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About Darlene
Born in Tucson, AZ, Darlene Deffes was born 2nd and grew up as a middle child. Darlene loved the "what if" game, which she initiated so often it eventually became banned from the household. She was and is very interested in everything artsy, crafty, DIY which feeds her endless curiosity. Later in life she became determined to learn or try everything she has been curious about, the list seems to never end.
Darlene has been a working artist since 2008 exhibiting her artwork at markets and fairs. She found herself getting carried away organizing her art bins and show equipment which inspired a new business venture after extensive research. Darlene is a Professional Organizer and loves it however she continues to create artwork regularly.
My Decluttering Method
Discarding is not my focus, weird, I know, especially for someone that offers professional organizing services (which involves decluttering in most cases). With my method we pay attention to what the decisions reveal and finding ways to connect self-care to the process keeping it gentle and un-invasive.
We declutter by category which help us to address like items once and then move on to the next category, making the most of our time and setting us up for efficiency. I am the queen of the "What-if's". The What-if's are a sure way to keep everything in the world, justify it and accept additional items that are given away.
I see my home items as an extension of myself. I see these items everyday, they are a part of my life. If they are a burden or remind me of failures or trigger shame, I don't want them around. When I surround myself with items I love, in an orderly way, I feel less stress.
Just think about walking into a grocery store, the neat organized shelves. Man, there are a lot of items on those shelves but because they are all faced in one direction and are organized, the grocery store doesn't feel cluttered. When a grocery store cares for the way the items look on their shelves it says something, it says they are taking care of their business.
Experience
Organizing & Decluttering
Having first hand experience is not only helpful but should put you at ease because I really do understand what it is like to have a lot of stuff. I come from a family that has hoarding issues on both sides and I do have OCD, so as you probably already know it is an ongoing battle. It does get easier especially when I set healthy boundaries and practice exposure therapy.
Residential Home Cleaning Service
I started this career in Chatham, Massachusetts, cleaning summer vacation cottages. They were the cutest! Many were decorated in a rustic beachy theme. This was back in 1999, long before Airbnb or VERBO became a thing. I continue to clean homes to this day. I use high quality equipment with closed systems that use Hepa filters, natural trusted non-toxic cleaning products, and high heat steam cleaning tools as well. I have many homes I clean with or without the client being present and several long term clients.
Vision
My vision is to be part of a movement in my community
where decluttering and organizing will be a proven pathway to hope, connection, increasing self-confidence, and healthy living.
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