Away It Goes

Debby is amazing! With 20+ years experience as a Social Worker, Debby provides a unique service. She is a home organizer, an emotional declutterer, and all around life coach. Debby strove to not only get rid of stuff and make my house function better (and she does a great job with this), but she helps me to examine my own thought processes and difficulties to help create lasting (not temporary) solutions and systems. We started working together at the end of summer 2012, and have had sessions together most months since then. As a mom of three young kids who was recently diagnosed as having ADD, I'm the kind of person who gets extremely overwhelmed by the many and quot;thingsand quot; that quickly spread out all over in the house...toys, papers, clothes, groceries...everything! So Debbie comes in periodically to help me and quot;wipe the slate cleanand quot;. This reset helps get me to a place where I am no longer overwhelmed, but confident that I can make small, manageable changes that eventually lead to more overarching improvements in our life at home. Debby is upbeat, caring, and honest - she doesn't just tell you what you want to hear...she tells you how it is in reality. I plan to continue partnering with Debby in the future for all of my organizing needs!

The first visit was a house tour and discussion about goals. I was interested in her help organizing and culling piles of stuff on our first and second floor. She said not to touch anything before she came so there were piles of stuff in the dining room, and two bedrooms. Between the first and second visit my husband cleaned the first floor, which meant moving the piles from the dining room to the guest bedroom, so we still addressed all three messes. We worked together for four hours over the course of two day and got both rooms under control. Debbie had some good ideas for storing things more efficiently in the guest room so less had to be moved to the basement and attic than I thought. At the end we had roughly 20 trash bags of donations that I later took to a Goodwill donation point. It was a very good experience and I would definitely use Deb again.

Debbie did a terrific job in helping to organize my bedroom, triaging clothing and a variety of personal effects. She has a very effective, professional approach to her work. In going at a huge amount of stuff, she facilitated decision-making to toss, recycle, or store things and worked along side me sorting items. She did this all in a pleasant, easy-going manner. She worked quickly, was extremely efficient and offered a user-friendly approach to the task, not being directive but offering wise suggestions throughout the process. She also helped to begin to organize a substantial pile of paperwork with helpful triage suggestions and encouragement to streamline what had to be kept vs. thrown away or shredded. Her method of setting fees is also user-friendly, taking into account personal economic circumstances. It is easy to see why she was chosen as Best of Boston in her field. I recommend her most highly.

When I first got in touch with Deb, we could barely close the door of the coat closet, the basement was a disaster, and my children's toys seemed to be taking over the entire house. We were also getting ready to move our youngest into a room with his sister, converting my husband's office into their bedroom, moving his office into the guest room, and so on. At our first meeting, Deb helped me think through our plan and see that it involved a lot of unnecessary time and effort. She literally saved us from hours of packing books and lugging boxes up and down stairs. By the time she left our first meeting, we had prioritized the order in which our problems needed to be tackled and we had discussed what role I wanted her to play (I do it by myself, she does it by herself, we work together, etc). We set up a meeting for the next week and she helped me tackle the disaster that was our basement storage room. In three hours, we went through everything, creating a huge throw-away pile that she helped carry to our trash area, a donation pile that she carted off, and organizing the rest of the stuff in a logical way. On her next visit, we tackled the play room (she helped assemble a new art table) and other spaces on the first floor that were taken over by unused stuff and my daughter's art supplies. Deb will work side-by-side with you if that's what you need, but she doesn't like wasting time, so when she felt that I was going through one area effectively she asked to go work on another area and re-organized my daughter's room. Between sessions, Deb was happy to offer advice by email as I looked for storage solutions. And she followed up telling me about a great organization that I could donate some of the way-too-many books in my office too. From big-picture planning to getting her hands dusty, Deb helped me stop chaos from taking over the house. If -- or, rather, when -- I need more help or am ready to tackle the kitchen cabinets, I will definitely call her. In the meantime, our coat closet closes easily and there is plenty of space on the top shelf.

I had an office so messy that I could hardly walk in it, and had to make a path just to get to my printer. In just the first session with Debby my office was amazingly better--better than it had been in years! We met once a week (that was up to me to decide), and each time I decided what part of the house we would tackle. Debby helped me feel better about keeping things I wanted to keep, and also to feel better about getting rid of things I didn't need or want. We also spent time talking about trouble I had in procrastinating on various tasks and what was holding me up. The result of both the organizing and discussions was that a block was cleared--I felt free to get so much stuff done!! I started organizing and cleaning up other areas of the house between the visits from Debby, and I also got some tasks done that I'd been putting off for ages. Throughout the process, Debby was gentle and kind with me, making sure we were doing what I wanted to do and that I was comfortable with the process. She made me feel empowered to control what we worked on, and also to feel ok if I didn't change my habits and become a neat person (which wasn't going to happen!).

