They clutter up your kitchen, hog your closets and collect in your entryway. Just about everyone has too many of something. And the things we hoard are surprisingly predictable. Forget heirlooms and sentimental tchotchkes, it’s the utilitarian items that overrun our homes.
Good Riddance:Showing Clutter the Door by Susan Borax and Heather Knittel.
Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door is a reality check and must-read for
self-described packrats as well as those in denial about the issue of household
accumulation. Authors and professional organizers Susan Borax and Heather
Knittel refer to this phenomenon as CRUD: Completely Ridiculous Useless
Debris.
Good Riddance:Showing Clutter the Door by Susan Borax and Heather Knittel.
The Global Ebook Awards honor and bring attention to the future of book publishing: Ebooks. Now in its second year, the Awards are in 72 specific categories.. The awards ceremony will be in gorgeous Santa Barbara on August 18, 2012. If you have read it, you can leave a comment . http://tiny.cc/kf18ew on the nomination page.
Heather and Susan are delighted to in the company of a good many authors who are spreading the word via eBooks
Tri-Cities News: May 14, 2012
A GOOD READ: De-clutter your home with help of books
Vancouver-based professional organizing duo Susan Borax and Heather Knittel have written Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door. They approach the topic of de-cluttering with common sense and humour. They dare readers to "dream of a life minus the burden of CRUD: Completely Ridiculous Useless Debris." They issue CRUD challenges that urge people to rid themselves of unneeded, outdated items. much stuff around.
I am one of those people that loves kitchen gadgets. I use most of them several times a year , but there are a few that are really just taking up space. You know the stuff you buy because you know someday you will use it. Yeah , it's now been three years since I bought the candy molds and still haven't made anything in em. Trouble with this pattern is CLUTTER. I received a copy of "Good Riddance to Clutter" that will hopefully help me out. I love this book. It uses common issues and describes em in a humorous way to show us all how truly ridiculous it is to keep so much stuff around.
Making it easier to move mom and dad.
Professional organizer says it's all about de-cluttering
"When seniors are moving to a small condo or to a seniors community, they can't take everything with them because they are downsizing to a much smaller place. Often you have to go through years and years of stuff, some of which might need to be saved," explains Knittel. "This can be quite daunting for many families and often they just don't have the time."
There's plenty to be said for the motivation that comes when the calendar flips over from one year to the next - there's nothing like a fresh start to make any goal feel manageable. But in truth, there's no "best time" to tackle resolutions and, with spring right around the corner, what better time than now to revive one of those goals that may have been dropped since New Year's.
Burnaby NOW reporter Christina Myers has been talking to experts around the region to gather advice to help NOW readers reach their goals in 2012. In past instalments in this series, the NOW heard from experts in finance, nutrition and exercise, family relationships and education.
There are many people living in isolation in extremely cluttered or borderline hoarding home environments. Many are reluctant to ask for help. Some have no immediate family members to help. Good Riddance concentrates on these clients as well as well as other populations like busy, growing families or independent business people and self employed professionals who are often too time-challenged to stay on top of their clutter. They guide people through a difficult decision-making process so that their future remains clutter-free.
Giveaway: Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door Book Review: Jan 27, 2012
Professional organizers Heather Knittel and Susan Borax came together to write Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door which is about getting rid of your CRUD (completely ridiculous unworthy debris). Like you can guess, this entire book is about how to sort through your home and possessions to get rid of useless things and make room for more useful items. While the book could have been written in a serious and boring manner, Susan and Heather both came together for a humorous outlook on the idea of getting rid of the extra stuff that takes up extra room in your house.
Items gathering dust in your basement or attic are often things that are easiest to part with – and can free up space for storing stuff you’re about to liberate from other rooms. Susan Borax of Vancouver’s Good Riddance says the major culprits she and her business partner, Heather Knittel, encounter include mindlessly acquired collections of cookie tins, for instance, and boxes of miscellaneous “shrapnel.” “We separate the crud, the completely ridiculous, useless debris, from things that are still useful and loved,” she says.
Keep kids' clutter (and chaos) capped at Christmas
When it comes to Christmas and kids, there seems little way to avoid the inevitable clutter that comes with the influx of toys and gifts that appear under the tree - never mind the hordes of decorations that get pulled out from the attic each year...
Our home is supposed to be where we go to find peace and serenity. This is where, when the door to the outside world is closed, we should be able to take a deep breathe and relax.
Too many of us live in anything but peace and serenity; we live in some form of chaos while at the same time wondering why we never really feel rested or feel we belong anywhere.
Or click here to see or download a copy (JPG) of the page.
