March 2011 LEVEL ONE HOARDER I had the recent experience of working with an upper-middle class client. Her apartment was immaculate on the service—spacious and uncluttered; tasteful design; neat and tidy and very comfortable ambiance. However, every single drawer, closet, cabinet were stuffed with various categories --office supplies; greeting cards; socks; scarves; turtlenecks; sweaters; purses; belts; towels; jewelry; health and beauty products; books; etc. This women—like most people—wears and uses 20% of what she owns (the 80/20 rule is true!) She knows what is comfortable and tried and true and what she feels looks good on her. She rarely wears the multitude of her brand new or hardly worn outfits or changes her accessories (purses; scarves; jewelry.) And she wears a few pairs of low flats which are comfortable on her bad feet even though there are at least 70 pairs of shoes in the closet. This woman is upscale in a neat and beautiful apartment. She feels stress daily by the amount of items she has in her home. She would be considered a Level One Hoarder. In order to change she must be ready and want to live a less cluttered life. She should seek the help of a qualified professional to get to the root of her need to collect. If you know someone who is a hoarder, it is very hard for change to happen. You can try to get some items taken to consignment, donation, sell on e-Bay. You can certainly organize drawers and remind the hoarder of what they own and encourage them to use their possessions. You can provide support when they feel the need to shop and go with them to ensure items get returned. When and if they are ready to change, the combination of a qualified therapist along with a Professional Organizer may help. Good luck if you are a hoarder to some extent or have someone special in your life.