GET ORGANIZED THIS SUMMER
Alison Fredericks runs Hammersmith-based home organisation and decluttering service My Clear Space. A born organiser, she launched her business after finding friends and family were increasingly calling on her skills to help add some order to their busy homes.
A Hammersmith resident for 11 years, Alison worked in television before leaving during her first pregnancy. Now a parent of three, she manages her business around looking after her sons and daughter, ages nine, five and two.
Where did you get the idea for My Clear Space?
It’s an idea that developed over the last few years. Living in London with three children, there are always too many things and not enough room. I’ve always been an organised person but I personally started decluttering seriously after becoming frustrated with not having enough space despite living in a four-bedroom house. I then started helping family and friends do the same and it’s grown from there.
What kinds of services does My Clear Space offer?
We offer a decluttering and home organisation service that is specifically tailored to meet the needs of each client, from reorganising a wardrobe to sorting through an entire house. We often help families with children who are overrun with toys, clothes and baby equipment. We help decide which items to keep and how to organise so you can easily find what you need.
We also give advice when expecting your first child. There is such a vast array of baby items on the market and when you are a new parent you can often spend large amounts of money on items that you don’t need or use, which then clutter up your home for years. We can help organise at home so you are ready for the new baby—whether this is reorganising the cupboards or changing a study into a nursery.
We can also help with household paperwork and administration, setting up filing systems so you can find documents when you need them and helping reduce the amount of paper kept in the home. Another service we offer is helping an elderly person who may need to move, perhaps out of their home into sheltered accommodation. This can leave an entire house to sort through, which can be an emotional and difficult job. And we get a lot of interest from clients looking for advice about selling on eBay or Gumtree.
How do you run the business around looking after your three children?
It’s not easy but I start with trying to be as organised as I can! I get a lot done in the evenings when the children are in bed and I’ve learnt to be very efficient and work whenever I get the chance during the day. My two-year-old doesn’t nap every day but when she does I try to make the most of that time. I usually book appointments with clients when the boys are at school and my mother tries to help with the youngest when she can. As all working parents know, it can be tricky when your child wakes up with a temperature and you know you might not be able to work. It’s always a difficult balance of looking after your child and not letting a client down.
What is your favourite aspect of running My Clear Space?
I love seeing the pleasure a client gets when they part with items that have been cluttering up their home for ages. Or when we organise a part of their home that has been on their to-do list for years. It’s a feeling of freedom, a burden lifted. It’s great being able to share this. I love the personal contact with clients.
I also enjoy the independence of running my own business and the flexibility it gives my work-life balance. It’s not easy to juggle everything, but it’s great to have the freedom to do the school run and take time off during school holidays. I’m also motivated to give my children a good work ethic and show them it’s important to find something you are good at that you also enjoy.
How do you organise your own home, and what are your top tips?
As you can imagine my home is fairly organised and clutter-free, but even with a lot of tricks up my sleeve, I also have to be realistic with three children. I declutter frequently and have good filing systems for paperwork. I use eBay and Gumtree a lot and regularly donate to charity shops. I have a very organised system for keeping clothes from my eldest for younger siblings. Toys are always a challenge, especially at birthdays and Christmas. I make sure I sort through each child’s toys in the month up to their birthday to make room for new toys and start decluttering in October for Christmas.
My top tips are to think before you buy—do you have room for it in your house? And if you can’t do it every day, make a time each week to do mail and paperwork. Another tip is clever furniture and storage, which can be very useful especially in London where space is at a premium. I love well-designed multifunctional furniture, and it doesn’t always have to be expensive—Ikea often has some good ideas. Declutter first and work out exactly what you need to store so you’re not stuffing your new storage spaces full of items you never use.
Any tips for getting children involved in decluttering?
It can be difficult for children as most love all their toys and don’t want to part with anything. However, there are ways to encourage them. Ideally you should begin when they are young (3 or 4 years old) but it’s never too late to start! In the run-up to Christmas or their birthday, talk to them about the new toys they will be receiving and explain that you need to make space. It can help if you have spent a bit of time sorting and can present them with five to ten toys that you know they don’t play with often or that they’ve grown out of. You can then ask your child which items they would like to give to the charity shop to make space for their new presents.
For older children, you can help them sell on eBay, get them to organise a tabletop sale or go with them to a car boot sale. If you agree to let them have some or all of the profits this usually helps encourage them to declutter! You can also use the school fair as a decluttering event. Often schools ask parents to donate children’s toys and books. Tell your child if they donate five items you will give them some money to spend at the fair—make sure you don’t give them too much to spend as you don’t want them coming home with more than they’ve donated! Again, you may have to guide your child about which toys to donate (you don’t want them donating your family heirlooms!) and you may need to offer a bit more money to encourage older children.
If you are really struggling with toy overload, it can help to make a rule that if it is broken, damaged or incomplete then it goes.
For more of Alison’s decluttering advice and help visit www.myclearspace.co.uk.
