A mum-of-four turned decluttering her home into a career after watching Marie Kondo’s Netflix show.
Emma George, 45, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, launched her decluttering business after youngest child started secondary school and she wanted to do something for herself.
As a busy mum she had always stayed on top of tidying her home and realised she could make it a job after watching the popular organisation show and coming across other organisers.
Emma’s pantry started out looking unorganised but after a quick declutter and by adding some lavish looking gold and brash containers it looks incredible
Since launching in January 2020, Emma has helped loads of people organise their homes – by decluttering their spaces and giving them new storage options.
Emma said: ‘I wanted to do something for myself after looking after the kids for so long.
‘I was a bit bored just in the house alone. I’ve always been a good organiser as I’ve got four kids.
‘I didn’t realise it could be a job until I saw Marie Kondo’s TV programme on Netflix.
Her family utility room was a messy unorganised space used as a storage area for the children’s bikes and shoes, however after a quick declutter and tidy it looks like a bigger organised space
Emma advises that people should start with a small area so it’s less overwhelming, like this cupboard that hold all the families paper work, by just adding storage the area looks beautifully organised
Moving items around and creating certain places for just items, such as pots can transform a space from looking disorganised to having some unity
‘Now I help people sort and organise their homes. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.’
Emma offers a personal service to help her clients declutter and organise their home to suit them.
‘We have a consultation first – either at their home if they live nearby or over Whatsapp – and then we figure out how to go about it,’ she said.
‘I love being able to go in and help people and make them feel organised. I’ve had amazing responses.’
Since lockdown restrictions lifted, business has boomed, and Emma is now booked a month in advance.
She charges £140 for half a day, £245 for a full day of decluttering and £70 for virtual coaching.
‘Lots of women just need an extra hand or to know where to start,’ she said.
‘Even I have a messy house from time to time but if you’re organised to start with it should make it easier to clean up. That’s what I want to give others.’
Emma is constantly researching and learning about new tips and hacks to share with her clients.
‘It takes a lot of work to find the right things,’ she said.
‘One of my favourite hacks is hanging your hairdryer of the side of the dresser with a hoop so it is nicely tucked away.
‘The best thing is the reward of knowing you’ve helped someone out.’
Emma said to start by decluttering your food cupboards and then see what storage containers or baskets you need, by adding clear uniformed containers, it adds structure to the cupboard and makes it look smart and tidy
Since lockdown restrictions lifted, business has boomed, and Emma is now booked a month in advance