Dear Emad30,
Thank you for your question. Since knowing what the problem is a big
step in solving it, it is good that your friend is aware of his or her
problems.
I believe you are referring to a method, also turned into a successful
TV show and book, called "The Life Laundry: How To De-Junk Your Life"
by Dawna Walter and Mark Franks.
Dawna Walter and Mark Franks run a show under that name on the BBC
television, "The premise of the programme is simple - arrive at a
frighteningly cluttered house, dump all the contents into the back
garden, and force the homeowners to shred, sell, or give away almost
all of it. Shift the remainder back inside, where the decorators have
been busy, and voila, a brighter and less cluttered environment."
(Source: Square Eyes by David Moore "Going to The Life Laundry"
http://www.p45.net/tv_film/square_eyes/49.html). Your friend could
apply for this show:
Online form: http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/programmes/be_on_a_show/life_laundry.shtml
Or, by telephoning:
0207 861 8083
Or, by emailing:
lifelaundry@talkback.co.uk
You could buy the book for your friend in Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/gifts/0563534753/customer-reviews/026-4810403-5709238>
as well as other off-line and online stores (if you want me to, I'll
locate a copy in your vacinity).
Understandebly, not everyone would be chosen to appear on the show.
The show's website also gives tips for those with messy houses, who
were not picked to appear:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/property/de_clutter/dc_getting_started.shtml
Others also have similar services, that help people organise their
homes. Total Clearance give this service as a "a personalised
consultancy service to help you gain control over the chaos in your
home. Whether you just have 'too much stuff' or need to rationalise
your possessions prior to moving home, this service could be for you."
(Source: Total Clearance Website,
http://www.totalclearance.co.uk/Life%20Laundry.htm). You could contact
them either by phone (01923 853467) or by email
(mailto:enquiries@totalclearance.co.uk).
Homestagers also offer a service to "de-clutter" your life (see
http://www.homestager.co.uk/services/declutterday.htm). You could
arrange an appointment by:
- Filling out an online form at
http://www.homestager.co.uk/services/enquiry.htm
- Or, call 0800 542 8 952
- Or, email service@homestagers.co.uk
"no more clutter" offer this service in Greater London. You could call
them at 07974 076 675 or follow the instructions on emailing on
http://www.nomoreclutter.co.uk/book.html
Julie Smith is a clutter coach and claims to deal not only with the
clutter, but also with the behavioral rootes of the problem. You could
contact her at:
Julie Smith
Apt. 13, 50 Princess Street
Manchester M1 6HR
UK
Tel: 0161 228 7768
Fax: 0870 169 2511
Email: julie@lifespaceconsulting.com
As mentioned by my colleague Scriptor-ga, your firends untidyness
could be connected to other emotional problems and distresses. It
could be an indication of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue
Disorder), in which many people have "no energy" to care for the
house; it could be, as Scriptor mentioned, a symthom of an
"obsessive-compulsive disorder", or even a sign of a bipolar disorder
or clinical depression (maybe it is the right place to disclaim, that
"Answers and comments provided on Google Answers are general
information, and are not intended to substitute for informed
professional medical, psychiatric, psychological advice"). If you
think that your friend suffers from one of these disorders, or that
they need professional help, don't neglect it - these problems could
be the tip of the iceberg.
You could read more about the problem of hoarding (an obsessive
compulsive disorder of cluttering) in a summary of an article at the
alt.recovery.clutter newsgroup: "Stepper's summary of "A
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF COMPULSIVE HOARDING" by Randy Frost and
Tamara Hartl" http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=9bc551c5.0304100822.1f545ac4%40posting.google.com&output=gplain
A thread in the alt.support.anxiety discusses the issue in more
medical terms (including a suggestion of a pharmaceutical solution),
as based on the article "Obsessive-Compulsive Hoarding: Symptom
Severity and Response to Multimodal Treatment (J Clin Psychiatry
2002;63:21-27) http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=aqpm51%24c8353%241%40ID-82687.news.dfncis.de&rnum=9&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dhoarding%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26selm%3Daqpm51%2524c8353%25241%2540ID-82687.news.dfncis.de%26rnum%3D9
A support group for people with order problems could be found here
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/Declutter-Support
Another good support group could be alt.recovery.clutter:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=alt.recovery.clutter
Further Articles
================
Lauri Ward "10 Ways to De-Clutter Your Home"
http://www.ivillage.com/home/howtoguide/cleanandorganize/articles/0,,190403_273488,00.html
Organised at Home - declutter journal
http://organizedhome.com/declutter/index.shtml
Google Directory - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Mental_Health/Disorders/Anxiety/Obsessive-Compulsive/?tc=1
BBC , "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder What You Can Do"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/health/healthy_mind/ocd3.shtml
OCD Factpage - http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/page.cfm?pagecode=PMNZOC
I hope that answered your question. In order to answer it, I used my
own memory, as well as searched for relevant words, such as
"declutter", "de-clutter", "hoarding", and, of course "life laundary".
If you need any clarification on my answer, please let me know. I'd be
pleased to clarify my answer before you rate it. |