HomeStarts: July 13, 2011
Let's talk about Cluttermania: The Musical Revue
In Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door, Susan Borax and Heather Knittel, owners of Good Riddance Professional Organizing Solutions, define CRUD as Completely Ridiculous Useless Debris. And in Cluttermania: The Musical Revue, Susan and Heather along with friends Kim Yarnold and Brenda Kay don other persona to help audiences look at CRUD in a fun and entertaining method.
The crowds filled the room eager to learn a very important lesson. It was one George Carlin had talked about in his comic routines regularly, all about: "Stuff." And there wasn't a single person in the VIP room on Wednesday, May 11th who wasn't aware of the importance of what the two lively, bright young ladies were trying to remind them about...
End of school marks time to declutter
Should it stay or should it go?
VANCOUVER(NEWS1130) - School is all done for most BC children and while there are plenty of wonderful memories, there's also a lot of stuff parents and students must wade through.
Interview with Sean Leslie on CKNW Radio: June 19, 2011
Susan Borax speaks live on radio with Sean Leslie from CKNW about GoodRiddance Professional Organizing Solutions. Listen to to the full interview now and get some instightful tips on how to de-clutter your home.
Burnaby NewsLeader: June 2011
HEALTHY AGING: Don't let your stuff prevent you from moving
Before many seniors can move to retirement communities, they need to develop strategies that will allow them to go, clutter free. There are many avenues for distributing unwanted belongings.
Comfort Life Newsletter - 16 Best De-Cluttering Tips: May 2011
Decluttering and downsizing is a big job so we've compiled some of our favourite tips from the experts: Pat Irwin of ElderCareCanada, Susan Borax of Good Riddance and Vicky Riley Keyes of Red Coats Moving Solutions.
You've found the perfect adult-lifestyle community.
What can you do to promote the sale of the house you're in now?
CURB APPEAL
Many a homebuyer has decided not to enter a house because they didn't like the exterior. That's how important curb appeal is to the sale of your home. You can increase the perceived value of your home with a little elbow grease, practical maintenance work, and some inspired accents...
Elder care: Going it alone
can be a recipe for burnout:
For members of the so-called sandwich generation, fitting the needs of aging parents into an already busy life can be a recipe for severe indigestion. Determining whether an elderly person can stay in their residence or needs more intensive care, finding an appropriate care home, dealing with health and financial issues – it's time-consuming and draining.
If you don't know what you have, then chances are you are going to duplicate by buying something again that you can't find now. I know that problem all too well. I've lived in the same home since 1994 and I have collected a lot of stuff along the way...
Good
Riddance featured in The Province:Feb. 6, 2011
Susan Borax and Heather Knittel describe themselves as "fit-ness"
coaches, but you won't finding them giving tips in the gym.
Instead, they're focused on helping
folks determine what fits in
their homes — and just as importantly,
what doesn't...
If your stuff rules you, here's how you can rule it:
You've just received a phone call that someone -a friend, your boss, your mother-in-law -is going to drop by shortly. You fly into a panic and start running around the house, shovelling belongings into an area of shame. Maybe your things don't even fit into your home any more, and have begun spilling over into a series of storage lockers...
TV Interview with Susan Borax and Heather Knittel of Good Riddance
Professional Organizing Solutions:
Susan Borax and Heather Knittel, who run a Vancouver-based organizing business, have written Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door. It's a practical how-to guide about ridding your life of CRUD: Completely Ridiculous Useless Debris.
Online News Web Articles: Jan 11 2011
Winnipeg Free Press Online,
Yahoo News,
Sync Sympatico News
It's not uncommon for people to want to keep treasured possessions that elicit warm memories, like a baseball mitt from Little League or a quilt crafted by Grandma.
But what about the stickered piece of a glove compartment salvaged from a Volvo? Or sheets and linens for beds you no longer own? And Christmas decorations you keep year after year but no longer put up?
Burnaby company, Good Riddance, helps clients clean up the post-holiday mess.
On the first day of Christmas, my uncle gave to me, another baseball cap I didn't need. On the second day of Christmas, my husband brought to me, two extra tree stands and a box of Christmas lights tangled like weeds.
This is the time of year when all the holiday junk we've accumulated is pulled out of storage, just as our friends and relations give us more to add to the pile.
Is your New Year's resolution to clear out junk from your cupboards and closets? Susan Borax and Heather Knittel, who run a Vancouver-based organizing business, have written Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door. It's a practical how-to guide about ridding your life of CRUD:
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Out with the old, in with the new! A professional organizer is suggesting that same phrase should apply to your clutter as we enter 2011.
Listen to the audio interview here: News1130 GR.mp3
(Click link to listen now or to save Right-Click and choose "Save Link As")
Global TV, Dec 6, 2010
Good Riddance Showing Clutter the Door answers the question: Is it possible to lose 25 years of clutter with utter glee? It is when you surrender your CRUD (completely ridiculous unworthy debris), according to know-it-all professional organizers, Heather Knittel and
Susan Borax.
