Professional Organizing in Portland: The Option You’ve Never Considered…But Should

No matter how you frame it, spring cleaning is a drag. Even if you choose to hire a professional cleaner, you need to set aside time to declutter and clean up the items that have accumulated over the winter months. However, this doesn’t need to be as time-consuming as it sounds. What if we told you a service could take care of the problem for you? What if we told you this service would help you build healthy clutter habits?

Professional organizing is an invaluable service—you’ll start the summer with a freshly organized home, and you’ll learn a few tricks to keeping your living or office space free of clutter. We talked with Devon Burton of ZeroChaos about the world of professional organizing in Portland.

Though Burton explained she hasn’t noticed a significant spring cleaning surge, she is consistently booked year-round—generally about three weeks in advance. “I have a good mix of clients,” she said. “Some are very affluent to upper-middle class, others middle class, and on occasion I get someone who saves and budgets for me.” Burton said that her clients generally hire her for the same reason: “Often, people who hire me have an abundance of stuff. More than they need, but they cannot get themselves to decide on their own what to keep, so I am often very helpful to them in processing, prioritizing, and making decisions. I work with people who suffer from hoarding on occasion.”

Regardless of your organizational habits and clutter tendencies, a professional organizer can help set you on the right track. “Often, people get overwhelmed and/or stuck trying to make progress in their home, so they hire me,” Burton continued. “Not only do I create a game plan for each individual project, but I help with donations, consignment, and junk removal, plus design/interior input and ideas. I also work with businesses to help them get organized behind the scenes and do general organizing maintenance for larger companies on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.” Whether you’re trying to tidy up your living space, your business, or your office, a professional organizer can help determine what to keep, what to toss, and what to store. For those items that are headed to storage, check out our local Portland solution.

“I’m quite adept at helping people break things down that they find overwhelming into manageable tasks,” Burton finished. “I help clients create a better flow to all the rooms in their home and create zones of order, so they always have a home where things belong.”

Though every organizer offers different approaches, most experiences begin with a consultation. This helps the professional better understand the scope of the project. For Burton, this session helps her understand her clients. “I begin with a complimentary consultation so I can see the project and the potential new client can meet me to make sure they feel comfortable hiring me. This is a very personal experience wherein I am allowed into someone’s private space to help them identify what is working, what is not working, and what we can change or alter to create the environment they desire.”

After the consultation, clients have the opportunity to select their own timeline. Burton explained, “I ask my clients what room or area they want to begin in, and we discuss if they want to just work with me or move things along faster and bring in an additional person or persons.” Then, it’s off to the races. The organizer will generally suggest a time frame and quote a price: “I suggest 4-6 hour sessions, and most people can only handle about 4 hours. When I’m packing or unpacking a house, I will often work 6-8 hours in a session.”

Portland offers a wide range for hourly rates—between $17 and $100/hour—but Burton prices herself competitively at $55/hour. Before deciding to hire an organizer, determine how much you’re willing to spend on the project. This will help narrow the field of professionals you might want to hire.

When working with a professional organizer, it is important to hire someone with experience. “Because I’ve been organizing for so long,” Burton began, “I have an abundance of ideas and options that I see will work for one client and not another.” Veteran organizers have the experience necessary to personalize each project. They can tailor your project to address exactly what you need. “I really take the time to understand a person or family’s process and lifestyle and work with them to adapt, adjust, and tweak things to create the environment they want. The same goes for businesses,” Burton articulated. “Every client is different and hires me for similar but different reasons. It’s never dull and always fascinating and fun for me to help them.”

If you’re looking for a Portland-area professional organizer, ZeroChaos is a great option. Burton has extensive experience in professional organizing and offers a competitive hourly rate. She explained, “I hear on a regular basis that my clients have fun working with me. They don’t feel judged and they love the ideas I come up with for their home or business.”