Libbi Moore initially recognized the importance of decluttering and organization when her first husband was diagnosed with cancer only three weeks after their wedding. Life became extremely busy with medical appointments and treatment, and with Moore teaching high school history and pursuing her master’s degree, many people reached out to help her family with laundry, cleaning, and being an extra set of hands.
“I just tried to keep my house constantly organized with systems in place so that if we had an emergency and we were hospitalized for days or weeks, everything in the house was ready for someone to step in,” says Moore.
A year after her husband’s death, she became her father’s caregiver when he was in the early stages of dementia. She helped him downsize several times, from a single-family home all the way to a nursing facility, before he died.
“At the same time, I had a 1-year-old and was a stay-at-home mom, so that was also precious time I wanted to spend with her,” she says.
Her experiences decluttering and handling loved ones’ items with care prompted her to create her professional organizing business, Neatly Ever After, in 2022. The company is based in Warrenton and serves clients in surrounding counties throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.
She says a lot of phone calls and emails her company receives are from people who are overwhelmed for a variety of reasons — those who have grief, anxiety, depression, postpartum anxiety, or are working full-time while taking care of children.
“Clutter, scientifically, has been shown to cause heightened cortisol levels and stress,” says Moore. “Everyone needs helping hands and a village sometimes, and that has been really rewarding.”
Here’s her advice about where to begin organizing and decluttering a home.
Start by Sorting
If you’re starting with a drawer, closet, or cabinet, rearrange items in that space one group at a time.
“I tell my children this all the time — if you can’t find a certain Lego piece, sort the Legos that are right in front of you,” Moore says. “You’re bound to find it while you’re sorting.”
Moore says that once you sort items into categories, you can make an informed decision about what to keep or donate.
“A lot of times with our clients, if we’re organizing their walk-in closet and we’ve sorted every single article of clothing, this is the first time they’ve ever seen all of their black leggings together or all of their jeans together,” says Moore. “Right away, they understand — a lot of the time — that they have more than they really need.”
Review Keepsakes
Especially when organizing the home of a loved one, you’re likely to find many keepsakes such as antiques, jewelry, trophies, or blankets. Moore says that for people who may be going through traumatic or heartbreaking moments, all items can feel like keepsakes.
“You might keep a little more in your first round of organizing, and that’s OK,” she says. “We start by making a keepsake bin for each family member.”
Treasure Photos
It’s important to protect photos, especially hard copies that may not have duplicates. This is why memorializing them digitally is valuable, according to Moore.
For example, if organizing a grandparent’s home, Moore’s team collects all the photos, removes them from their frames (because most people don’t want frames that don’t match their own home decor), and sends them to be digitized so they can live in Google Photos, Google Drive, or a Dropbox account.
“This way, the whole family has access to all of those photos and they can make their own Shutterfly books, or something similar,” says Moore.
Recognize Your Own Space
People have a finite amount of space in their own homes, and Moore says we need to frequently make decisions about what stays or goes.
“You cannot possibly take every item from your parent’s home or grandparent’s home into your own home; it would be too overwhelming,” she says.
Moore recommends asking yourself, “Is this item really going to serve me?” and, “Is this really sentimental for me?”
It’s also important to think about how holding onto any item comes with a cost. Keeping, storing, maintaining, and organizing all costs time and money, Moore says.
“I really believe deeply that none of our loved ones would want us burdened more deeply with more things than we would like to keep and maintain,” she adds.
Realize Time is Precious
Moore believes the power of organization brings us back to our roots as human beings.
“When you’re faced with the reality that time is precious, and when you’ve seen it with your very own eyes, it’s very freeing to know that every single item in your home is either beautiful, useful, or sentimental,” says Moore.
She says this is especially true when thinking about one’s own children and how every day is an important day to be with that child.
“Our mission is creating time for what matters most, and that’s what we’re aiming to do in anyone’s home — give them back that time and release anxiety when they walk into their home,” Moore says.
Feature image by Ali Caudill/Freebird Imagery
