Thursday, October 24, 2013

Collector Care: 4.5 Tips Organizing Your Outdoor Entry Way

  1. Make your address visible. Hire a professional to paint the numbers on the sidewalk for added safety.
  2. Wash down your porch with a garden hose. Sweep off water and air dry.
  3. Wash your outdoor windows. If you can't do this yourself, hire a local handyman or a company that does this. Find a reasonable rate or try a garden hose attachment product.
  4. Empty out your mailbox. Junk goes into recycle - important goes into a safe location in the home.
  5. Throw away dead plants or old planters. Any outside trash

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Collector Care Before & After Photos : Hoarding Clean Up - Bathroom

Hello Collectors! The title of this post should be clear enough, so if you are still here - prepare to see the kick ass job we did in this bathroom. All of the trash had been removed but feces/urine/blood was still present. Often we deep clean bathrooms and kitchens to complete a job. Did you know that regular cleaning companies (ie; Merry Maid) will not do this kind of job? We pride ourselves on flipping your home. I get on my hands and knees and scrub myself. I get asked that question a lot :)

Master Bathroom Before
Hang on the best is coming ... if you are reading this now, I commend you for your enthusiasm!
TA-DA!!!

So there you have it folks, no job is too dirty for Collector Care. We do not judge any of our clients and are very grateful when someone allows us not only into their home, but to take photos for our showcase.

Collector Care professional organizers and hoarding experts are here 6 days a week to help you on your journey. Whether you need your garage organized or you cannot get into rooms in your house, we are here for you!

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at
www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750
Tweet us on Twitter : Like our Facebook page : Pin with us on Pinterest

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Collector Care Book Review: Buried in Treasures

Collector Care Book Review: Buried in Treasures
Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding.



By David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, and Gail Steketee.

Buy through Amazon using the ICD affiliate link (help ICD!)
Buried in Treasures can be read by an acquirer, a saver, a hoarder, a loved one, or a professional wanting to learn more about beating hoarding. If self-help books usually work for you, or self-help is the route you want to take at this time in your life – read this book. It offers practical methods to beating clutter with realistic timelines that work. The key point is that you are dedicated to helping yourself, and that you do not give up. Backsliding is normal, so keep on chugging. This book will help. It is easy to read, and the authors are engaging. They will cheer you along the way. These are the some of the most elite professionals in our field, this book is a gold mine. Trust in them and trust in yourself. 

If you are a family member or concerned friend, just know that hoarding can be treated! Don’t give up on your loved one. By reading this book, you might begin to understand what your loved one is actually going through.  You will be given methods to help relieve YOUR concern, anger, sadness and anxiety about your loved ones disorder. Buried in Treasures will open your awareness on how to address this issue with your loved one in a manner that works.

As a professional organizer I find this book helpful as a way to help my clients beat hoarding. The questions at the end of each chapter are much like the ones I use with my clients, in addition to many new ideas I plan to use going forward. This book is a mandatory read if you want to be an ICD Hoarding Specialist. I recommend this book to any professional organizer who is interested in hoarding.

Below are five topics from this book that I picked out and commented on. There is a TON of info in this book and I only begin to scratch the surface of all the "buried treasures" within this book.

  1. What is hoarding? This book is an excellent resource for the answer to this question.  A side note states “One of the key features of compulsive hoarding is that the clutter is so bad that portions of the home are unusable.” It also goes in to the three criteria that are thought to be present in hoarding disorder.  Chapter 2 explains hoarding thoroughly.
  2.  Hoarding is treatable. “Compulsive hoarding is recognized as a diagnosable (and treatable) behavioral syndrome.” This is coming straight from leading experts. Believing this is a key role in conquering hoarding.
  3. “Whereas most people define themselves by what they do, people with hoarding problems often define themselves by what they have. “ Being aware of this will help you win your battle. No one said this is easy work. The more aware you are of yourself, and your identity, you will begin to define yourself in healthier ways.
  4. “Try scheduling your organizing sessions during the time your brain is most likely to cooperate.” This is a huge key to organizing success. If you are not a “morning person”, a “night owl”, have ADHD, TBI, physical disabilities, etc. Plan to organize at a time when you are at your best. Get a good night’s sleep, eat and drink plenty of water before during and after your organizing spurts! Take care of yourself and do not overdo it. 
  5. “If you are hooked on Saturday morning yard sales, find something else to do”. You cannot beat hoarding if you are bringing more stuff in. There are so many other things you can do with your time. How about finally reading one of the hundreds of books you own? Finally taking in that charity bag, cleaning out your car, taking your dog on a walk, taking your recycling in, etc! Enough is enough folks. If you are a shopper, you have got to take yourself out of those situations until your hoarding is under control. 

