-Compassionate Decluttering Services and Hoarding Help in Nashville-
Safety first. Then function. Progress always.
When clutter becomes overwhelming and difficult to manage, knowing where to start can feel impossible. Our decluttering services help you restore safety and function to your home, one step at a time. We work at your pace, without judgment, and with you in control of final decisions. Together, we'll work toward creating a space that feels more manageable, supports your daily needs, and helps you regain confidence in your home.
Because your well-being matters!
-Support for Extreme Clutter, Chronic Disorganization, and Hoarding-
No one intends for their home to get out of control. But if it does, we're here to support you and your family with compassion, respect, and a plan that actually lasts.
We are client centered, not stuff centered!
*Level 2 Hoarding Specialist, Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) * Former Lead Supervising Technician, Bio-hazard Franchise
Always compassionate and judgment-free!
See more information about our leader.
-You've Tried Handling It On Your Own. It Keeps Getting Harder-
Maybe you can no longer cook in your kitchen, or you're sleeping somewhere other than your own bed. Perhaps you've started turning down visits from family and friends because you don't want them to see your home. Or maybe you've tried to tackle the clutter again and again, only to feel like you're right back where you started.
Living this way can bring a heavy weight of embarrassment, shame, guilt, and isolation. And sometimes, the pressure comes from outside, too: a family member's ultimatum, a landlord's deadline, or a move that can't happen until the home is cleared.
Whatever your situation, you don't deserve to feel this way because of your own home. Everyone deserves a safe, functional space where they can feel comfortable and thrive!
No matter how the clutter began or what circumstances led to it, there is hope!
-Rapid Cleanouts Often Fail Those They Are Meant to Serve-
Emptying a house in a day doesn't address the underlying challenges that allow clutter to accumulate in the first place. While rapid cleanouts may be necessary when time constraints, safety concerns, or legal circumstances demand them, they should not be the default approach when a more supportive process is possible.
For someone experiencing extreme clutter and hoarding-related challenges, having a home emptied quickly, without meaningful participation in decisions, can be deeply distressing. It can leave people feeling violated, powerless, and grieving the loss of their belongings. Rather than helping them build confidence in their decision-making, this approach may make it harder to let go of possessions in the future.
A cleared house is not the same as lasting change. Without addressing the underlying challenges and building practical decision-making skills, the factors contributing to the clutter may remain, making it more likely that clutter will accumulate again.
That's why we prefer to take a hazard reduction approach. We work alongside you, respecting your autonomy and involving you in decisions throughout the process, while helping you build skills that support a safer, more functional home over time.
We take a different path, one that makes your home safe while keeping you in the driver's seat.
-When Speed Matters-
Sometimes things truly need to move quickly. In these specific situations, we also offer rapid clean-outs:
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A loved one has passed, and the family needs the home cleared out in a certain time frame.
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Health or mobility concerns make staying in a cluttered home risky for the individual.
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A city or landlord requires the home to be safe by a certain date.
Even when a rapid cleanout is unavoidable, the individual's well-being should never be an afterthought. These situations require careful planning, appropriate support, and consideration of the emotional impact of the process. The goal should be to address immediate concerns without losing sight of the person living in the home.
-Why Our Decluttering Service is Different-
A Hazard-reduction Approach
We ask one question first: what is the safest, most appropriate way to reduce hazards while keeping you involved in the process? We work incrementally instead of expecting your home to be transformed all at once. You may not be ready for everything to go, and that's okay. The goal is to make sure you're safe, even while many of your belongings are still there.
You Stay in Control
The final decision about what to keep, donate, or discard is always yours. When decisions feel hard, we help you:
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Break big decisions into smaller, more manageable ones
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Answer neutral questions that help you figure out what matters to you
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Identify priorities when everything feels important
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Recognize patterns
And we respect it when your answer is no.
We Leave Your Home Organized
Most cleanup services remove items, maybe clean, and then leave. We don't leave things strewn about. Once your home is safe, we organize it so you know where everything is and create organizational systems that fit your needs.
-What Success Looks Like with Hazard Reduction Approach-
Success isn't perfection, and it isn't getting rid of everything you own. It's being able to move safely through your home, cook a meal, sleep in your bed, and invite the people you love over, sometimes for the first time in a long time. It's the weight of shame finally lifting. It's understanding yourself a little better and having the tools to keep your home the way you want it.
And even if there's a setback down the road, you've still made real progress. We'll be here if you need us.
