CLEVELAND — Lisa Hudak is a NEAT freak; organizing, unpacking and downsizing are some of her specialties.
“When I walk into a home, I get so excited. I love the challenge,” said Hudak, the owner of the NEAT Method Cleveland.
The NEAT Method is a home organization company with professional organizers across the U.S. and Canada. Hudak brought the franchise to Cleveland during the pandemic. NEAT Method is also in Columbus and Cincinnati.
“A lot of people spend a lot of time and money making sure their home looks beautiful and well appointed, but then you open up a drawer and everything's falling out or you open up the closet and everything kind of piles on you,” said Hudak. “And that can really contribute to peoples’ mental clutter, and overwhelm people.”
With more people working from home than ever before because of the pandemic, Hudak and her team help make the spaces you have functional for the life you live.
“It's really kind of looking into every nook and cranny and making sure all the spaces are optimized,” said Hudak. “We're really just aiming to help calm the chaos for our clients and, you know, really give them a sense of peace and calm in their home.”
Spring cleaning is one of Hudak’s favorite times of year.
“It's just such a great time to reset and refresh and it feels so good,” said Hudak.
If you’re like her and want to clean your own home, the master organizer recommends you start with one room at a time.
“Breaking it down to a few spaces at a time so that it's not too overwhelming, because part of the process really is taking everything out, categorizing it, sorting it, editing, purging, and then we take that off for donations for you,” said Hudak.
Once you edit out the things you don’t need, she likes to organize using bins and labels, but only once she’s mapped out and measured the space.
“That's the secret sauce because you could perfectly organize this drawer, but as soon as you take an item out, go about your day and then it's really hard to put it back in the same spot. Things move around, we actually have some tips and tricks around using museum gel and putty and the bottoms of the containers so they don't kind of slip around within the drawers,” said Hudak.
When it comes to the bathroom, she said don’t overbuy.
“Everything doesn't have to be in the space, you know? You don't need to have 20 bars of soap and 10 shampoos and you know 30 tubes of toothpaste,” said Hudak. “If you're going to buy like that, then create a backstock bin, something where you almost go and shop that backstock bin when you're checking to see if things are low. It'll keep things much more streamlined and easier to maintain in your space.”
When it comes to clothing, she said less is more.
“Is it serving a function in my life today, maybe it did in the past, but isn't anymore, really thinking through that,” said Hudak. “Definitely less is more, being thoughtful with what you have, making sure that the items that you do have have meaning. And it's something that makes you feel good. Don't just hold on to something to hold on to something or because someone gave it to you.”
She said color coordinating and using matching hangers can also help calm the chaos.
“It helps eliminate the visual kind of clutter if you're seeing different colors and materials,” said Hudak. “Something else is, especially with children, using baskets and bins and that's just really because we know kids aren't the best at folding, right? So if everything's tucked in a basket, it's much easier for it to look tidy and neat."
Hudak works with a few local charities to make sure items and clothing her clients purge end up donated and in the hands of people in need.
“Just kind of getting into the mindset and really helping those families think through how the items that they may be holding on to could serve someone else so much better,” said Hudak. “It really does help our clients with the mental component of purging because they know those items are really going to someone that could use it.”
Spring cleaning helps Hudak not only clear out visual clutter, but her mental clutter. She said it can be overwhelming at first, but the end result is worth it.
“Just serving people and making them happy and relaxed and giving the big reveal at the end of the day is just, it's really amazing,” said Hudak.
The NEAT Method helps with complete home organizing, moves and relocations, and much more. For more information, you can visit here.