During the 20 years Jessica Haney worked as a nanny, she saw the ins and outs of many busy family homes. Now she’s taking the best organizing tips she learned along the way and putting her talent to work as a liberator at Major Organizers.
Working with children can be equally rewarding and exhausting. How did you know that professional organizing would be a great career fit for you after two decades as a nanny?
I have always enjoyed organizing and sorting toys.
What’s your organizing approach, whether you’re helping a client or are at home with your own family?
Everything has a place. Make sure that items return to their homes.
Sometimes finding a home for an item isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. What’s an example of an unusual item you had to find a home for?
I found a tool that belonged to the garbage disposal that is used if it gets stuck. I taped it to the actual disposal so it was always available when needed.
What is your favorite organizing product?
Jars!!! Jars of all sizes and shapes. You can see in them and they fit in all different sized spaces, not to mention they are pretty!
Do you have any organizing secrets about your own home?
When I organized my kitchen, I found 35 medicine measuring cups. 35!! Recycle, baby!!
What do you tell a nervous client to set him or her at ease at the start of an organizing project?
Take deep breaths. We know how you feel. We are here to help you!
As a liberator, you make an impact on clients’ lives each day. Does any success story stand out from the others?
We organized a family’s dining room, and they were able to sit down at the table and eat a meal instead of on the floor where they had been eating.
What keeps you motivated to tackle the next big organizing challenge?
Seeing the joy on a clients’ faces when they see a finished room and are liberated from clutter and disorganization.