Debby was very professional. She was very kind and consistent with her advice and questions. I was a bit anxious at the beginning of our session, but she helped me to relax and go through my piles of paper very methodically. She helped me to think systematically about the process of organizing information flow in my home. I got a lot accomplished during the first session. Debby was very encouraging to me about what I had accomplished, and I became motivated to continue on my own. It was a very positive learning session for me!

Deb did a wonderful job assessing the job and worked quite quickly. She had excellent ideas about how to decide what to keep and where to keep it. After just a short period of time a major amount of work was done. I was very impressed!

Overall, as stated above, the experience working with Deb Fenn from Away it Goes was great. She helped us to acomplish what we set out to do!

She is a lovely person BUT her quality of work was not up to par. Boxes she packed were VERY unorganized and not labeled

It went as well as it could!

Overall, Debbie did a great job. She is the best of Boston. She came when she said she was going to. She helped me get rid of alot of old papers, and odds and ends that I did not need. Debby was very pleasant to work with, very professional in her approach, and she really showed me how preserve when the going seemed daunting. The work went fast and smoothly.She inspired me to not only do my own bedroom but my master closet, masterbath and now working on finishing my dining room clutter. Things I learned from her were how to bring like things together, label things properly and that space in the house is very important. We had many boxes of toys to donate, papers to shred, and papers to recycle. She was quick to recognize the more important items vs. the less important, and to deal with them accordingly..

Debby returned my initial phone call promptly, and because we happen to live close to one another, she was able to come the same day to do an initial evaluation/assessment. I felt nervous about exposing the reality of my cluttered home to a complete stranger but she was very non-judgemental, good at listening, and we toured the entire house as i explained the clutter problem in each area. After completing the tour, she told me that honestly I had given her the solution to each problem, and that i am in fact organized (despite my clutter), so all i really have to do is find time to do the decluttering (sort, purge, and organize). I was surprised that, in effect, she was telling me I didn't need to throw my money away, despite the fact that she would be the one losing out! She gave me some practical tips for where to start, etc. I then decided that, although she basically told me i could do the decluttering without her, I wanted to have one session with her anyway to see how helpful it would be, and it turned out to be EXTREMELY helpful. She gave me some and quot;homeworkand quot; (ie to start decluttering one space) before our next meeting and in the process of doing that, i found that i wanted to move more stuff to the attic, but the attic was so full of junk that I could hardly walk in it. When Debby arrived for our session, she listened calmly to my various ideas of what might be the best use of our time, and decided that we should tackle the attic. BOY was i glad that we did that -- in less than 2 hours we transformed the attic, getting rid of tons of boxes to be recycled as well as trash -- and then organizing the and quot;stuffand quot; into various sections of the attic so that I can continue to sort and purge at a later date. it was hard physical work - moving lots of boxes and heavy things that were dirty, all the while bending one's head so that it wouldn't get bumped on the low slanted roof -- but she did it all efficiently and unjudgementally, despite the fact that at times i had difficulty parting with my stuff. She then even did me the favor of carting away about 6 large bags of garbage since my town doesn't allow more than one bin of garbage to be put out each week. I definitely would recommend Away It Goes to others -- Debby is highly professional, friendly and non-judgemental, and knows how to tackle difficult spaces. I will be certainly contacting her again in the near future.

I explained where to start and what was a priority. I was impressed on how she picked up on, on what I was needing. She worked right along side of me and it really helped me let go of my stuff that didnt necessarily need. She took at lot stuff to salvation army for me. Did a lot of the physical work for me. Very respectful and good-natured. She had great suggestions on what to do with some of my stuff . Again helped me with the organization and gave me a fresh start with the area. She is really professional and really knows how to approach and start where I didnt know what to do. I would highly recommend her.

Debby was very pleasant to work with, very professional in her approach, and she really showed stick-to-it-tiveness. The work went fast. We had boxes for books to donate, papers to shred, and paper to recycle. She was quick to recognize the more important items vs. the less important, and to deal with them accordingly and with humor. It was wonderful to have her help. I appreciated Debby's suggestions and coaxing regarding getting rid of old files, ten-year old electric bills, and information we won't ever need. She also had me get some lists off the wall and into computer files. All in all the time with Debby resulted in much better placement of my tools and notes, culminating in a far better organized little room.

