Simplify Experts

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I worked with Vlasta and various assistants-in-training for 18 hours. 3 hours at a time spread over the course of about a month and a half. I was lucky enough to benefit from the help of the assistants at no charge, since they were in training. They would come weekly, which was perfect because it was a consistent schedule, and each time they left I was motivated to do as much as I could in the coming days before they came back. Having somebody in your home going through all of your stuff is really hard and surprisingly exhausting, even when they are the ones doing all of the heavy lifting! They will push you to make decisions about what to keep/donate and suggest ideas for organizing and storing things that never would have occurred to you on your own, but seem so obvious once they are put in place. I had a love/hate relationship with the process. It is one of the best things we have ever done to our home, but also one of the hardest (mentally). You need to be present and involved, which can be really hard for a lot of people. Still, I'm so glad that we did it, and I would have them come back in a heartbeat if I ever need help again!

Denise was awesome. I wish she was available at a moments notice to help me when I struggle with keeping or tossing things. Overall, Denise works WITH you and doesn't try to conform you to HER way/standard. She was always on time, kept on time, had great communication. her services are pricey but well worth it and if price is a concern, she reminds us that she has excellent staff people to work with. In retrospect, the only thing I do wish came with the package would be one or two follow up communications, ie: how are things going? how are you keeping up with things? a check in of sorts. to maintain what we both worked so hard to achieve. thanks, Denise.

a job that my husband and i just could not do with a small child. the garage looks amazing. objects are organized into 'areas' or 'centers' and boxes and cabinets are clearly and brightly labeled. this will be super easy to maintain. i would hire Denise and her great assistant Gretchen again. They were very professional, pleasant, and know exactly what they are doing. Denise has an amazing vision of how to organize space. i'm feeling motivated to organize other spaces in my home now. so very happy!

Denise was very knowledgeable on records retention and arranging all of our necessary papers very efficiently. 4 hours was not enough to complete the room, and unfortunately the Angie's Deal was the only way I could afford the service.

I purchased Denise's services in November. She called me the same day to schedule and I put her off. I knew I needed her services but I wasn't mentally prepared. At my request, she called back after the New Year and again in early March. We scheduled our appointment for March 19 at 10 AM. She told me what to expect and that she was able to provide storage pieces for our organizing effort. She did this at a discount as she has a discount with Storables. Wednesday morning she and her assistant, Gretchen showed up right on time, let me know that I would be needed for my opinion and that if at any time I felt uncomfortable or reluctant about getting rid of things that I should let them know. They went through everything in the kitchen looking at expiration dates, asking if small appliances were used, which glasses we used and did we use all of them. Essentially, they pared down all of the clutter in the kitchen so that there was no more clutter. Items were stored away, given away, thrown away, or kept in a more organized fashion. Plant food, pet food, daily mail, plastic and paper bags, expired food, disorganized storage - everything was made right. Denise had good questions and knew when to move on. My favorite piece of wisdom was the 80% rule of thumb. If the space is more than 80% full then you will not be able to access that space very easily. This goes for drawers, pencil jars, file boxes, etc. She was also able to say that our household maintenance would require ninety minutes weekly of our personal once it was in order. The whole experience was exhausting but left me feeling much lighter and enthusiastic about organizing some things on my own. I will be contacting Denise again and actually, she will be contacting me in about six months regarding some items I wasn?t sure that I wanted to give away. I waited a while before giving my review as I wanted to live with the changes to see how I felt. I still feel great and the changes are still in place. The kitchen is a pleasure to work in and maintain. My heartfelt thanks to Denise and Gretchen!

