New program teaches how to declutter home

After the loss of her father, Janet Sydnor helped her mother downsize. She said she was lucky to have family that was willing and able to help sort and organize decades of accumulation. 

She knew others weren’t so lucky.

“How could people do this if they don’t have help?” she remembered wondering. “It’s so overwhelming, especially for someone who’s grieving or someone who’s leaving the house they’ve lived in for 25 to 50 years. It’s devastating.”

Her experience gave her the idea for Smooth Transitions Delaware. Her company provides downsizing, estate dispersal and organizational services to seniors, their adult children and others who need assistance with the tasks of moving.

One aspect of her business is helping folks better organize their homes. She said it’s easy to throw something in a junk drawer or in a rarely used room of the house and just forget about it. Over time, those piles turn into mountains and can become overwhelming.

“We come in and work side-by-side with the client,” she said. “We learn what’s important to them and go through everything in an orderly way to get their rooms back to being functional.”

Sydnor will share some of her strategies to declutter the home through a free six-week program beginning Monday, Feb. 4.

Shambles to Ship Shape in Six Weeks is aimed at decluttering places in the home where stuff gets stashed and forgotten - countertops, drawers, shelves, closets and corners.

The program will focus on one specific area each week, beginning with junk drawers.

Sydnor will post a target area each Monday with a goal to have it conquered by Sunday. Participants will be asked to share before-and-after photos to show their progress. Sydnor is planning to participate in the program along with her followers, and offer tips and encouragement throughout the week.

She said she’s most looking forward to tackling an upstairs closet in her home.

“There are some things I put in that closet when we moved in here 12 years ago because I didn’t know what to do with it then,” she said. “Every time I open that closet, it makes me anxious.”

The program will be administered through a closed Facebook group called Shambles to Ship Shape in Six Weeks. New members will be allowed to join through the second week.

The idea, Sydnor said, is for members to offer encouragement and support to each other. Negative, rude comments will be deleted, she said.

Sydnor is a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers and the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.

To join the six-week program, request membership on the Facebook page. Prospective members will be asked two simple questions, then added to the group.

To learn more about Smooth Transitions Delaware, go to www.YourMoveManaged.com or call 302-273-0303.