Cutting clutter (with humour) can lead to emotional healing.
A pair of Burnaby-based professional organizers have put their lessons in book form, to help packrats tackle their clutter.
Susan Borax and Heather Knittel, co-owners of Good Riddance Professional Organizing Solutions, have just launched the book they've co-authored, Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door...
Turn over a new leaf: Heather Knittel, coowner
of personal organizing
solution company Good Riddance,
promotes the fall season
to her clients as a good
time to address disorder and
amend bad habits.
"We like to do [reorganization]
twice a year. It's usually
spring and fall. Those are
the more natural times to
look at stuff," she said...
"[Autumn's] a good
Crushing the Clutterbug: "Got too much stuff lying around? So disorganized that there's always a
mess in your way? If your clutter can't be defined as circumstantial (for example, your house is untidy because you've recently moved), you might be a clutterbug..."
Susan Borax is featured in this week’s Westender in the “Life & Style” section. Looking for pointers on how to clear your clutter? See the article in City Home Style: Straighten Up!
Global Television, January 2009
Good Riddance’s Heather Knittel appeared on CBC Newsworld March 23, 2009 to discuss tips for Spring Cleaning your garage.
Home Organizing - Global Television January 2008
(Hover mouse over video to view PLAY CONTROLS)
The Daily, January of 2009
Watch Susan and Heather tackle host Laura Lynn Tyler’s kitchen drunk drawer, on Vancouver’s The Daily with Mark and Laura Lynn on JOY TV. One of 5 episodes that included organizing her pantry, kitchen counters, hall and linen closets broadcast in January of 2009.
The Daily with Mark and Laura-Lynn
(Hover mouse over video to view PLAY CONTROLS)
Savvy Mom- Read about Susan and Heather’s tips on getting your kids
organized for back to school.
Read article
Heather
Knittel appeared on The Fanny Kiefer Show on Studio 4 and discussed Packing
Efficiently for Your Summer Holiday with host Fanny Kiefer.
Both Susan
and Heather were Christy Clark’s guests on CKNW radio discussing
their “Practically Daughters” program- supportive downsizing and relocation
for older adults.
Western
Living Condo explores the big ideas about small-space living, including
tips from Good Riddance’s co-founder, Susan Borax.
Heather Knittel
demonstrates how to pack, when you can only bring one suitcase on a
trip.
Click to continue
Conquer
Your Clutter: Bye Bye Bric-a-Brac Tracy Rayson discusses tips with Susan
Borax on how to stay clutter-free. Read the whole story
(PDF)
A concierge for all seasons: the decline of do-it-yourself, and the rise
of do-it-for-me services Joanna Pachner quotes Heather Knittel on outsourcing organizing services Read the whole story
(PDF)
Banish Closet Clutter It Can Be Done!
Jeani Read interviews Susan Borax and Heather Knittel regarding effective
and inexpensive ways to make your closet work for you. Read the whole story
(PDF)
Get organized
De-cluttering to meal-planning and much more! Heather Knittel offers tips
and ways to get started for busy families. Read the whole story
(PDF)
Trade Secrets: Expert Tips to Use in Your Home
Heather Knittel explains to Jodi Pachner how to take control and tame a junk
drawer Read the whole story
(PDF)
Simple Life Seniors At Home
Good Riddance’s Heather Knittel and Susan Borax discuss clutter management
and downsizing and relocation support for seniors with the courier’s Helen
Petersen. Read the whole story
(PDF)
Spring Fling
Good Riddance featured as experts in toddlers toteen rooms, home offices
and high-traffic areas.
Avoid the Stress of a Mess
Christina Myers of the Burnaby Now talks to Susan Borax about the benefits
of having an organized home- save time, energy and money. Read the whole story
(PDF)
Garage Sale Will Help Kids
Good Riddance supports AFABC with a community garage sale to benefit kids
looking for families Read the whole story
(PDF)
Helping Clean Up Your Act
Mike McQuillan writes how professional organizer Susan Borax created
solutions for a client living and working in a 350square ft space. Read the whole story
(PDF)
Susan Borax is featured in this week’s Westender in the “Life & Style” section. Looking for pointers on how to clear your clutter? See the article in City Home Style: Straighten Up!
The Daily, January of 2009
Conquer
Your Clutter: Bye Bye Bric-a-Brac
Trade Secrets: Expert Tips to Use in Your Home 
How to Have A Garage Sale 
Simple Life Seniors At Home 
Avoid the Stress of a Mess 
Garage Sale Will Help Kids