I had worked with the delightful Denise in the past so I was already expecting great things... but, in spite of my previous experience with Denise, I found I had underestimated her ability to get things done and make big, positive changes in a very short period of time. Denise and her capable assistant Gretchen somehow found a way to put everything away and eliminate all my messes, leaving me with two clutter-free bedrooms (and closets!) to enjoy. Changing the arrangement of just a few small pieces of furniture also opened up my spaces considerably. My rooms suddenly looked twice their previous sizes! I really appreciated the way that both Denise and Gretchen gently encouraged me to simplify my life by letting go of the things I wasn't using on a regular basis--in a very low-key, positive and non-judgmental manner. In general, I have a great deal of difficulty parting with my possessions and this topic has been a real challenge for me in the past when working with other organizers. Nevertheless, with the encouragement of these two ladies, I was able to discard some outdated items and send some usable things out the door for donation purposes. The key phrase here is "out the door," as one of the most valuable services they provided (for me, at least) is removing such things from the premises immediately so they wouldn't find their way back in to the general household clutter. I also appreciated the fact that both ladies really listened to me. They were motivated to help me achieve my goals, rather than attempting to convince me to do things in some preconceived "right" way. Throughout the process, they checked with me periodically to make sure we were on the same page so that they could be sure I would be happy with the final results of their efforts. But I have to say that one of the most valuable things about working with Denise is the number of resources she brings to the table. As the Past President of the Seattle Chapter of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), Denise has accumulated an absolute wealth of knowledge through her contacts regarding local merchants and service providers. She is, in a sense, a walking one-woman Angie's List! Do you need to find a nice local laundromat so you can finally get that huge, dirty comforter on your bed laundered? Or a business that can transfer the contents of your old hard drive for you--at a very attractive price? How about a reliable dogwalker? Need affordable packers or movers? Are you looking for a quality shoe repair person for that pair of really expensive shoes that you love so dearly? Denise doesn't need to consult her files in order to look up this information; she just remembers it all--and passes it on to you on the spot! Well, I could go on (as you can probably tell)... but I will just close by saying that Denise and Gretchen are creative, hard-working, knowledgeable and experienced professionals who can get the job done in record time. They deserve my highest recommendation!

Denise and her entire team did an AMAZING job. I can't believe how quickly and professionally the project was completed. We now feel like we have a system in place that will keep us organized for years to come.

Things had been piling up to the point limiting the use of these rooms and certainly making them less efficient. Now we can work in both rooms again! | |They were both fun and positive to work with. We are now motivated to continue on and plan for them to help with our garage in the spring.

Denise helped me to create an effective system for organizing my files and we got all of my new papers and files filed. She and her team were so efficient that they also tackled my pile of personal filing, bringing that up to date as well. They definitely exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend Simplify with Denise.

These ladies are awesome. I worked with both Denise and Amy and they were both great. I had TONS of extra stuff everywhere, and total disorganization, but we worked hard and we worked through it and it changed my life for the better. Could not have done it without them. I feel like I learned a bunch about organization and tricks to help keep myself organized too. Just, really great job!!

Was hoping to get more high level advice on organizing my home. Did not feel that I got 8 hours worth of work accomplished.

Two organizers, Denise and Vlosta, came and worked in my home office area for four hours. Altogether, four boxes of old papers (15 years worth of accumulation!) were pulled for shredding, which Denise provided at a very reasonable rate. She simultaneously set up a new, comprehensive filing system that both my husband and I will be able to use much more efficiently. Vlosta and I worked together to thin and organize all kinds of items, including wrapping supplies, books, games, and office supplies. We also identified items to donate and recycle, and they took care of that for me at the end of the session. It was such a relief to address this out of control space!

One organized my bathroom and linen closet and the other helped me get rid of tons of paper in my office.

Denise and her helper Gretchen came in and helped me with the many items in my garage. I was overwhelmed and really needed some help and support in starting this project. Not only did we sort, purge, and organize the stuff in my garage, we also built some shelving, I had pre-purchased. She was very helpful and encouraging and to top it off, she hauled away the items I had decided to donate. Tjhat was a real bonus. We did not finish the entire job, but I now have the motivation to continue. Thank you both!

It went great. We did not finish going through everything (we did not think we could), so we have scheduled more time with Denise and her company. The did not attempt to force a specific way of organizing and they worked in a collaborative manner with us.

My house was still pretty darn far from qualifying for Hoarders, but it sure wasn't good. For the last year or so I've gotten my life together to the point where I'm not bringing things into the house, but my efforts at cleaning the space alone just kept on getting sidetracked. So it was a wonderful coincidence to see Denise's Big Deal offer on Angie's list. Given the scope of the problem, I really figured that most of the four-hour session would be spent just coming up with a strategy. But instead, we charged right into the office, and my cleaning expectations for the whole session were met within the first forty-five minutes. I found it incredibly psychologically helpful to have Denise and her able assistant take care of the mechanics of sorting out and removing the items, while I basically just flew through piles and said "crapcrapcrapkeepcrapcrapshredshredcrapcrapkeepcrap." By the time the session was over, the office was in great shape, and the bedroom was a major improvement. We'd filled up Denise's SUV, with a huge pile of recycling left over.It was an awesome experience, and I'm absolutely going to keep hiring Denise to help me tame the rest of the house. An update: Since that original review, I've had three more sessions with Denise, and each of them has been wonderful. We've finally run out of things to do together, which almost makes me sad. The whole house is functional now, and most of it is almost, dare I say it, attractive. I cannot recommend her strongly enough.

