Cary Farrell
919-630-7909

Testimonials

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Michele in Raleigh

Cary helped us to add functionality to our rooms. She also helped us to establish systems that assisted us in how we move through our house. I appreciate Cary's "homework assignments" to help us get and stay on track.

Rita in Durham

Hands down the best service experience I’ve ever had, and I’m 67 years old!! Not only is she an expert at organizing, she also works every bit as hard as you do!! She takes away for donation any items you don’t want to keep and brings back the receipt the next session. She asks tough questions about things to help push you to get rid of stuff you just don’t need. I have hired her twice and don’t regret a penny I’ve spent. She is truly exceptional!

Tabitha S

I used to be someone who kept everything neat and tidy, who cleaned out closets twice a year and prided myself on having a clean home. I don't know how or why, but by 2020 I realized we were living in a chaotic mess and no matter what I did we could not get out from under. I started taking a declutter course and reading a few books and w hill I was motivatied in mind, I just could not seem to get anything done. By 2021 I knew I needed outside. He'll and found Cary fo Clutter Free. Cary did a consultation with us, which I was happy to pay for, and insisted on meeting everyone in the family so they could understand what we were going to do. I did not realize how important that was until we started decluttering. Over three, four hour sessions Cary came and helped my husband, my kids and I tackle one room at a time. She brought all the supplies along with the ground rules. Anytime we were overwhelmed she was able to get us grounded again. When my husband and I disagreed about things, she was a perfect moderator. She instantly picked up on our different styles and was the perfect go-between that kept the process going. Decluttering years of clutter is hard, but Cary made it bearable and by the end I could breathe again. When I entered my home, I felt lighter. There was no more clutter wearing me down. It has been four months since we started and everyone is sticking to our new routines. We have been able to adapt more thinks we learned from Cary and we are a happy home. I cannot wait to have her back in the spring to help us tackle the garage. Thanks you Cary for understanding not just the process, but the emotional weight that we were carrying and helping us work through it all. I highly recommend Cary whether it is a full house clean out or just one room that needs to be organized. She has seen us at our worst and helped us get to our best. Thank you Cary!

Ben F

Cary at Clutter Free is absolutely amazing. We are moving from out house after 20 years. Cary is so increadily knowledgeable about organizing that she turns the task from daunting into fun and uplifting. She is incredible at what she does and a super nice person and so fun and enjoyable to work with.

Shulamith K

We hired Cary to organize, downsize, and empty our parents home of 45 years and get it ready to put on the market. What could have been a painful, prolonged and complicatied ordeal turned into a well organized, practical and easy process. Thank you so much!

Erin W

I could go on and on about how wonderful Cary at Clutter Free is and how she has helped to transform this house into a home. She is patient, observant, flexible, and a problem-solver. Not one Ely is she and organizing genius, she ensures that it is a collaborative effort, and she checks in often with ideas or "homework" to help make your space feel safe, comfortable and functional for you and your family. She is very highly recommended.

Sally W.

Cary is both professional and knowledgeable. She helped me clean out all our closets, our full basement and garage. She helped me determine what to save, donate, trash and sell. We went through every single item, and her expertise and advice made the process flow. After cleaning out, she helped with organizing and creating systems to keep clutter under control. I highly recommend Cary Farrell and Clutter Free.

Mandy S

Cary has helped me with my client needs as well as personally. She is efficient, thorough and very helpful with making decisions of whether to keep or toss! I highly recommend Cary for all your organizing and system creation needs!

Karen B.

Cary is an outstanding organizer!

I worked with her this year to downsize my house. She kept us on track to the end goal and had my house ready for real estate agents walk through in 6 visits.

While I had completed some of the work prior to engaging Clutter Free, Cary was a supportive advisor as I had many memories from family, work and clothes to let go off. She kindly took the items directly to the donation store.

I would highly recommend her services to anyone needing to downsize or re-organize their homes.

Lori G.

Cary Farrell (Clutter Free) has worked with my family for over 15 years! She has helped us navigate 4 moves and has successfully helped us settle in and organize our spaces to fit our lifestyles. She is a trusted professional and has extremely high integrity. I continue to use her for organizational projects at home and in my office. I would highly recommend her, she is worth every penny and more!

Julie from Durham

What actually happens during the time with Clutter Free?

Although initially, I was excited about the idea of organizing and decluttering my hard to organize places, you know the ones. You take everything out and then neatly put it back only to be in the same place after not a lot of time. Cary arrived and she was so kind and non-judgemental. She asked me questions, listened and then gave me some ideas to consider.

