A Business Built Out of Helping a Friend, DeClutter Bug Founder Shares A Bit of Her Work
(Arden Vanover, April 18, 2023)
Springfield Township, MI – As springtime unfolds and the season of “cleaning” begins, Heather Barta, the owner of DeClutter Bug, made a presentation about the joys of de-cluttering and tips for doing so, in a presentation at Springfield Township Library.
DeClutter Bug was founded in 2009, but Barta has been doing this for much longer, just without making it official.
Barta started out accidentally by just lending a helping hand to anyone who asked her.
A game-changing moment for her was when she was invited to clean out a trailer home for her friend. She and her friend worked from one end to the other cleaning, organizing and getting rid of anything that no longer suited her friend’s lifestyle.
Even now, she looks back on this moment as a very significant moment to the start of her business.
When bringing on new clients, Barta won’t automatically settle on a pattern to do the work. Not everyone will respond to her consultations in the same way.
Each client gets a personalized plan, whether it be over Zoom or over multiple days in-person, Barta is willing to work with her clients and find out what works best for them because DeClutter Bug is much more than just a decluttering service.
DeClutter Bug is the business of rewiring home organization to keep around the stuff that makes those in the house happy, but also aiding in the grieving process of giving up items or leaving behind a past self that doesn’t have a purpose anymore.
“People call me because they have too much stuff in their house,” Barta said. “They usually when people call me, they don’t understand the emotional layers that we’re also going to talk about. I walk with them in that, and we celebrate when they’re like, ‘Oh, I just made a big breakthrough.’”
Barta stands by her clients throughout the process and does most of the literal heavy lifting. She creates boxes and organization systems to help people decide where things are going, and she places the items in the boxes to make it a little bit easier.
She said, “It is significant that you don’t touch it. You look at it from across the room, so I hold it up and I ask, ‘Do you love it? Can’t imagine life without it?’ And if they say no, it goes into boxes.”
From there, it must be decided where those unwanted items go. If it has sentimental value, maybe a family member will want it. If it doesn’t, Barta decides on a donation shop that the client likes and takes the boxes there herself once the session is done.
“If it’s not blessing your life, pass it on to somebody else so it can bless their life,” she said.
In Barta’s eyes, the issue people struggle with the most is figuring out where things go, so she comes with ideas and solutions. She knows where to bring the unwanted items, and she helps the owner find places for their loved items to have a home.
She wants to leave every session implementing the idea that everything has a place in the home, and being more conscious about what comes into the home and what stays there can help keep clutter managed.
DeClutter Bug offers consultations and coaching charged by the day and is available to help craft a personal plan that works. Check out DeClutter Bug’s website for more information.