Member Article

Decluttering expert gives arthritis sufferer new lease of life

When local estate agency Ribston Pippin hooked up with Menston based decluttering expert Kate Ibbotson from A Tidy Mind to offer clients a unique service when selling their home, they hoped for success stories but little they know just what impact they could have on a local lady’s life.

65 year old Sharon Howell had lived in Menston with her dog, for 35 years. Heading into her retirement years and with her mobility impaired due to arthritis, Sharon was looking to put her house on the market and downsize. Having accumulated many possessions over the years Sharon was intrigued to see what ‘A Tidy Mind’ could achieve as she came to prepare her house for sale and organise her belongings ready to move.

As it happened Ribston Pippin had a ground floor flat coming onto the market locally perfect for Sharon. With the help of Kate, Sharon’s house was sold within a couple of weeks, enabling her to purchase the flat that was perfect for her next chapter in the village.

Kate said of the process: “Decluttering and simplifying was essential in order for Sharon to downsize, make the move less stressful and to simplify her home and head. Sharon was certain that she wanted to move with only what she needed but wanted to make sure she went through everything in order to make decisions.

Our first job was focusing on surfaces and “clutter hotspots” such as the hallway and bedside tables – many of the items had not been given permanent “homes” so tended to float around. The next focus was those areas where there is the most storage such as the loft and garage. As with a lot of people, Sharon had a tendency to delay the decision about whether or not she should keep something and place it ‘out of sight’ Unfortunately, this does not mean it was ‘out of mind’.   I helped Sharon consider each of her possessions in turn. I asked her questions such as ’when was the last time you used this? Does it add value to your life? Do you own something else which can do a similar job? Based on her decisions we make a ‘keep’ and an ‘action’ pile as well as sorting recycling, charity donations, rubbish and items to sell into different coloured bags. 

As part of my service, I offer to donate items to various projects and charity shops, do tip runs, eBay selling and paperwork shredding. For Sharon, I arranged for her wedding dress to be made into gowns for stillborn babies by the company ‘Heavenly Gowns’ and also put some train and plate collectibles on Ebay for her.

My aim is to make decluttering a positive experience for my clients – it’s an emotional time and we discuss some of their negative thoughts patterns and how they can let these go too. In addition, it’s important to have fun – it’s common for clients to do a fair bit of laughing and crying within the same session!“

Sharon said:“I would just like to thank Ribston Pippin and Kate from A Tidy Mind for making my transition so easy. This move was something I was dreading as there was so much to deal with, but they have made it so seamless - and I love that some of my old items now have a new lease of life, especially my wedding dress”.

If you are looking to sell your home and interested in taking advantage of this offer it is still available.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chocolate PR .