What's the Difference Between Home Organizing and Cleaning?
- Mar 19
- 7 min read
March 2026 - Organization Pending's Newsroom - Upper Arlington, Ohio
Organization Pending is a home organizing company offering in-person and virtual services from Upper Arlington, Ohio. Welcome to the Newsroom, offering monthly decluttering and organizing tips and discussions, interviews with Community Recommendations, Columbus recycling and donation news and resources, and more!
This month we're discussing the difference between home organizing and cleaning, what we really mean when we talk about having a tidy home, and why it makes sense to hire a home organizer before a cleaning company. Don't miss Organization Pending's tips to help you celebrate your home organizing goals for National Organize Your Home Office Day and National Clean Out Your Closet Week, and join Tabi for A Parenting Moment, including a cyberbullying resource.
What's the Difference Between Home Organizing and Cleaning?
When clients first reach out, sometimes they're embarrassed about the clutter in their homes and they want to hire a cleaning company before scheduling their first session with Organization Pending for decluttering and organizing. Or they've asked the cleaning company to try organizing something before, and their system isn't working. Or clients have just started searching, and realized what's commonly thought of as a single household chore has two kinds of professionals to assist with decluttering/organizing, and then cleaning.
When we talk about having a tidy home, there are three main processes that have to be consistently ongoing to support that: decluttering, organizing, and cleaning.
Decluttering: Two of the top regular decluttering tasks are food items/items with expirations and seasonal closet decluttering. Along with these built-in cycles, the rest of the house also needs regular decluttering to remain manageable. If your home is feeling overwhelming right now, it will take time to work through everything and achieve a reset. But once you have that, you'll be able to let the spaces tell you when they need to get on the schedule again because they'll start to look full, and they'll become disorganized to the point you can't find items you know you should already have, leaving you tempted to rebuy them instead.
Organizing: "Organized people are just too lazy to go looking for what they want." -Albert Einstein
I know this is true for me! I can't find the time in my schedule to search around for things when I need specific items - I need them to be where I instinctively look for them. After decluttering, clients find we usually have more than enough space to work with, and we usually have enough empty bins to help keep smaller zones organized. When items start having homes, and zones start taking shape, the items that have been difficult to categorize reveal that there is a zone for it - we just needed to discover all the items in that category first.
Cleaning: This is the time to break out the mops and dusting supplies - or take a look under "House Cleaning" in the "Professional Services" section of the Community Recommendations page.
When a home is struggling with disorganization, a cleaning company only has time to do their best before needing to move on to the next client. Decluttering unnecessary items and having organized surfaces not only instantly makes the home look cleaner, but it also means creating room for a total clean of your home.
Why hire a home organizer before a cleaning company?
Decluttering = more space to clean.
A cluttered house still looks unclean.
Avoids having piles of clutter or donations cleaned.
Avoids "stuff" shuffling, moving piles to hidden spots before the cleaning company comes.
Investing in home organizing services before cleaning services simplifies and streamlines the cleaning process, creating space for a complete cleaning home instead of only what they can get to in the allotted time - ensuring the best outcome for your home, and the best value for your home improvement goals.
Helping kids with their decluttering and organizing goals?
In June, we talked about how to break down the process of "clean up your room" so kids really understand what we mean as parents, and what our expectations are when we say this.
"Many parents feel frustrated by the state of the kids' rooms, left wondering why their kids don't know what to do when they're told to clean up their rooms, or why their kids' rooms so quickly look like mini tornados have torn through them.
One major barrier for kids trying to keep their rooms decluttered, organized, and clean, is that often kids have one to three areas in the home that they can claim as theirs. Many times their bedrooms..." Read the full article.
Looking for one-on-one support for you or your kids?
Learn more about Organization Pending's Training Sessions and Kid Organization Sessions.
National Organize Your Home Office Day: March 10, 2026
"When it comes to 'less essential' items or backstock, Tabi Berkey, owner of Organization Pending says, "Creating one zone for all office backstock supplies also helps create a streamlined process for keeping common supplies stocked, and for knowing where to look when you need refills." - 8 Tips for Organizing Your Home Office, ApartmentGuide®, a subsidiary of Redfin.com
A small business themselves, Organization Pending knows how important organization is for speeding up your daily, quarterly, and yearly processes. Request Organization Pending's Quick Tips for Home Offices to get you started.
