Jessica- Thanks for your interest and enthusiasm to volunteer. Just last week NAPO Seattle hosted a Spring into Organization event with three different panels and the interest and willingness to volunteer for a hoarding situation came up multiple times.

I would recommend the book by Judith Kolberg titled: What Every Professional Organizer Needs to Know About Hoarding - it clearly defines the clutter hoarding scale and the different levels that you may encounter. It also has some very good questions to ask of yourself if you are interested in this kind of work. If you are still truly interested after that read, I would appreciate if you sent me some more information about your education and your desire to participate in this process. I do lead multiple teams for hoarding clean outs a few times a year.

Thanks again for the contact. I hope to hear from you in the future.

Before volunteering youself to a hoarder I recomend you read: Stuff: The Meaning of Things,and be sure you understand both the mental and organizational challenges. It is about much more than cleansweeps.

Have you seen the woman recently? My biggest concern would be for the well being of that elderly woman. She could possibly have some physical and mental health issues that are going untreated. Definitely call the Mayor's Office for Seniors OR Senior Services (they both have an Information & Assistance line).

ALSO, you might want to speak with a program called the Geriatric Regional Assessment Team through Evergreen Hospital. They do crisis intervention for elders--the intake person can tell you if she qualifies. I'm fairly certain they work with hoarders: http://www.evergreenhospital.org/landing.cfm?id=1340

My problem with Swiffer is this: Once you buy the set-up, you're kinda committed to the brand for refills and replacements, etc. I think a push broom - a good one - would work as well.

I use a Shark Steam Mop every afternoon in the coffee house I own and it deep cleans with very little effort and absolutely nothing but water. The terrycloth cover goes in the wash, so no nasty smelling mop around. I've been using the same one for a year, and a few months ago bought one for my home as well. I suck at housework as I have very little free time, and the mop picks up pet hair ad it clings to the cloth. I assume it would do the same with human hair...

They're inexpensive at Costco.

I like Unclutterer for advice on purging and organizing, but I especially love the feature Workspace of the Week. It's given me great inspiration and ideas for how to organize my office/crafting area.

Just 2 points to add to the other experts -- great panel we have here folks!

I do want to recommend the ReStore in Ballard, Antique Liquidators and the many consignment stores we have in Seattle for furniture resources and out-of-the-box container ideas (especially the ReStore and AL).

I also want to add my bit about needing to love the look and feel of your office as well as having fluid function.

Most of us spend the majority of our waking hours at work, in our office, so you want to LOVE IT! It needs to make you feel alive and superhero-esque so you can triumph over the many tasks and risks you take everyday.

Color, furniture, nature, art, music and good organization are all involved in creating an office that gets you out of bed in the morning, excited to work your own personal magic in the world.

Because you have energy to contribute and because you are a superhero waiting to emerge (if you haven't already), give yourself the gift -- great organization and stellar personal, conscious style. Believe me, having worked with over 100's of folks over the years, this is the difference between good and GREAT.

From an entirely energetic, woowoo, perspective, you can actually do a lot with intentionalizing change -- hey if you're out of other options, you may as well try it, right?!

Beth Schermer, also listed as an expert on this panel is a perfect resource for this work and has had great success in the past with similar situations.

The key is you have to believe that what you focus on can create change and be willing to raise energy toward it.

I highly recommend connecting with Beth for more info if you're open to taking this step.

Sometimes an easy way to start is with just one drawer. Select a junk drawer or utensil drawer and remove everything. Clean the drawer and put back only what you absolutely need. Donate or trash the rest. Continue with another drawer on another day. Work your way to the closets.

Do everything the same way - take everything out to start with. People who move tend to get rid of things because actually handling stuff makes you realize it's "dead weight". So this works the same way, helps you really evaluate what you need.

One of the main reasons people don't actually use their existing filing systems is that they are too full of old stuff. Papers that we don't really ever want to see again, but that for some reason we think need to be kept.
Before setting up a new system I recommenced purging the old one and decide how you best think about the papers in it. Then re-arrange the categories so that you'll always know where things are, especially in relationship to other information.

AS far as the actual supplies, take a look at Storables,and get a sense of the kind of things you'd like to have if money were no object. Then look at the cheaper places, like Office Max,Office Depot. This way you can decide where to spend your budget - some on cheaper (but functional!!!) things that you wont' be looking at all day, and then get the more upscale stuff, (in box, stacking file holders, pencil and pen cup)that will sit right on the desktop.

If you are having trouble designing a filing system, know that not everyone is wired to think in categories, and the help of a professional can make the job both easier and more pleasant.

