When I was in college, I always studied at the desk of my friend and roommate, Buffalo Grove resident Jodi Pine. Even though our desks were exactly the same size, hers always seemed more spacious and appealing. Maybe that’s because my desk was always piled high with mounds of clutter and Jodi had a very tidy and ultra-organized desk that she was nice enough to let me use.

Another friend, Vernon Hills resident Michelle Moody keeps her home so clean and clutter-free she could throw a party with no advanced warning. In fact, Michelle is so organized she has become a Professional Organizer and has her own business called Clutter Consulting. She is also a member of NAPO, National Association of Professional Organizers, which makes her “officially” more organized than many.

Because I’m no stranger to clutter, I was curious about what a Professional Organizer actually does. I decided to follow Michelle on a Clutter Consulting job at the home of my friend, Buffalo Grove resident Staci Turofsky. Right away, Michelle and Staci were a perfect match. Here was my most organized friend with my most… well… um… let’s just say Staci is not as organized as Michelle.

The task at hand was to de-clutter Staci’s otherwise clean kitchen, especially her countertops, which hadn’t seen the light of day in quite a while. “I’ve always had things a little scattered,” recalls Staci. “But now with a newborn, a pre-schooler and my husband, things get shoved into cabinets more than they used to.”

Michelle took out three boxes labeled “garbage,” “recycle,” and “donate.” When trying to de-clutter, she says to ask yourself, “Do I need it, use it, or love it? If you answer no to all three, get rid of it.”

Some things we were able to get rid of were a dinner plate from a woman Staci hasn’t spoken to in three years, expired containers of macaroons from the past few Passovers, a chewed-up toy that belonged to the disobedient dog she got rid of two years ago, a tray from a discarded toaster oven, a bobble-head Roly Poly Oly lid that has no matching cup and a shot glass from the wedding of “Elizabeth and Michael” who are now divorced.

Staci did insist she keep the four, never-been-used, 12x20 foil roasting pans “in case I ever do Thanksgiving.” (Even though her mom or aunt always does it!) And while piling items in the cabinets, Michelle reminded Staci to “know your limit. How deep are you willing to go to get something? Do what makes sense to you.”

After freeing up lots of cabinet space, it was time to put seldom-used countertop items in there. At first, Staci was reluctant to put away or throw out anything from her counters. She claimed she needed it all.

After much prodding, we removed countertop items such as three, multi-sized canisters with nothing in them, a large blender that has only been used twice in four years and a Lazy Susan which contained five disposable coffee cup lids with no cups, vitamins that no one uses and bacon bits that Staci used once when a friend came over for salad last year. The best countertop item was the plugged-in electric can opener Staci felt she needed, even though she only had one lone can of green beans in all of her cabinets.

By the end of the evening we had filled our three boxes many times and discovered that Staci was a lid-hoarder. Throughout the kitchen we found 39 random lids for bowls, without any matching bowls. “So, I should just throw all these lids away?” asked Staci as she reluctantly put them in the recycle box.

All in all, this job took about six hours to complete. “People are shocked at how much time it actually takes,” notes Michelle. “In order to do a thorough job you have to go through every cabinet and every drawer.”

“My kitchen still looks incredible!” beams Staci two weeks later. “Michelle helped me get rid of the clutter and make space so my family and I can enjoy eating and hanging out in the kitchen once again. Everyone who comes here is so impressed with the changes, plus the way Michelle helped me arrange everything will make it easier for me to keep it this way.”

Michelle Moody advises clients to organize an area first before running out and getting cute containers or baskets. “Most of the time, people already have what they need in their house, it’s just not being used efficiently or effectively. It’s not the pretty, matching baskets that will keep someone organized, it’s the system.”

Well, although I will never be a member of NAPO, I definitely walked away with some great ideas. I even wrote them down on a list that’s now sitting in a pile somewhere.

If you’d like a free consultation from Clutter Consulting, contact Michelle Moody at 847-877-9223 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Michelle charges $50 per hour with a 10% discount for clients that book five or more hours. Also, if you decide to hire Michelle and mention this column, you will get $10 off your first session.

Michelle works evenings and weekends and can help organize any room in your home or office. She also helps prepare for life changes such as making space for an addition to the family, moving, downsizing and sending a child off to college.

If you know people who should have a column written about them, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thanks!

© 2007 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois