Hiring a Professional Organizer: Is It Worth the Money?

Professional organizers can help you take back control of messy closets, an out-of-control pantry, and overwhelming clutter. But are their services worth the price? The answer depends on a few different factors, including your personal budget and how much organizing help you need (just one small closet, or the whole house?). And although a professional organizer cost isn’t exactly cheap, they can completely transform your home—in more ways than you might think.

We spoke to three professional organizers to understand exactly what they can provide for the average homeowner, and how much you can expect to spend.

What Is a Professional Organizer?

A professional organizer helps you organize your home! Each organizer is different, so be sure to research the specific services they offer. Generally, an organizer will help you declutter and create efficient storage systems for your problem areas. Additionally, some organizers stage homes, shop for products, and will even take away your donated items.

“At the core, professional organizers are problem solvers,” says professional organizer Robyn Reynolds, “We implement systems to help you manage your clutter, we design closets to help maximize the space, we remove the stress during moves by coordinating all the logistics and unpacking and organizing you in your new home.”

What Do Professional Organizers NOT Do?

One thing a professional organizer is not is a house cleaner. If you’ve hired an organizer to tackle your bedroom closet, for example, it should be clear of dirty laundry and ready for sorting and rearranging. Most organizers will wipe down the shelves where they’re working, but they don’t deep-clean the space. “While I will do light cleaning, if a space is too dirty or poses a potential health risk, I will recommend hiring a professional cleaner before I begin working with someone,” says professional organizer Lenora O’Keith.

Another thing organizers won’t do is throw away your belongings without your consent. “We never force clients to get rid of things,” says professional organizer Christian Pfeiffer. “We encourage, but the client is always in control.”

How Much Do Professional Organizers Cost?

Typically, a professional organizer will charge about $100 to $150 per hour for one to two organizers. Please note that the price does not include any additional containers you may need. Some organizers charge by the project. At Pfeiffer’s company, Valley Organizing, smaller spaces, such as entry closets, laundry rooms, bathrooms and pantries, will cost $700 to $1,400. While an entire home organization or a big garage resets cost anywhere from $2,500 to $8,000.

If those prices sound steep, consider saving a significant amount of money with virtual organizing services. “I provide virtual sessions for a fraction of the cost of in-person sessions,” says O’Keith. “If clients don’t mind doing the physical part of decluttering and donating items themselves, but want the guidance and support of an organizer throughout the process, virtual sessions are a great option.”

Is a Professional Organizer Right for Me?

If you feel lost and overwhelmed about where to even begin organizing a space, it might be time to call in the professionals. Even if you hire an organizer to only do one closet, you can learn from their systems and methods and implement them in other areas of your home. According to Pfeiffer, other people who might be a good fit for a professional organizer are: busy professionals or families who don’t have the time to reset their space, homeowners who recently moved and want the new space to start off organized, and people who want to be organized, but their current setup makes it harder than it should be.

Tips for Finding a Professional Organizer

Once you decide to hire a professional organizer, you’ll obviously want to find someone who is dependable and offers quality work. “Ask for referrals from people you know that might have used a professional organizer, or search NAPO which is the oldest industry association,” says Reynolds. Be sure to read reviews, and look at photos of their past projects to ensure they meet your standards.

Hiring an organizer can be a vulnerable experience, so a face-to-face meeting before the work begins is always a good idea. “I wouldn’t start working with an organizer without a consultation,” says O’Keith. “This step benefits both the organizer and the client, so you can both get to know a bit more about each other and see if you click.”

Resources for finding an organizer in your area:

• NAPO – National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals
• NABPO – National Association of Black Professional Organizers
• ICD – Institute of Challenging Disorganization

About the Experts

• Robyn Reynolds is a professional organizer and owner of Organize2Harmonize. She is a long-time member of NAPO, NABPO, she is a past President of the BCPO (Board of Certifying Professional Organizers), and was co-chair of the 2012 Organizing Awards.
• Lenora O’Keith is a professional organizer, owner of Aronel Home, and the creator of the Aronel Home app—the first and only app for home organization and decluttering. She is also a certified KonMari Consultant.
• Christian Pfeiffer is a professional organizer based in Phoenix and the owner of Valley Organizing; where he offers nonjudgmental organizing, decluttering, packing, unpacking, downsizing, and hoarding services. He is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.

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