The Intrepid Declutterer

By Melissa Blanton
The Greenville Journal

Clutter can take many forms. It’s the bills from five years ago piled on the kitchen table. Or coupons – the ones that won’t ever be used but are kept “just in case.” It can be dried-up ink pins, Buster’s right incisor, long-deceased house plants or the piles of clothes that seem to grow like a well-watered weed patch.

America represents just five percent of the world’s population but consumes 24 percent of the world’s goods. And by the looks of some homes, most of it is being stockpiled for future use.

Enter Adriel McIntyre. She was born organized. As a child her room would have made a drill sergeant proud. She always kept her closet arranged by the color spectrum, red T-shirts giving way to orange sweaters and yellow sweat pants.

McIntyre, 27, and a professional organizer, has spent much of her life sharing her uncanny orderliness with less-gifted friends and family members. In March she decided to take her talents public by starting The Intrepid Declutterer™, a business dedicated to helping Upstate residents simplify by eliminating clutter from their homes and businesses.

McIntyre, a Greenville resident since 1991, has lived in foreign countries including Ireland and Ecuador. But she said America tops the most-cluttered list. And the statistics back her up. Studies show that 80 percent of what Americans have they will never use. “People are just bombarded with stuff,” said McIntyre.

By the time clients call, said McIntyre, they are in a panic and don’t know where to start. But that makes her job a bit easier since it means they are actually ready for a change.

McIntyre encourages clients to start small and focus on one thing at a time. Even 15 minutes a day can make a difference. McIntyre suggests getting a box and walking through the house, picking up things that need to be thrown away or returned to their owners. Put the box in the car and commit to emptying it.

Clutter, said McIntyre, can be placed in two categories: the items that are visible and the items jammed in boxes and drawers. And both have to be addressed before a room can be considered organized.

McIntyre said there are several reasons people tend to hang on to their clutter. At times there is a sense of guilt associated with throwing things away. People feel they are being wasteful. They may also perceive an item has value when in reality it’s worthless.

McIntyre usually takes a three-step approach to helping client’s de-clutter their space. After separating items into needs, wants, and must keep, she has clients verbalize their reasons for keeping things.

Clients usually realize how ridiculous their pack-rat ways are after having to explain why they want to keep a pair of sweat pants from gym class 12 years ago, said McIntyre.

McIntyre said she can’t stress enough how important it is to keep organized. She spent some time recently in Mississippi doing hurricane relief work. Marriage certificates, deeds and family photos were lost because people had so much stuff they couldn’t find much in the short amount of time they had before evacuating.

McIntyre said her clients – more than 90 so far – don’t fit any particular demographic. “(Clutter) affects everyone,” she said.

Melissa Blanton
The Greenville Journal