and then pick a spot to start in. 

Baltrush said to touch every item and decide: Keep, Donate or Toss. Do I really need it; do I use it; can I replace it if I toss it? If you are keeping an item, assign it a space in which to reside.

Containers provide a way to put similar items together in one spot. Baltrush pointed out that tension rods from the dollar store can hold things such as gift ribbon that are on spools.

Baltrush showed how gift wrap rolls can stand neatly in a cylinder or tall wastebasket. Over-the-door panels with pockets received high praise for their versatility in keeping nearly anything (not just shoes) in perfect order.

Organizing is always evolving. Baltrush advised the audience not to try to be perfect. Just make decluttering part of your routine.  Before you bring in something new, decide in advance where it will be kept.

Inspired to declutter, audience members’ questions focused largely on ways to sell or dispose of items they no longer need.

Baltrush’s professional service is called “Find Your Stuff.”  The website is www.findyourstuffct.com.