Organization Pending's Top Three Closet Decluttering Tips for National Clean Out Your Closet Week: March 15-21, 2026
"Shop" your closet! Many clients find this practice to be a great way to jump into decluttering before or instead of removing everything. Look at each item on the rack - would you still buy that if you saw it in a store today? If not, put it in a donation bag! If you're experiencing hesitation - move on. The purpose behind this exercise is to take away those easy decluttering decisions, finally donating the clothing we've been meaning to let go of, moving us closer to our end goals.
Do you have seasonal clothing? Consider packing these items away in the off season, using under-the-bed storage - and don't forget about outdoor clothing! Keeping hats, scarves, gloves, winter coats, snow pants, and boots in closet storage together makes pre-season fit checks easy with growing kids.
Do you wear specific clothing for work, at home, and going out? Zone your clothing options so you only have part of your total wardrobe to consider for specific purposes. After putting these zones into categories, you might be surprised to learn how many similar items you own - letting you know to declutter some of those options, or letting you know to embrace your favorite style and donate others.
Have clothing that is torn or stained? Broken jewelry? These donations from your closet (and more) benefit Columbus Fashion Academy's sustainable fashion education programs and local kids' creativity. When you choose Organization Pending's In-Person home organizing services or UA Porch Pick Up services, your donations support this cause and more. Reach out today to take the first step in meeting your decluttering and organizing goals.
Cyberbullying Resource: A Parenting Moment
I remember getting my first pair of glasses, and how amazing it was that the world actually looked quite different from the fuzziness I knew. What a wonderful device, opening my world.
But I also remember the kid in my class that called me four-eyes. It was a funny thing to say, straight out of a storybook bully's mouth - but it was also unwanted attention, and I was embarrassed, wondering why it mattered to them.
Thankfully, that was the only instance of "four-eyes" I ever received. But in today's world, a real-life bully easily becomes a cyberbully, leaving no safe space when the bully is in your pocket.
"Cyberbullying has been linked to teen depression. It can cause teens to feel increasingly anxious, embarrassed, and worried. In these instances, teens can experience physical and emotional trauma. Cyberbullying can also reach a point where it causes teen to contemplate or complete suicide." - Social Media Victims Law Center
If you're looking for more information on the effects and signs of cyberbullying, examples of cyberbullying, or how to report it, I found the Social Media Victims Law Center's article, Cyberbullying on Social Media to be an excellent resource for this evolving world.
Upper Arlington Updates
Don't miss the Sustainability Fair at Upper Arlington Public Library, Tremont Road Branch, on Saturday, April 11, 10am-1pm. Brought to you by UAPL, City of Upper Arlington, and Sustainable UA, this annual event lets you meet with Columbus organizations focused on sustainable actions, as well as an opportunity to recycle e-waste, donate household goods, and more.
And stop by Fire Station 72 on Reed Road for their DEA Drug Take Back Day. This drive-thru style drop off takes place Saturday, April 25, 10am-2pm.
Company News
"Let’s be honest— Life is moving too fast.
We’re here to slow things down.
The Nostalgia Navigator was built for the dreamers, the collectors, and the keepers of stories. We believe that the past isn’t a place to live, but a source of inspiration to carry with us.
You aren't just looking for 'old stuff.' You’re looking for the feeling of Saturday morning cartoons, the smile a loved one, and the stories that made you who you are."
Launching in April, Nostalgia Navigator is a collaboration of Vintage Solutions and Organization Pending, offering a full-circle experience for gathering, sorting, organizing, and digitizing your family's memories - preserving them for future generations, and to share with your family now.
Thank you for reading! Subscribe to receive the Newsroom in your email each month, and follow Organization Pending on Facebook and Instagram for local decluttering opportunities and home organizing tips!
If you have an upcoming event, resource, or professional the community should know about, contact Organization Pending.
Organization Pending's Newsroom is written by Organization Pending's Owner/Operator Tabi Berkey.
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