 Moving is not your cup of tea. You've been dreading it for months. You've done your best to declutter and pack before the move, but realize in a panic that you have zero plans for when you arrive at your new home. How are you going to do this on your own (and with that never-ending back pain)? Today we'll share how our team of organizers will unpack and set up your new home in a functional and maintainable way. Let's go! Reason #1: Our Unpacking Service Removes the OverwhelmYou've finally arrived in your new home. You want to feel relieved but you're about ready to lose it. Boxes are towering over you and you can't find a single thing you need. Why did you label everything "miscellaneous"?! Then you remember your friend mentioned that professional organizers can do the unpacking for you ... hey, that's us! It's hard to unpack a kitchen when you've just moved and have no energy left. Fear no more! Take the kids to play (or yourself to a coffee shop!) while we work our magic and unpack your home in just a few short days. We'll even create a product list for you, then do all shopping, and make any returns. No buying tons of bins that don't fit your pantry when you get home.  Reason #2: Our Unpacking Service Makes Sense of Your StuffWhen your home is filled with moving boxes and the moving truck pulls away, you may feel lost and don't know where to start. As professional organizers, we make sense of your stuff. We start with a conversation to learn more about how you labeled boxes. If you labeled boxes generally and they're not in the correct rooms, we'll sort through boxes and make sure they all get to where they belong. If you used pro organizers to pack your boxes (highly recommended for the most streamlined process), everything will have been clearly labeled with the room the boxes are going to in the new house, not where they were in the old house. We give packing clients the option of an inventory of your boxes with box numbers and basic contents. This helps us confirm before unpacking that all necessary boxes are in the room (25 kitchen boxes listed and we only have 22 in the room, let's go find those 3 rogue boxes!). In the unfortunate event that your moving company misplaced boxes, our inventory helps us identify which ones are missing and what was in them. The inventory can also be helpful if you're looking for a specific item to unpack (where are the bed linens so we can sleep?!). Read our five packing and unpacking tips here.  Reason #3: Our Unpacking Service Prioritizes Essential SpacesWhen unpacking, certain rooms are more important to unpack first than others. Who cares if your garage is fully unpacked and organized if your kitchen and bedrooms are unusable? When unpacking, our first priority room is usually the kitchen (the heart of the home), then bedrooms/closets, then bathrooms. Everyone needs to eat, sleep, and get ready in the morning. Creature comforts in place will help you enjoy your new home faster. If you'd like different rooms unpacked first, let us know and we'll start there.  Reason #4: Our Unpacking Service Gets You Settled QuicklyWe recommend contacting us a couple of months before your move so you can get on our schedule and enjoy your new home ASAP once moved in. But it's never too late! Some clients contact us months after they've moved in to their new home if they still have moving boxes cluttering their living spaces that need unpacking. When unpacking, we like to send in a team of 2-4+ organizers so we're out of your hair as quickly as possible. We can have your main rooms of the home (kitchen, pantry, bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms) unpacked within a few days. We will work with you to prioritize what spaces you want done first. Then the rest of the home goes quickly too. If we come daily, you'll have your new home completely unpacked and organized within a few days to a week or so.  Reason #5: Our Unpacking Service Finishes What it StartsOur organizers don't just unpack your boxes and leave everything for you to deal with. We strategically decide where your items should go and organize it all into maintainable systems. Bins will be labeled, clothes will be hung by type and color, and you'll easily be able to find what you're looking for. We'll do a walkthrough and show you where everything is and make any tweaks you would like. We can create a list of our expert product recommendations for your spaces, do all shopping, and make any returns. We also take any donations away for you, and we have trusted service providers we can recommend for any additional tasks/needs for your home.  Are you getting excited yet? Your new and organized home is calling!
