Reclaiming your home from clutter

Whether you are a hoarder or just messy, having too much stuff gets in the way of productivity -- not to mention the value of homes we want to sell.

"In this economy, spring cleaning has an even greater value because it may enable us to help others who are in more need by donating old clothes, shoes, furniture and household goods," says Fugen Neziroglu, a specialist in hoarding and director of the Bio-Behavioral Institute in Great Neck. "Knowing that our old stuff can find a good home often makes it easier to part with things."

Spring cleaning is something everyone needs to do, and it can be not only cathartic but it can make a home more pleasing, says Neziroglu. She and others offer tips on how to tackle the job:

1 Where to dig in

"The sorting and clearing process is by far the most daunting part of spring cleaning -- similar to deciding where to begin raking in a yard piled with leavefs," says Judi Cohen, owner of The Organized Lady, a Long Island-based organizing company serving the tri-state area. Start by asking yourself a series of questions as you go through each item in your house:

* How little can I get by with (and still be comfortable) in my new place or in my current home?

* Which items are really important to me?

*Is it beautiful, useful or loved, or am I just keeping it out of habit?

"Try to begin in the areas of the house that are of most concern, or the simplest area so that you can get your feet wet -- it doesn't matter if it's a room or a drawer," suggests Cohen. "I advise people to divide their spring cleaning into sessions."

Even 15 minutes will get you into action, but no more than two hours at a time, she says. Marathon sessions often leave a person tired and burned out and not wanting to finish. "Spring cleaning is not a task that you can do for a long period of time at any age," says Cohen. She advises taking time to recall memories and to shed tears as you need to and to be easy and flexible about making decisions to get rid of something. "If you can't make a decision about an item, set it aside and think about it for a while," says Cohen.

2 Categorize, categorize, categorize

The next step in the spring cleaning process is to sort and categorize items in each room and to get rid of as much stuff as possible, says Cohen. Make boxes, piles or garbage bags for the following:

* Items you want to keep

* Items to pass to family or friends

* Items to sell at a garage sale or auction

* Items to give to charity

* Items to throw away

Call your charity of choice and arrange for a pickup as soon as you have enough items to justify their making a trip. Or, you can deliver your donation to your charity yourself or drop it in a charity bin. If you're throwing stuff out, be sure to have everything ready so that you don't miss the next collection day.

"Think about what you really use in your home on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, and I bet you'll see that this amounts to a fraction of what you have in your house," says Cohen.

3 If you're planning to sell

A dirty or cluttered home is an immediate turnoff to a prospective buyer and probably won't even be considered in this market, says Joanne Bechoff, a professional stager and owner of Home Staging by SPC in Manorville. If you are even thinking of selling your house, you'll have to give yourself plenty of time to clean, sort and ditch stuff. "If a house is not clean, a buyer often assumes that the house has been neglected and will cost a lot to update or repair," she says. "And if a house is cluttered, the rooms will appear too small and the space inadequate. Buyers like to imagine themselves living in the home they are viewing."

Carolina Boucos and Giselle DiMasi, a mother-daughter Realtor team with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty in Old Brookville, also do organizing and staging for their clients. "The minute I walk in a home, I let my client know that a cluttered home won't sell," says Boucos. "You can't have messy closets with a ton of old clothes because a buyer wants to see the depth of the closet. Too many pots and pans can take away from the beauty of any kitchen, and too many personal photos in a living room doesn't allow a buyer to imagine their family in the home. And, as far as knickknacks, I let a homeowner pick a few pieces of memorabilia to display, but not 100."

COULD YOU BE A HOARDER?

Almost everyone has some pack-rat tendencies, says Fugen Neziroglu, a board certified behavior and cognitive psychologist who is director of the Bio-Behavioral Institute in Great Neck and co-author of "Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding" (Harbinger, $16.95) but not everyone is a compulsive hoarder. Answer the following questions using the grading scale below:

Score yourself 1 to 5 with "1" equalling "not at all," "3" equalling "somewhat" and "5" equalling "very much."

