Professional Organizer tools of the trade
I’m a Professional Organizer, but sometimes I think I should be called The Decluttering Ninja!
Because before you can organize, you need to declutter so that you don’t waste your time organizing things that aren’t needed, used or wanted.
I spend a LOT of time helping people declutter…
So… what does a Decluttering Ninja do?
A Decluttering Ninja is someone who is REALLY good at moving unwanted and unneeded things out the door.
What does a Decluttering Ninja take to work?
My Decluttering Bag!
These are my visible Professional Organizer tools of the trade for decluttering:
Thanks to smart Professional Organizer Lois Kaplan for the idea of carrying it all in a 4-bottle wine bag.

Recycling bags, trash bags, donation bags, zippered bags, Sharpie and green painters’ tape for temporary labels

Decluttering tools of the trade
Decluttering tools of the trade
- Construction grade black garbage bags (puncture resistant – for trash)
- Large, clear bags (from the hardware store – for donations)
- Large, transparent blue bags (for recycling)
- Freezer-grade zipper bags (President’s Choice freezer bags are my favourite); ex-large, large and medium
- Snack sized zipper bags
- Flyt magazine boxes from Ikea for sorting papers
- A Sharpie marker and Green painters’ tape
Use these tools to peel away the excess, then organizing important possessions becomes easy and fun!
The freezer-grade bags and collapsible magazine boxes are super-flexible, temporary containers for use during the process.

Ikea FLYT boxes for sorting paper
Start by focusing on creating personalized organized systems that function well and feel comfortable, and you can take all the time you like to upgrade the aesthetics later.
I also share my Invisible Toolkit with my clients!
My years of organizing education and experience has filled my Invisible Toolkit for every possible situation. It could take a week to talk about all these things, but some examples are: strategies, games and powerful questions to help my clients prioritize, absolute respect for client choices and goals, and endless energy and encouragement!
Most people who contact me feel stuck because of the volume of possessions they have, and they don’t know how to wade through and make decisions.
I specialize in helping people get unstuck, teaching strategies to break through current blockages, but also to prevent it from happening again.
What are your favorite decluttering tools?