If you're ready for a move that feels easy and effortless and want to learn more about working with a professional organizer, download our organizing guide. Warmly, Sandi
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 Do you dream of clear countertops and clothes neatly hung on velvet hangers? Of not tripping over toys every time you walk across your living room floor? We would all love an organized home, but who has the time or energy to make it happen? You've heard of professional organizers, but they seem expensive and you don't want them throwing all your stuff away. Today we'll be busting 5 common organizing myths so you feel more confident calling in a pro! Myth #1: Professional Organizers Are Judgmental of Your Home's AppearanceAt Hello Simplified we have absolutely zero judgment. We understand that houses get messy, cluttered, and in need of some TLC. That's why you're calling us! We actually ask that clients don't tidy or clean up before our in-home consultations because it will help us serve you better and help us know what systems need to be put into place. If you always have a pile of shoes in your mudroom, but hide it all away before we visit, we won't know that you need a solution, such as a shoe rack by your door. Read more about our in-home consultation process here. We have seen it all! We are in houses every day and are there to help you. We often get excited the more clutter there is because we know there will be a big transformation and we get to help you feel less stressed in your home.  Myth #2: Pro Organizers Are Way Too Expensive for Most PeopleWe have clients from all different financial backgrounds and have accessible, reasonable pricing. The thing our clients have in common is that they know the value of a tidy and organized home. Your mental health and feeling less stressed in your space is priceless. This single investment can change your home and life moving forward. Organizing can actually pay for itself by saving you time, money, and energy long-term. You can use the time you would spend organizing (or time worrying about having to get organized) to be with family, do extra work, or relax. With an organized home you will spend less time searching for items and buy a lot less duplicate items because you'll know what you already have. Learn more about our pricing here.  Myth #3: Home Organizers Make You Get Rid of All Your StuffThe final decision to keep or part with an item is always yours. We are like your coach and motivator; we can discuss the benefits of decluttering, but we won't force you to do anything, or throw your items away without your permission. We don't ever want clients to get rid of items they use regularly or love. We will gently persuade you to question some items that you're holding on to out of guilt because you "might" use them someday or because you haven't had the motivation to sort through them. The reality is that we all have too much stuff. As organizers we know and see first hand the benefits of decluttering. We want to give you that gift. But no, it doesn't mean you need to get rid of everything! Every little bit helps. When you let go of the excess, there's enough room for items to have a home, to create maintainable systems, and to be able to find and put items away with ease.  Myth #4: Organizing Companies Require You to Provide Your Own ProductsWe make things as easy as possible for our clients and provide all organizing products needed! Pantry and kitchen projects start off with an optional fun, and very brief, quiz to get an idea of your style. For all spaces that need products, we will put together a product list of our expertly chosen items catered to your unique needs. All you have to do is give us the OK once you see the list (and some clients just say they trust us and don't need to see it). Then we do all ordering and/or picking up of supplies. After the organizing is complete, we will handle all returns (we like to overbuy to make sure we're always prepared). Then we'll invoice you for only the products that were used. If you need additional products, we'll handle those too. Super easy!  Products for a pantry we organized in Cary, NC. Myth #5: Organizing Pros Transform Your Home in a Single DayAlthough we've been called magical, we unfortunately can't sweep in and unpack or organize an entire home in one day. But we are extremely efficient! Think about the amount of years you've lived in your home or the years of items in boxes ready to unpack. These things take time if they're going to be done properly. For example, a big part of what we do is decluttering with the client. There are so many decisions for clients to make, and we don't want to rush the process or overwhelm clients. This is such an important transformation of your home, and worthwhile transformations take time. If you'd like us out of your hair as quickly as possible, our team of talented organizers can get the job done 2-5 times faster than a single organizer would! (Just not a whole home in one day! 😉) Or if you prefer to take it slower one on one with a single organizer, we're happy to do that too. We're here to help in the way that works best for you and your individual needs.  