1. My possessions are a source of shame.

2. My possessions are a source of conflict with my family.

3. I do not tend to keep my possessions where they belong.

4. I have multiples of many items -- that is, plastic bags, cards, pants of the same color, etc.

5. I buy or pick up a lot of items just because there is a chance I may need them in the future.

6. I avoid having people over because of all the mess.

7. I experience anxiety and/or discomfort when attempting to discard possessions.

8. Others may find it difficult to walk through my house because of all the clutter.

9. It is difficult to find things you are looking for in my house.

10. My furniture cannot be used as intended because it is covered with things.

11. I tend to keep newspapers, magazines, etc., because I fear needing it in the future or because I don't want to lose out on the information.

12. I keep many possessions that I personally find to be unique or perfect.

13. I keep items stored in places outside of where I live (storage places, someone else's house) because there is not enough room in my home.

14. I cannot resist picking up or acquiring free things.

15. Even if I discard some possessions, I tend to retrieve them.

16. I think about my possessions a lot.

17. I avoid having necessary repairs because of all the clutter.

18. I excessively keep belongings that remind me of pleasant/negative memories.

19. When I'm throwing things away, I need to go through them to make sure I did not throw anything else out with it.

20. If my family touches or discards my possessions, I get very upset.

SCORING GUIDE

Add up the responses to all 20 questions to earn a total score. The higher your score, the more likely you may be a hoarder. The quiz is not intended to be a diagnostic tool. If you suspect that you suffer from hoarding, please seek an evaluation by a mental health professional trained in the diagnosis of treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders.

WHERE TO DONATE

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Long Island has charity bins or will arrange a pickup of used clothing for women, men and children as well as household goods such as bedding, housewares and toys. For a listing of miscellaneous items they accept and more information, go to bbbsli.org or call 631-234-0000.

The Suffolk County United Veterans is looking for donations for its emergency housing center (The Vets Place) in Yaphank. Many residents come with nothing but the clothes on their back. Call 631-924-8088 or email scuvoffice@scuv.org for a list of items needed.

The Children's Sport Connection in Garden City organizes equipment drives and helps deliver and collect used gear. Call 516-512-8922 or cscny.org to donate.

Career Gear is a nonprofit that distributes business clothing to disadvantaged men trying to re-enter the workforce. Call 212-577-6190, ext. 104, for information about shipping or delivering donations.

The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation will accept used musical instruments to refurbish and donate to underfunded school music programs. For information, go to mhopus.org.

Magazines. Take old magazines to local hospitals and area retirement homes. Call before donating.

Habitat for Humanity of Nassau County gladly accepts used cars and household items such as carpets, blankets and sheets. Go to www.hfhnc.org. Their goal is to build one to two homes per year in Nassau through donations.The homes cost $140,000 to $170,000 to build, including the purchase of land, and are built entirely by volunteers. Once the home is completed, they provide a no down payment, interest-free mortgage to a qualified family. Mortgage payments received from the homes are put back into building the next Habitat home.

Dress for Success Brookhaven located in Brookhaven Town Hall will accept current (five years old or less) office-appropriate women's wear, including skirt and pant suits, skirts, slacks, blouses, fine-knit sweaters, shoes, handbags, costume jewelry and other accessories. Clothing should be noticeably clean, in good repair, and on hangers. www.dressforsuccess.org.

The Lions Recycle for Sight  – has a recycling program for old eyeglasses. For a local chapter go to www.lionsclubs.org.

Soles4Souls collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject suffering, and collects used shoes to support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty. Soles4Souls’ other two divisions, Clothes4Souls and Hope4Souls, provide the same relief and support through clothing and other necessities. For local dropoffs go to www. Soles4Souls.org.

The Salvation Army Family Store will accept things such as: books, clothing, eyeglasses, furniture, mattresses, musical instruments, and sports equipment. Call 1-800-728-7825.

WHAT TO DO WITH ELECTRONICS

To find out how to get rid of your e-waste, go to your town's website for information about local recycling programs. Many towns have S.T.O.P. programs (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) or similar programs and will provide dates and drop-off locations to ensure safe disposal.

Best Buy stores offer consumer electronics recycling programs. They will accept most TVs, DVD players, CDs, computer monitors, cell phones and more at their recycling kiosks located inside the door of every Best Buy. Consumers can bring in up to two items a day per household. See www.BestBuyRecycling.com for details. Trade-in products for Best Buy gift cards or just recycle it for free.

The Wireless Foundation collects and recycles unwanted wireless devices otherwise destined for landfill. Go to www.gowirelessgogreen.org. to find dropoff locations near you.