The quick answer -- Nest. www.nestseattle.com. She's amazing, creative, resourceful and looks to use what you have before going out and spending your money.

Good luck.
Elissa

I strongly agree with the "enhance your quality of life NOW" approach. We dealt with my former in-law's 60 years' worth of stuff in several ways:

1. One day I decided to hunt down every mug they had. There were 102 mugs in the kitchen alone. 102!!! Faced with the evidence of the mugs, my former mother-in-law had to concede that she wouldn't use all of them. She was able to narrow them down to twenty, and she was so pleased at the increased space in the kitchen that she allowed the 60 pieces of non-standard glassware to go as well.

2. I bought my mother-in-law a dozen pairs of new underwear and socks in exchange for ALL the old ones...boxes of them. I told her that she deserved all new stuff (and it wasn't that expensive).

3. I sorted through the cookbooks and she acknowledged that she was never really planning to cook again, so we saved three of them (including the Joy of Cooking, of course) for the happy memories in them.

You see? You sometimes have to go through just one category at a time. Use logic, smile a lot, and most importantly, stop before the person's panic sets in.

I was just at the Aveda store in U Village today and they are collecting product to send to those in need in Japan effected by the earthquake.

Otherwise I would say donate to a homeless shelter.

I recommend one room at a time.

Here's an exercise that can be help - take a piece of paper and label for each room in the house. Stand in each room and write down all the things that need work for that room then prioritize the list. Once you've done this for each room then prioritize the rooms. That will give you a good idea on where to start.

Within each room try to start with the storage area, so if there is a closet purge there first, as you'll need that space to put other things from the room.

Remember to set your self up for success and not failure so work in small chunks of time and tackle one project at a time so not to be overwhelmed.

Good luck - can always call me for help!

sara@nestseattle.com

If your folks are saying out loud, "ooo, I feel so bad that you're going to have to go through all of this when we're gone," then that sounds like a good time to gently suggest that they begin the process now and that you/someone else could help them. If they immediately bristle, well then, I guess you have your answer.

1) Recycle/donate/purge what you're not using.
2) Find a couple of photos that you've been meaning to put in frames, then put them in frames (I found some great ones recently at TJ Maxx Northgate for $5-10 each, and have found them cheaper at Goodwill) and hang them up.
3)I don't know how you feel about painting, but it's a great way to freshen up a room.

Good luck!

Years ago I bought a regular old Swiffer and used it a bit, but certainly not as much as I thought I would. Although it grouped the hair and dust bunnies together, it didn't pick up the fine powder that cats track from their boxes all through the house so I generally vacuum or do a quick sweep with a broom. That said, I know folks who have Swiffers (not the spraying kind) and use them religiously.

PS - I've gone to houses where they use the spraying Swiffer and they have a really strong chemical smell. Bleh.

The organizing industry has become a multi-billion dollar industry so you have lots of choices but we should start with the big question: what's your vision for your office space? Will you be the only one using it or will many people use it for a variety of things?

Before you go out and buy components sort and purge through the items that you plan to put in your space. Decide where you are going to place a desk or your reference bookshelf (should you need it), your file drawers. How much file space will you need? (Don't overfill your file drawers more than 70% full or it becomes to difficult to file).

Once you have sort and purged and figured out a desirable layout, taken some measurements, then go shopping. Office Max, Staples, and Office Depot offer a large variety and all will accept the other competitors coupons. Storables in U-Village and Lynnwood has more options and they are in the midst of an Office Sale. Container Store in Lincoln Center, Bellevue, also is a great resource for you.

If you are still overwhelmed, professional organizers such as myself specialize in creating custom, efficient spaces.

Happy Organizing,

Denise

Enjoy your new office,

I usually start in the one place where I feel I'll get the most bang for my buck AND where I'll get to appreciate my work. If the living room feels as though it's covered in newspapers, or you've used every dish in the kitchen and can't find anything, start there. I love the layering approach: recycle or trash the most obvious things, fold items, clean things and give them a home. As you work and "reveal" that particular room ('I can see the counter!') you may feel lighter and lighter and it'll be the encouragement you need to move on to another one. Good luck!

What about homeless shelters, those arranging housing for families in temporary settings or the services that provide people with dress clothes so that they have presentable clothes for interviews and first week or so of a new job.

Having fresh and good quality makeup would probably help make someone feel like they are looking their best. Dress for Success says on their website that they cannot accept used cosmetics, so it would have to be unused samples. Their Seattle listing is here.

I give a lot of my clients gently used toiletries to Hopelink. Used makeup does need to be put in the trash. You can find other local organizations in your area that may be in need of your supplies at www.donateseattle.org.

