Decluttering has become very popular in recent years.
As more of us spend time at home or working from home, decluttering has emerged as an excellent opportunity to breathe new life into an interior space without tearing the walls down.
Decluttering doubles up as an interior design consultancy or ‘home organisation’ session. Some declutters are even trained life coaches that can offer advice on how to keep home life stress-free
This article will cover the cost of a decluttering service, factors that can affect the price and other common questions surrounding decluttering service.
Average Cost of Decluttering in the UK
By compiling quotes from 9 declutters and home organisers, we found these average costs for decluttering in the UK.
| Description | Price |
|---|---|
| Cost of Decluttering Per Hour | £30 to £45 per hour |
| Design Consultancy | £60 to £150 |
| Virtual Consultancy/Decluttering | £30 to £45 per hour |
| Recycling Electrical Items | +£50 |
| Removing Larger Items | £50 to £100 per item, subject to size (not all declutterers will do this) |
| Producing a Report with Design Recommendations | £100 to £150 |
| Life-Coaching Sessions | +£100 |
| All-in Cost for Decluttering an Average-Sized 3-Bed House | £400 to £1000 |
Decluttering costs are usually charged by the hour for a minimum of 3 hours. Some firms charge ‘per session’, e.g. a 6-hour session might cost £300 or so including a design consultancy.
Sessions generally include a phone consultancy, design advice, the decluttering itself, rearranging and reorganising rooms and delivering unwanted items to a charity shop or recycling. You’re obviously not obliged to give your items away if you want to sell them yourself.
Some declutterers are also interior designers in their own right and can recommend home improvements or opportunities for painting and decorating. They even provide life-coaching sessions with a view to de-stress your home life!
Declutterers or home organisers can produce a report of interior design suggestions and improvements.
Decluttering is a collaborative service and many testimonials report it to be a fun way to reorganise homes and improve interior spaces without totally redesigning them.
Declutterers should also ensure that the home is spic-and-span at the end of the service – it would take the gloss off the service if they left things in a dirty or unclean state, after all.
What is Decluttering?
In a nutshell, declutterers often double up as interior designers or organisers.
The aim is simply to remove clutter – unwanted or unneeded items – from a space. Clutter refers to items that are surplus to our requirements – their presence provides us with no benefits!
After decluttering, the space will be re-assembled and re-designed with the things we actually need.
The goal is to create a clean, focussed space that makes us feel at ease, stress-free and relaxed whilst still providing us with the tools and items we need to live our home life.
Declutterers are also called ‘home organisers’. There is even an association of declutterers and organisers, the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers.
A decluttering service is also somewhat like an interior design consultancy – professional declutterers will help you assess what you do and don’t need in your home, removing or storing unwanted clutter whilst reorganising the items you do want and need.
Decluttering has become popular for homeowners who have come to realise that their homes are packed full of stuff they simply do not need. That can impact your mental state in more ways than you might expect, hence why many people have come to realise the benefits of decluttering their homes for the sake of their stress and mental health.
What is the Point of Decluttering?
Decluttering seeks to remove items we do not use and reorganise the items we do use. Rooms are decluttered and reassembled to be free from unnecessary items, leaving a cleaner, more tranquil space.
There is a genuine, well-documented scientific reason for decluttering as numerous studies have attributed cluttered, disorganised or messy environments with higher stress levels, anxiety, insomnia and even memory issues.
Clutter may lead to hoarding which is also well-documented in psychology and psychiatry.
Of course, this isn’t to say that clutter will negatively impact everyone’s health, it’s just a consideration.
Decluttering services often also offer interior design consultancy. They’ll advise on what you can do to spruce up your home and breathe new life into the space. Homes can even be decluttered according to Feng Shui or other design/spiritual principles.
- Clear spaces of unnecessary items that serve no real purpose
- Return spaces to a clean, uncluttered state
- Move furniture and objects to optimise interior spaces
- Maximise natural light and airflow
- Re-coordinate ornaments and furnishings
- Reorganise items for practical use
- De-stress the environment
Types of Decluttering Services
Declutters provide different types of services. The standard decluttering session involves consultation on the room(s) or house followed by a decluttering and reorganisation session. Unnecessary items will be bagged and removed and wanted items will be rearranged. Furniture can be moved around, etc.
Wardrobe Organisation
Wardrobe organisation is great for when people realise they simply have too many clothes and no longer know what they do or don’t need, or what they even like anymore. Clothes accumulated over a lifetime can dominate storage – if this sounds like you then wardrobe decluttering might be the service you didn’t think you needed!
Paperwork Decluttering
Paperwork is one of the most tiresome and maddening forms of clutter going. Huge amounts of paperwork can accumulate over time – the more you put it off, the worse it gets! Declutterers are efficient at clearing paperwork.
Moving/Home Renovation Decluttering
Some declutterers provide a packing service for moving or home renovations. This helps alleviate the stress of packing up stuff, leading to things being mixed up, lost or broken. Declutters can also provide an unpacking service that doubles up as a home styling/organisation session.
Home Office Decluttering
More people are working from home than ever before – creating a productive home office is a priority.
One thing a home office does not need is clutter. In fact, the effects of clutter in a working environment can be severe, leading to stress, impaired concentration and even worsened memory! Declutterers can help make your working space more productive, focussed and streamlined.
Home Styling
As mentioned, many declutters come from a background in home styling, interior design, design, fashion or other related visual arts and decor backgrounds.
They can provide advice on how to organise a home or redesign or restyle it either DIY or with professional help. Some declutterers can produce a report with advice on what to consider for an interior redesign, renovation or extension.
What Happens to My Items When My Home is Decluttered?
Many people wonder what happens to their items once they’re cleared or decluttered. Just because you don’t want your items displayed in a space doesn’t mean they’re not valuable and you want to throw them away.
You’ll typically have 4 choices for what happens to your items:
Storage
Declutters can store your items, either in your own storage space or a hired self-storage option like Big Yellow.
Charity Shops
Many declutterers offer to take your unwanted items, within limits, to charity shops. Not all items will be eligible, but charities like the British Heart Foundation are often looking for larger items like sofas or other furniture.
Recycling
Eligible items can be recycled via a standard or specialist recycling scheme. Membership to these recycling schemes costs money (as does disposing of large quantities of household rubbish) – you’ll get a discount on these fees by going through house clearance rather than doing it yourself.
Sale via Auction or Other Methods
Some decluttering services are partnered with auction houses, providing people with an opportunity to sell their items at auction. This can reduce the cost of the service or even put people in profit, though of course, the auction house/removal firms will take a suitable commission of any profits made.
How Long Does Decluttering Take?
Decluttering a whole house would take at least a whole day’s work of 8 to 10 hours or more.
You’re probably looking at an all-in cost of around £500 for a full-blown decluttering service with a design consultancy. One to two rooms can be decluttered in 3 hours or so.
It might seem like rather a modern concept but decluttering offers a unique way to re-organise a home with the assistance of a professional.
Get Prices on Decluttering Services Near You
We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay for a decluttering service.
However, our guides are not a substitute for a fixed quote specifically for you.
We work with all the best decluttering specialists ready to price your job. Get free, no-obligation quotes in your local area and compare prices using the form below.
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About the Author
Alex Johnson is a qualified quantity surveyor and writer with a passion for conducting original research and uncovering the true cost of jobs. His cost data has been referenced by EDF Energy and the Scottish Government.