They came right on time, the time went so quickly they are definitely professionals.

Denise was extremely helpful and supportive in getting rid of things and getting paperwork in order. I was nervous about exposing my mess but she is just not judgmental at all. She was amazing with my teen and pre-teen and accomplished so much with them in a short period of time. Bags and bags of outgrown toys, books and clothes came out of their rooms. My teenager even continued for days after she left. Having Denise work with them totally took the resistance out of it. They actually enjoyed it and wanted to make sure they got as much time with her as their sibling did. The fact that everything left with her--recyclables (even styrofoam), shredding, donations was a great relief. I have had her back several times in both 2011 (not included in cost of service above, but approximately the same) and 2012. I thought my husband would complain about the cost but instead he appreciated the value and time savings. We plan to use her services whenever needed.

After moving twice in six years, I had about 35 bankers boxes and bags full of papers and memorabilia. I tried to go through them by myself, but gave that up as too time consuming. I found Denise and she loves to sort, organize, file, and toss/recycle all sorts of papers. Her services included an entirely new filing system that really works for me, replacing my old alphabetical files. She has lots of experience and can spot which papers need to be saved and which to shred. Her service is very inclusive and she arrives with giant bags ready to be filled with recycling or shredding. She also had a smaller bag for trash. Best of all, she takes the bags with her at the end of each work session! She made the 2-3 hour sessions easy to take with her upbeat personality and her knowledge about filing and organizing. I learned quite a bit during our conversations. Just doing the work with her made me eager to get started re-organizing the things I have in storage - and I look forward to needing a smaller storage space in the new year. I also have learned lots about the need to prioritize my time better. I feel as if a great weight has fallen off my shoulders now that my file drawers contain only relevant and useful information. Denise also understood that there were papers which could have been shredded, but I am attached to them, so they stayed. In other words, I did not have to give up all my past - but the papers I did give up were weighing me down mentally. I was also delighted to discover the professional organization to which she belongs: NAPO - the National Association of Professional Organizers. I had no idea until Angie's List that such a thing existed. So, if you need HELP with those boxes and stacks of stuff, I recommend Denise for the Everett area. Other NAPO members on A L work in other areas/counties of western Washington. I am sure you can find one near you. Denise gets GOLD STARS in my book!

They were excellent. They are the best. They are thorough, pleasant to deal with, and organized. I can’t say enough good things about them.

We’ve been using her in an ongoing capacity. She’s been out numerous times. Lately she was here to reorganize my kitchen. She helped me get rid of a bunch of items and effectively create a new functional kitchen system for me. I’m thrilled with the changes we made. I suddenly enjoy my kitchen again. I know where to find everything. Things are organized in a way where they are easily retrieved depending on the task at hand. We are having someone from her company come out again pretty soon to help with the garage.

She was great. Denise did a really great job. She is very efficient and you get your money’s worth. You get an amazing amount of work done in just a couple of hours. She also hauls away all the stuff.

Denise was warm, knowledgeable and really took the time to understand me personally. She seemed quite at ease, and offered suggestions on priority areas, and how she might tackle a space or situation. I did not end up hiring her but would have loved to! I felt I did not need the extent of her services since I am an interior designer and am really quite organized myself. But her calm, focused, positive approach would be ideal for someone feeling overwhelmed.

Working with Denise has been a marvelous experience. This is the best money we've ever spent. There are two of us and we have very different styles. Denise works well with each of us in spite of our differences. We've worked with two organizers before. This experience has been different - by light years. Denise comes, helps us go through our belongings, and then takes things to Goodwill, to e-cycle, to shred, to hazardous waste etc. We would never manage to take the next step after sorting to get rid of things, but we don't have to worry about that! The amount of progress we make with each 3 hour appointment is absolutely astonishing. And at the end of the three hours - everything goes away in her SUV as if by magic. Denise isn't judgemental; she just comes and helps us in a completely matter-of-fact way. That allows us to make progress on the chaos that has been weighing us down and keeping us from doing the things we want to do for years. We are getting our lives back, and it couldn't feel any better. Don't be fooled by Denise's pricing structure. It may seem a little pricey at first, but what this woman can get done in 3 hours takes other other organizers three times that. Recently I took a week off work to try to get organized. I got much less done during that week than I do in three hours with her. Again, this is the best money we've ever spent - we are getting our lives back. I cannot recommend Denise more enthusiastically.