The first day we worked on a room that had accumulated many boxed of stuff that needed to be cleaned out so it could become functional again. Debby was very efficient at sorting through the clutter and helping me decide what should stay or go. She was good at keeping me focused and turned what was an overwhelming task into a manageable project. The second day, Deb worked on clearing out an extremely disorganized walk-in closet and mud room. She tackled the closet on her own while I worked on sorting through papers. The transformation was amazing! It was very enjoyable to work with Debby, and I would work with her again.

The entire process was very good, she works hard and moves quickly. She works independently and with the client (me). She made it as easy as possible for me. She was non-judgmental. I am not the kind of person who enjoys sorting and organizing, but Debby really LIKES doing it! She loves her job and she is so good at it.

Their office helped me understand up-front the square footage of haulage I had purchased, so I could sort things the basement before they came. 2 guys did the work, they were on time and were quick and courteous. We determined if I needed to pay extra afterwards, I didn't. I would use them again - very helpful.

Debbie is incredibly productive, she just breezes through mountains of clutter and chaos. As a trained therapist she is very understanding and never places any pressure on you to donate anything you are still attached to. She soon got a handle on what I felt needed to stay and what could go. As a result, she worked by herself and performed miracles. She transformed a room in five hours that I had failed to organize countless times. She reminds me of that advertisement for some floor cleaner where a mini tornado whirls around a kitchen and hey presto it's perfect.

It went wonderfully. I met Debby a year or so ago through Angie's List. We just started to work together again recently as there has been an overwhelming need for her assistance with my office etc.

Debbie was a pleasure to work with, we will likely use her again.

She was very professional. She dug right in, reaching into clutter and organizing it. She worked as we talked, so it was like getting a two-for-one! She really listened, but also accomplished real results. I don't know how she did it, but by the time she left, the office looked, and worked, great. She was also supportive and nonjudgemental, which are important when someone is in your messy space! I recommend her highly.

Debby was fantastic. She responded to my call quickly and actually came for the consultation the very afternoon that I called. She walked through my house with me and asked specific questions about how each room is currently used. She made excellent suggestions about ways I could alter the use of a few rooms in the future. She connected with the feel and vibe of our house and family. Sensing my desperation, she somehow managed to book the work for the next day. She arrived right on time (actually even a few minutes early, which was wonderful) and we got right down to business. We were able to get through the kids' playroom (yikes - if you only knew), the playroom closet, and a few clutter zones in the kitchen and dining room. We both saw her visit as the first of a series of visits, given the state of my house. I felt very supported. Some of us are more organizationally challenged, and Debby is not judgmental. It was a genuine pleasure working with her. Finding Debby feels like an epiphany.

I can't say enough good things about Debbie. She is professional, compassionate and creative. The projects she has helped with have gone flawlessly. For the office project, I had only anticipated moving things around on my desk to make them look better -- a bit more and quot;organizedand quot;. But Debbie patiently and gently showed me that by changing my workflow a bit (not too much) I could feel more organized and my desk would look more organized. The result is that my paperwork always has a home, I know where everything is, and it's easier and less time consuming. All in all, a great return on my investment with Debbie. The craft room project was so big that I didn't even know where to start. Debbie surveyed the situation, which included looking at the whole house to see the big picture, and suggested a plan of attack. She never suggested any more than I was ready to handle. She did all of the heavy work of opening old boxes, sorting all kinds of things, and moving boxes and furniture all by herself. When it came time to purge she gently helped me get rid of a ton of stuff. I kept anything sentimental (including an old dress from the 80's) and all of my books. There was no judgement. Debbie took the rest of the stuff (and there was a lot) to the curb or to be donated. She even took a bunch of unworn clothes that I had for 2+ years back to Nordstrom and got a full refund. I never had the time or the willpower to do that! As soon as the room is painted I will ask Debbie to come back and finish the transformation. Again, I can't say enough good things about Debbie.

Debbie responded quickly to our urgent call for help, and accomplished a great deal in record time. She is warm person, enthusiastic, empathetic, and discreet. We cannot recommend her highly enough.

Debby met with us on two separate occasions. The first was a consultation visit where we went over our expectations and brainstormed with her as to how we could rearrange and organize the space. She gave us some ideas of things we could do immediately to give us more space. This consultation process lasted about an hour and Debby left us with her very reasonable pricing structure to think about. We set up time with Debby for the next Saturday to come and start the work. It was great that she was so flexible and willing to work on a Saturday. Debby arrived on time and ready to work. She had my husband and me working in different areas while she worked on a third area. She made sure to consult with us if we planned on keeping/discarding anything. She helped us move some large items upstairs and in 4 hours, our downstairs looked amazing. Debby was willing to take the items that we wanted to donate.Overall, we are very glad we hired Debby and will think of her for our future home organization projects!