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Clearing out the clutter
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Monday, November 20, 2006 10:10 AM EST
Argus-Press Photo/Anthony Cepak Janet Felling, left, speaks with Sharon Tallon in the basement of Tallon’s Corunna home. Felling will soon help Tallon organize the space.
Looking at a messy basement, the average homeowner sees a daunting challenge - a cluttered mess of dusty boxes, picture frames and other items that could take weeks to sort through.
Show that same basement to Janet Felling, however, and her eyes see something else.
“I can look at a big mess and see what it's supposed to be,” said Felling, 57, an Owosso resident.
Felling runs Establishing Order, a professional organization service. For a fee, she'll tackle anything that needs to be organized - dorm rooms, home offices, basements, kitchens and more.
Felling's knack for organization has always been fostered by necessity. Growning up as the oldest of three girls in a small Flint home, she had to make the most of the space she had. Much of her professional life was spent as a secretary and in other office postions, which further developed her skills.
“I had to know where everything was,” she said of her office work. “When the boss wanted something, you had to provide it instantly.”
She finally decided to try her hand at professional organizing last year after watching the HGTV television show “Mission: Organization,” which helps homeowners organize and maximize space in their home.
Felling charges by the hour - or by the job - and works in a few different ways. If you want, she can do all the organization herself, or she can lend her expert advice and let you do all the work. More often than not, it's a combination of the two - Felling and a homeowner work together, with Felling offering tips, tricks and organizational tidbits throughout the process.
“The best thing is if they work with me,” she said. “If they help do it, they can see what needs to be done.”
Felling admits there's several ways to organize a space, and it's obviously important to let the homeowner have input over what's being done with their things. But getting the homeowner involved also helps by letting them figure out an organizational method that can be continued long after Felling is gone. On that note, she tries to take advantage of whatever success her clients have already had with their belongings.
“No matter how messy they are, they've got something that works for them,” she said. “I try to build on that.”
Homeowners have to purchase organizational materials needed during the process, but Felling said she tries to take advantage of unlikely aides during her organizational efforts, including things that might otherwise be thrown out. An old refrigerator or freezer might become a storage unit, for instance, or she might get creative with space that isn't normally utilized.
Felling said getting organized helps save time and money. Beyond that, it's also a great stress-reducer - knowing the exact location of something is a lot easier than hours of searching. But to her, it's also just the way things are supposed to be.
“You look at the universe, and everything is organized,” she said. “That's the way we (should be).”