-How Our Decluttering Process Works-
Step 1
-Consultation and Plan-
Service starts with a free 30-minute phone call where we listen to your goals, without judgment. Then, during an in-home consultation, we objectively identify hazards using the ICD Clutter–Hoarding Scale. Doing so allows us to create a plan built around your homes needs.
Step 3
-Next Function: Restoring Daily Life-
Once your home is safe, we restore its essential functions, so you can cook on clear counters, sleep in your bed, use your bathroom and shower, reach your clothes and personal items, and do your laundry again.
Step 2
-Safety First: Hazard Reduction-
Your first sessions focus on making your home safe: clearing pathways and stairs, opening up exits, removing trip and fire hazards, restoring access to utilities, securing tall stacks, so you can move through your home with confidence.
Step 4
-Progress Always: Built to Last-
We give everything you keep a home where it's easy to find and put away, then set up simple systems, like a drop zone or a spot for mail, to keep clutter at bay. Optional Simply Maintained visits help you stay on track.
-Helping a Loved One with Extreme Clutter and Hoarding-
Calls often come from adult children, siblings, and friends who are worried about someone they love. Family members are always welcome to reach out, and we'll talk with you first. Ultimately, your loved one needs to be on board with the process. Lasting change happens when they're an active part of the process, not when things are done for them.
A few signs a loved one may be struggling:
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They avoid having visitors over, or steer you away from certain rooms
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They rent storage units without a clear reason
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They become distressed at the thought of letting things go
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Their garage or spare rooms are packed wall to wall
It's important to note that having a lot of belongings doesn't automatically mean someone has hoarding disorder. Hoarding exists on a spectrum, rated on five levels, and only a qualified mental health professional can diagnose it. We're not here to label anyone. We're here to help with the clutter itself.
Checkout our resources page for more support for you and your loved one
-Rebecca-
"Nina will help shovel out bedrooms, closets, and garages. She did four sessions in the master bedroom and closet, helping make the space safe and navigable. Two days in the garage with boxes stacked and strewn everywhere resulted in a largely cleared floor, access to the stairs and water heater, and a significant reduction in unused items, moldy linens, and loads of unimportant papers. Well worth her weight in gold."
-Donna-
"You are the only one who has truly been able to understand my particular situation, I greatly appreciate it."
-Understanding the Five Levels of Clutter-
When most people hear "hoarding," they picture the extreme homes shown on TV. But clutter exists on a spectrum, measured by how well a home supports daily living, not just by the amount of stuff. We use the Institute for Challenging Disorganization's Clutter–Hoarding Scale to assess each home. The following is a very basic breakdown:
Level 1
Everyday Clutter
A typical household environment, slightly cluttered.
Level 2
Noticeable Disorganization
Clutter is begining to build in multiple rooms, daily routines start to feel inconveinant.
Level 3
Chronic Clutter Buildup
The pivot point between a cluttered home and a hoarded home.
Level 4
Hazardous Clutter
Safety and health risks, like blocked exits, spoiled food, or hard-to-reach utilities.
Level 5
Severe Hoarding
Large parts of the home are unusable, with serious hazards.
-Meet Your Organizing Specialist-
Trained for the Most Challenging Homes
Hello, I’m Nina Alferio. Your Nashville Professional Organizer. I am a Level 2 Hoarding Specialist through The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). My passion for working in challenging environements began with volunteer work, taking a hazard reduction approach to creating safer pathways and improved emergency access for those with mobility issues and medical concerns.
As a former lead supervising technician with a bio-hazard franchise I gained valuable hands on experience working with all levels of clutter, including squalored environments. Today I utilize my five years of training, experience, and knowledge to help others obtain safe and functional homes.
-Working in Conjunction with Mental Health Professionals-
As professional organizers, we help address the clutter associated with hoarding while also building the cognitive functioning skills that support lasting change. This includes strengthening decision-making, planning, prioritizing, and the ability to get started.
We strongly encourage working with a therapist to address the deeper emotional and psychological aspects of hoarding. Because ultimately, your mental health and well-being will always come before your belongings.
-Services That Require Other Specialized Professionals-
To keep you and our team safe:
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We don't handle biohazards like mold, human waste, hazardous chemicals, or asbestos. For those, we coordinate with trusted remediation professionals, then return to finish the decluttering and organizing once it's safe.
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We can't enter homes with severe structural damage. A general contractor needs to address that first.
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We can work around some signs of rodents or insects, but serious infestations need pest control before we begin.
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We don't do work that requires specialized licenses, but we're happy to coordinate with the professionals who do.