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Please feel free to leave a comment on this blog about Buried in Treasures, or feel free to ask any questions about this book or hoarding.  If you are looking for other good books on Hoarding I suggest reading Digging Out by Dr. Michael Tompkins, any book by Judith Kolberg,  the ICD Guide to Challenging Disorganization, or visit the ICD website.
Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder and we work side by side with our clients to improve their living standards. If you know of someone who hoards, or if you are a hoarder please don’t hesitate to give us a call. 925-548-7750. Not ready yet? Check out our website, Facebook,or Twitter.
Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at

www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Collector Care Before & After Photo's : Project Single Parent

Hello Collectors! We love when our clients allow us to use their photos for our before and after showcase. Below you will find work that we did for one of our North Bay clients and his family. This client was a level 2 on the ICD clutter hoarding scale, and we knew with a little bit of Care we could turn this house into a home again.
Bedroom before.
Bedroom after. Note, there is still homework for the client to do, such as continue to sort surrounding bins.
Hallway before
Hallway After
Daughter's room before.
Daughters room after.
Son's room before.
Son's room after.
Living room before.
Living room after.
If you are overwhelmed with clutter, are chronically disorganized or have issues with hoarding - there is help! We love the warm fuzzies we get with helping you transform your space. Not only do we address your "house" problem, we  help you understand new ways of thinking. We give homework for our clients to do in between sessions. We follow up thoroughly. We are not going to clean out your home and never talk to you again. Unless you want it that way :) Most of our clients appreciate the maintenance we offer and the suggestions we have. We have kids so we understand the mess that comes with them! We have pets ... we get it! Let's come up with solutions that work that are custom made for you. We offer honest timelines and pride ourselves on our efficiency. Go ahead, give us a call - we offer free estimates!

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at
www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750
Tweet us on Twitter : Like our Facebook page : Pin with us on Pinterest

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

4.5 Things You Might Not Know About Collector Care

Hello Collectors! We get asked all sorts of things on the job, so I thought I would make some information readily available for any potential clients reading our blog. Please feel free to use this as a forum to ask any other burning questions you might have!
  1. We do cleaning as well. Light cleans and deep cleans based on your specific situation. This includes bathrooms and kitchens, dusting and vacuuming. You should ask us!
  2. Is safety a concern for you or a loved one? Let us come in and do a free risk assessment. We install fire alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and do small handyman repairs to assist in your safety.
  3. We are not going to come in and throw all your stuff out. We are trained to go item by item upon your discretion, and nothing leaves your home without your approval. We are hands on, meticulous and thorough. We recover valuables daily.
  4. Hablo español! ¿Conoces a alguien que necesita ayuda, pero no habla Inglés?  
  5. We have a dance that we made up called the Collector Care, first you bend your knees and then you
Collector Care Professional Organizers in the San Francisco Bay Area. We serve the entire Bay Area - we travel often, we don't mind driving - so no excuses! We provide honest timelines and pride ourselves on our efficiency and skill. Whether you have people coming to visit, have always been disorganized, have hoarding disorder, or you just moved - we can help. Closet control and garage organization - we love it.  Can you not have repairs done due to clutter? Have you been turned down from a house cleaning service? Are you tired of living in chaos? These are things we hear all of the time. We understand how you feel, and want to help you regain your living space. Go ahead, give us a call... we offer free estimates. 925-548-7750

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at
www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750
Tweet us on Twitter : Like our Facebook page : Pin with us on Pinterest