Commonly Asked Questions and Concerns

So you are thinking about hiring a professional organizer to support you in your home, but you have questions!! 

I have answered many of the same questions in the years passed and addressed common concerns about hiring a professional organizer so that you may find your answer below. If not, I’m a zero-pressure person to reach out to and ask anything you might have in that beautiful brain. 

I’m so embarrassed to let someone see my mess! I’m afraid of being judged!

It always hurts my heart to hear someone express this shame and pain because shame is a downward spiral that keeps you stuck. You deserve all the support you want and need with ZERO judgment. 

Know this. There is NOTHING wrong with you. You have NOT failed. Mess is morally neutral (credit to KC Davis for that statement). 

There are so many reasons we lose control of our home. And I mean SO many reasons. Lack of time, lack of energy, neurodivergence, dealing with chronic health issues or an injury, parenthood, taking care of a parent, childhood and adult traumas, not being taught care tasks when you were young, unsupportive spouses, aging, anxiety, depression. Pair one of the above-listed reasons with the supersonic speed “stuff’ comes at us and into our homes, and you have a recipe for a chaotic environment. 

When I come to your home, I assess your current state, gain a clear vision of your end goal, and create a plan. I have no desire to judge you, but I want to help you fix your circumstances and give you the home you dream of. The most often heard compliment we receive is how our clients feel warmth and empathy from our team, never an ounce of judgment. 

How much will this cost?

Sorry! I can not give you an exact quote. There are so many variables in this work. The density of items in a space, the physical size of items being decluttered, the client’s ability to focus and decision-making speed, unexpected challenges, interruptions, and the level of emotion or triggers involved. 

We do not charge for large packages or ask you to make a significant investment upfront. Instead, we charge by the session (we book in four-hour blocks with a solo organizer or a team); this way, you can schedule sessions that work for your budget, mental bandwidth, energy level, and time. Some clients like to rip the band-aid off and have us transform their home in a week, and some will book one session a month for a year! You get to control the pace and investment session by session. 

How long will my decluttering project take?

As mentioned above, there are so many variables, and each client is unique. It is safe to say that one four-hour session with a team of two will completely change one to two small/average-sized spaces. 

Here is a general breakdown based on rooms with one organizer with an “average” amount of clutter (the higher the density of items, the more significant the time investment) and an “average” pace of decision making by the client:

Kitchen: 4-12 hours 

Garages: 8-20 hours 

Primary Bedroom Closet: 4-8 hours 

Bathrooms: 4-6 hours 

Pantries: 4-8 hours 

Home Office: 8-16 hours 

Playrooms: 8-16 hours 

What does a decluttering session look like?

• We will do a quick walk through your space and review your goals when we arrive. 
• We will then take over your room while you step out for a bit to set up our edit stations and supplies. 
• We will begin pulling items out of designated areas for rounds of “edits.” 
• When setting up your edits, we kindly request that you are not in the space. This gives your brain some time to decompress from the visual stimulation and allows us (the organizers) to stay focused and communicate as a team. 
• We will go through rounds of edits until near the end of your session. Then we will start tidying, resetting your space, and breaking down our stations. We typically stop editing about 60 minutes before the end of your session to make sure we have plenty of time to reset your space, load donations, break down our supplies, and accommodate time to deliver donations if you choose. 
• If you want us to deliver donations, that will need to be built into your session to accommodate drive time and the drop-off.  
• We will bag up garbage and break down recycling, but we do not drive those items off.   

I do not want before and after photos done!

Since our passion is serving women in major overwhelm, our client base typically struggles with shame and frustration, and the last thing I’m going to do is push to broadcast your space on the internet! If you barely got up the confidence to call me, insisting on before and after photos for the sake of my website would be harmful to you. This is not something I focus on or consider critical to our business. Though people do like to see photos to help judge their own space needs and possibilities, if you don’t mind having your space used as a before and after, we will give a small thank you discount! But please know that we do not push for this!

I’m neurodivergent. Can you help me with my individual needs? 

We are not trained mental health professionals or psychiatrists. But we have a big passion for supporting individuals’ unique needs. During our consultation, if you are comfortable, we will discuss your diagnosis and executive function strength and weaknesses, so I can customize your plan and system recommendations around how your brain functions.

Are you a safe person for LGBTQ and other marginalized community members?

YES. YES. YESSSSSSS. We have big wide, open arms for you! We are intersectional feminists and believe black lives matter. We work hard to be a safe place for you. And if you are reading this and do not support these communities, Rock Star is not the right company for you. 

Will I be able to sustain the progress we make?

Sustaining progress is all about mindset shifts, systems, and maintenance habits. I believe this piece is as critical as the decluttering/simplification and organization work we will do. I’m available to help you with this, along with the physical transformation. 

Will you throw my beloved belongings away and make me live like a monk in an all-white room with no furniture?

I’m not a minimalist (though I am a bit minimal-ish as I do not care to clean or organize my house any more than I have to!), and I have no plan to make you one. Our work together is about creating the home YOU want. You can be a minimalist or a maximalist or, like many, somewhere in between, and I will support you happily. 

What makes you different from other organizers? 

The cool thing about the organizing industry is the eclectic mix of the organizer’s backgrounds. We have therapists, lawyers, interior designers, SAHM, and more that left their fields to organize. And while there are many commonalities, we are all so unique. 

My motivation is to use organizing practices to reduce women’s overwhelm and increase their time freedom. I want to see more women in their zones of genius and passion. A woman with time to achieve her goals (she could run for office or just rest and take care of herself) is what our society needs. My work is very feminist-inspired. 

I’m a bit of a rebel in my industry because I believe our industry can be a massive support to our clients, but it can also be harmful. So many of the social media posts you see are perfectly curated spaces that are not realistic or sustainable. These unattainable expectations put on women is HOW we got into this mess of exhaustion and overwhelm; women are freaking tired of keeping up with everyone’s expectations of perfectionism. Sometimes the organizing industry reminds me of the diet industry, which makes me feel angry. So perfectionism does not sit well with me, and you will never hear me encourage that. 

I’m a functional organizer. I’m not a luxury organizer.  I will get you to a realistic and sustainable place with compassion in a budget-conscious way without insisting you buy $1000.00 worth of containers that will not solve the core issues going on in your home.  I have experience with storage solutions; they are just not the first or most important step in my approach. I love making a space beautiful, but you, the human, are more of a concern to me than the aesthetic of a room. 

If your needs and wants are strong around simplification and systems to automate your household, I’m a good candidate for you. Want a closet that will rival the Kardashians? I’m not your gal. 

What type of projects and clients are you specialized in working with? 

Rock Star’s passion and superpower are downsizing and simplifying spaces for women that have become highly cluttered or overwhelming. Our process is effective and as fast as our client feels comfortable going. We cater our approach to women that are stressed or ashamed about their home, do not know where to start, do not have support systems in place, or never learned organization skills.