We hope that after reading these 5 myths you feel a little more comfortable giving us a call. We want to help as many people as we can to feel less stressed in their spaces and love where they live! If you'd like to learn more about working with our Hello Simplified professional organizers, download our Organizing Guide! Warmly, Sandi  This family needed our help! They were a large family living in a large home - about 10,000 square feet. The mom contacted us and asked for every single aspect of her home to be looked at and organized. Not only organized, but Pinterest-level pretty! Their home interior was painted a couple of years ago and since then everything had been out of place. When COVID hit, they started spending most of their time at their vacation home and started homeschooling. Their primary home was visited only occasionally and felt unmanageable to get organized. The mom thought she could get it organized herself but soon realized the task was too large to tackle alone. As they prepared to move back to their primary home full-time, she knew she needed to call in some assistance! Organizing Team & Decluttering ProcessWith the size of the home, we brought in all hands on deck and sent a team of 3-4 organizers most days. This project spanned over many months, and we worked on most areas of the home. The client rented a dumpster because there were many large items to dispose of. We took any items that could be donated and gave the client receipts from the donations. In addition, the client had many nice clothing items for adults and children that were consigned. Our organizers did the heavy lifting with pulling out, sorting, and organizing the items. We involved the client to make decluttering decisions when necessary. She was so helpful and quick with decision making on what to keep and what to let go of. She was determined and ready to live with less. This made the transformation and impact even greater for her. She did a fantastic job with so many decisions! After each area was decluttered, we organized what remained with products such as baskets, turntables, and clear bins to create that Pinterest-worthy look. We make it easy for our clients by making the product lists, and then doing all shopping, purchasing, and returning of items. We then invoice the client only for the products we end up using in their home. There were a lot of products for this project! We created an ongoing organizing product zone in the dining room for all the items needed throughout the home.  Organizing product zone in client's dining room Home Organizing RevealedWe simply loved how this home turned out! We were able to transform so many spaces, encourage the family to live with less, and make their daily routines like getting dressed so much easier. The primary closet became the male primary closet (see his closet featured in a separate blog post here). For her closet, we helped design and transform a craft room into her primary closet with the Elfa Decor closet line from The Container Store. The closet turned out so well and looked like a fancy boutique!  At the client's request, we used matching thin black velvet hangers throughout the home to make putting away laundry easier.  We added labeled baskets and fabric storage bins to the childrens' closets. There were many bags of clothing donations. We also labeled and set aside "too small" clothes as hand-me-downs for the younger children in the family.  Even the garage got some love, with labeled storage totes, new shelving to utilize vertical space, and grey bins that made it feel more modern.  Probably the most head-turning space was the pantry. This one took the most organizing products, but it was well worth it! We decanted baking supplies and pastas. She asked that we use clear, labeled bins and containers so she could easily see everything and her kids could go in and independently get snacks.  What's Next for this Newly Organized Family?The mom was so happy with the results and continued on as a maintenance client, with monthly visits to reset the organized spaces and work on any other projects that came up. Children are always changing and evolving, so someone is usually growing out of their current clothing size or has new toys or craft supplies to add in to the mix. The kids can be more independent and know how to find and put items back because everything is clearly labeled. Every item has a home in every room (even the linen closet and laundry room!) and the excess, unused items were said goodbye to.  Thanks so much for joining us on their organizing adventure recap! We loved helping this family feel less overwhelmed by their house.
Are you feeling like everything is out of place and would like one or all areas of your home to be organized too? Download our organizing guide to see what it's like to work with us! Warmly, Sandi  Your dream has come true: You have an organized and tidy home! Baskets are clearly labeled, like items are with like items, you've said goodbye to items that no longer serve your family, and you feel a sense of peace around you. Pure bliss. But wait... How are you going to keep it this nice?! Lucky for you, we're sharing 3 simple routines for maintaining your home organization. Routine #1: Tidy in 10 MinutesMaintaining your home is easy when you know where everything goes and every item has a home. Tidying daily is best, but try for at least every few days. Make it a routine to walk around the main living areas of your home and pick up all items that don't belong there and return them to their designated location. Then tidy up what stays within each room, such as dishes into the sink to wash, clothes into the hamper, and books back on the bookshelf. Get the family involved too! Toys, books, and games can get especially messy in the blink of an eye. It's OK to help out, but it's vital for kids to learn how to help clean up their possessions too. If mom always does it, it will be left out for mom to do it! (Read more about organizing playrooms and getting kids involved here). Another strategy is to collect these items throughout the day if you're already walking by. This is my favorite way to do it! I'll grab something that needs to go upstairs and place it at the bottom of the stairs. Then the next time I'm running upstairs, I grab the item waiting there on my way. It's efficient and a fantastic habit to get into. One more tip we share with clients is to take photos of how we organized your completed spaces and save them to an album on your phone. That way, if you forget how something was arranged, you can open the album in your photos app and see exactly how it was professionally organized.  Routine #2: Fast Decluttering for 15 MinutesI get it, nobody, not even professional organizers, keeps their homes perfectly pristine and organized like it was just organized that day. If there's a small area of your home that needs some decluttering love, you can use the same steps that we do as pro organizers, but on a mini-scale. Set a timer for 15 minutes and do some quick decluttering magic. Empty that drawer, basket of toys, or one small section of your clothes (like all PJs), and sort into broad categories. Be ruthless and donate anything you're not using or that's expired. Throw out anything unusable, and create a donation bag for items in good shape. Put items back into the space, grouped together by like categories. If you had us organize the space already, you will likely have labeled baskets, drawer organizers, or a closet layout to easily put items back into. Bonus tip: We always suggest that clients have a designated donation area/bag in their home. This makes it easy to put aside items that you want to donate. When there are enough items, put the bags in your front seat so you'll actually remember to donate them! When we organize or come by for maintenance, we will gladly take any donations away for you that you've set aside.  Routine #3: Hosting Bliss in a Half HourBefore your home was professionally organized, you probably felt panic like no other when guests were expected. Now, tidying is a smooth and quick process. All you need is 30 minutes or less. Start with Routine #1 to put items back in their place and do a quick tidy sesh. Think of where guests will come in: Can you put some coats on your hooks back into the coat closet so guests have a space to hang their items? While you're there, put shoes strewn on the floor back onto your shoe rack. Move the mail pile aside (or open it if it's small enough). A tidy entrance will make the best first impression. Fold your blankets, fluff your pillows, and clear any excess clutter where you'll be sitting. If guests are staying over, set out clean hand towels, place fresh towels and washcloths on the bathroom counter, put toiletries in the shower, and make sure there are clean sheets on the guest bed. Turn lights on throughout the downstairs to welcome your guests and think about offering some tea or coffee! Time to get cozy and relax with your guests.  As much as we try and as good as our intentions are, life happens. It can often be difficult to follow these routines and keep our homes tidy. We totally understand! That's why we offer our maintenance services.
We can refresh the systems we already created, do another round of decluttering, tackle your accumulated mail and paper piles, or even put away the 12 loads of laundry you finished (ha!). It feels like it never ends, and we get it! Feeling overwhelmed with tidying, despite your attempts to get organized? Download our organizing guide to see what it's like working with a professional organizer.  One of our favorite reasons to help clients is when they're experiencing big life changes. This family was going through two life-changing events at the same time: moving and having a baby. The pregnant mama contacted us when she was only a few weeks from giving birth. They were a military family with an active toddler and moving up from the Fayetteville area. Their possessions were being moved from two storage units. Having limited time (and energy!) to unpack herself, the mom wanted help with the most utilized areas of the home, including the kitchen, pantry, 3 bathrooms, and her daughter's closet. She wanted us to add products and liked the uniform "Container Store" look. Our Process & Project Launch We were able to see the home before the move-in date to take measurements and do product planning. We sent our signature pantry/kitchen product quiz to the mom to get a sense of her style. Then, we created the product list for her to take a glance at and approve. We come prepared and always like to overbuy since we do problem-solving in the moment to see what works best in a space. Then, we return unused products and only invoice the client for what is used. One challenge we came across since the home was a new build, was that the closing date kept getting pushed back, as they very often do with new construction. We were originally planning on unpacking their home early to mid-December. Our organizers were dedicated and committed to moving this family in in time for the holidays! We ended up having a team of 3 organizers there on December 22nd and 23rd. They divided and conquered, working like little Christmas elves to organize, bring in new product, and label everything with function and precision. What a sigh of relief it was to our clients to be moved in and organized just in time for the festivities. Since the family's possessions had been in storage for quite some time, there was a lot of decluttering. They learned to live without many of the items stored away in boxes. Luckily, we take all donations for our clients, so once they made the decision to let it go, we hauled it away for them. For moving and unpacking tips, read 5 Tips for a Seamless Packing & Unpacking Experience That You Don’t Want to Miss  Home Organizing RevealedKitchen drawers had bamboo organizers and glasses and dishes were strategically placed near the dishwasher for easy put-away.  The pantry looked stunning while also being maintainable, with clearly labeled baskets and gleaming white can shelves.  Before & After Pantry Organization The bathroom drawers were divided into like items with clear organizers, and under the sink, vertical space was utilized with stacking drawers.  The toddler girl's closet had matching velvet hangers for her adorable clothing as well as labeled baskets on the shelf above.  The family was so happy with their organized and ready to live in home. The pregnant mom didn't have to spend weeks unpacking while chasing around her toddler. What a relief!  Before & After Kitchen Organization Thank you for joining us on this unpacking journey! We love helping clients unpack and feel at home as quickly as possible in their new space.
Do you have an upcoming move and are wondering what it's like to work with a professional organizer? Download our organizing guide. Cheers, Sandi |