As far as getting the long hair strands out of circulation before trying to suck it up with a vacuum cleaner I would suggest you try something like one of these rubber bristled brooms. They can grab hair when sweeping hard or carpeted floors and then you are not dealing with it in the vacuum cleaner. If you listen to the hype you would think they will do all cleaning chores but I would take that with a bit skepticism. However, I do believe they do grab the hair and work as well as any brush broom for getting the big stuff and then vacuuming would be easy. Certainly the cost listed here is not a huge investment.

We have several vacuum cleaners including two of the canister Dysons - the kind with a hose and long wand, not an upright. I use the Dysons with a hard floor tool (no spinning brush like for carpet) and it does a great job on the wood floors. Parrots produce feather parts and dust and are also masters at creating a debris field around their favorite perches and trees. My guys fly back to their approved/prepared (newspaper) spots if they need to do bathroom chores and then come back to us. Dyson's work great and are easy to empty and keep our floor quite presentable.

As with anything the key to making it an easy job (and a house feeling clean) is to do it on a regular schedule.

In my experience ( I was on the TLC Hoarding: Buried Alive show last fall) the TLC show offers a more balanced approach to actually helping hoarders, rather than making them into a media circus.
Real hoarders are NOT helped by clean sweeps and certainly not by bullying and judgment.
They need a therapist and THEN an organizer.
I recommend Dr. Travis Osbourn.
http://www.composedomain.com/blog/2010/11/05/hope-for-hoarding/

First decide on the SCOPE of your project. IS it a drawer or a room or what? The point is DEFINE your scope before you start. It matters less what that is, more crucial is the question: Do I really have the time and energy for this scope right now??

What ever you start with:
First Sort without making decisions, (except really easy ones)
Second Purge those categories.
Third ask: Where do these things live?? This is when you go get containers, not before!
And Last: How am I going to Maintain this?

The folks below have said it all - get a GOOD high quality device that you'll actually enjoy using and think of the process as similar to flossing your teeth - maintainability is all.

Clean floors are a must for good energy in your home -- pretty gross to walk the gritty floors at night, catching long hairs in between your toes on the way to the bathroom, eh?! The dog hair that inhabits my own floors every two to three days like a rodent lurking in the corners definitely cramps my style.

I personally don't like the Swiffer mop - it's loaded with nasty chemicals that ruin your hardwoods. A simple mix of vinegar and water (1 part vinegar to 6 parts water) does the trick -- add a little peppermint essential oil to the mix and it smells great too.

Investing in a good Hepa-filtered vacuum is great for the carpets too. Meila is an awesome brand but definitely an investment. It will last a lifetime, but you need to figure out if you have the dough to make the plunge.

Other than that... cut your hair?

1. Take a look at how much paper is getting in the way and consider a simplified way to process it.....DAILY.

2. That might mean re-visiting your filing system and asking if it really represents the way YOU think about information.

3. And a FUN one.....take down your art and hide you decoration for a few days. Then put them back up...but first ask: DO I really want to be looking at this? Is this really the right place for it??
More ideas at www.composedomain.com and on my blog...

Here is another great resource: A book called,"Don't Toss my Memories in the Trash", by Vickie Dellaquilla.
She has lots of advice and ways to address the delicate conversations my fellow organizers have described below.

Another thing to keep in mind is sometimes family members are really the LAST people that should help each other.
Too many agendas...and all the tensions that are already there will surface.
Consider offering your parents the help of a professional who will support them to make changes with minimal baggage,and lots of compassion and patience.

Volo- I have been involved with hoarding cases of this nature on the A&E television series Hoarders. Cases like this ask a lot of patience of neighbors. My recommendation is to a file a complaint with your county's code enforcement office - you can do this with King County online. The officers will come out and do an assessment of violations and make sure your neighbors are not in harm's way. They have mental health resources, too, should they be needed.

It is usually family members that nominate a person who hoards for the television series although I am sure some neighbors have completed the process too. You can go on to A&E Hoarders and link on the casting link where the application is available. A&E Hoarders is produced by Screaming Flea Productions which is a Seattle based company. They are in the process of filming season 4 and looking for people whose collections have gone awry.

Sorry to hear of your situation - I hope your neighbor finds support soon.

Yes! Paint away - I can only add the advice to get small samples or cans of your paint ideas and then paint about a 2' square swatch on the wall. Be sure you do TWO coats - or it may not really look like the finished product. Then live with that for a few days and see how the light in the room changes through the day and into the evenings.

Enjoy!