During the consultation, I opened my kitchen cabinet and said: “I need help with this.” I have bowls that I love but they don’t stack with the others. Let me show you one of my favorites.

Me: (proudly showing her my robin’s egg blue bowl) My long-time friend who lives in Durham, NC gave this to me because she knows me, really knows me. I love it so much. Do I have to get rid of it??

Cary: No! Why would you get rid of it? It means so much to you.

Me: It is hard to store with my other bowls.

Cary: Would you consider keeping it out on your counter and putting seasonal fruit in it?

Me: Um….I like cold fruit in the fridge and to be honest I can’t picture doing that.

Cary: Let’s keep thinking. Your beautiful bowl needs a place for you to enjoy it.

A couple of days later, I took the bowl out and placed it on my counter and put our apples in it. I looked and gave it some time in its new place. My husband and son noticed and were thrilled. “Now, we’ll eat more apples!” Guess what? We do eat more apples. The bowl reminds me that I am known and thought of by someone I love.

It was a very simple change. I consider myself a creative problem solver, but it never occurred to me to do this. Having Cary, from Clutter Free, come in with new eyes and a fresh perspective helped me see the possibilities.

Christine - inspired after a presentation

I cannot tell you how much your class at Diana's has motivated me! I don't like clutter and have always considered myself a neat person. However, after listening to your tips, I am cleaning out all those "organized" drawers, cupboards, filing cabinets and closets. I think people in general assume you have to be a hoarder to need someone like you. Not true!

David Aspenson - psychologist

Clutter Free was worth every penny of the very reasonable fee for the service. It would have taken me four weekends working by myself to accomplish what I did in four hours with Cary's help. After working with Clutter Free my entire being felt lighter and more free.

Anna - whole home purge

Cary is a true pro. She was flexible in scheduling our work times for when I was available. (I work a night shift so she came to my home in the evenings.) From the minute she walked into my kitchen for our first decluttering session, she jumped right into beginning the task at hand. She tackled our huge project and took it one step at a time. When I felt overwhelmed, she calmly pushed ahead and directed me to work on the subtask she wanted me to complete. Cary offered continual guidance and encouragement to keep me on task. She clearly enjoys her work and the results show that. After five four-hour sessions where Cary worked non-stop, my house is now clutterfree! Hiring Clutter Free was well worth the investment and I feel so much better about my home now!

Eric - Four Generations of Possessions

Cary worked closely with me to de-clutter and organize the entire house.
Cary is fabulous and goes above and beyond in every respect. It was a huge job and I was overwhelmed after accumulating items from multiple family members. Cary is extremely organized herself and develops a strategy and keeps the client involved throughout. She is positive yet assertive in not only deciding what to hold onto but also how to organize items based on their purpose and use and hauling mountains of items away to donate, and returning with a tax receipt. She works with the client in developing a process moving forward for each room and need. It was very well worth the price and saved me months and probably years of time and agony. I cannot say enough good things about working with Cary!

Earl - not quite settled in Chapel Hill

I went from overwhelmed and unmotivated to empowered and inspired after my very first visit with Cary. I was really upset with myself for not managing to de-clutter my belongings before moving into my new home and the unpacked boxes just sat there in my spare room which I intended to turn into a guest/home office space many months ago. Well, after being in my new location for over eight months, I was very anxious to make some progress with clearing out the many boxes of stuff before the end of the year and it was just not happening on my own, so I decided I really needed some professional help. I am so very glad I found Cary an Angie's list! Cary is truly someone who will partner with you to make some real and lasting progress in de-cluttering your life. Over the eight hour period of time we spent together (spread over two days), we not only managed to get rid of the intimidating amount of clutter in my guest room, but I was also able to fully tame my master bedroom closet.

What a joy it is to have a place for everything and everything in its place!

And, I say we, because Cary was an integral part of the process by feeding me boxes (some of them quite heavy), taking things down to trash and recycle, and also taking all of the donated items away (no stress for me in having to haul things away).

I highly recommend Cary if you are looking for someone who can:

1. Be extremely supportive and compassionate while still being firm, when necessary.

2. Offer great assistance in determining where items best belong in your home

3. Provide great advice on how to keep things organized after her consultation ends

4. Is flexible in scheduling sessions (She even works on Saturdays!)

5. Is hard working and dependable

I highly recommend Cary. I already told my co-workers and friends about her and I hope you will find her as wonderful to work with as I did.

Angela - Busy self employed mom

You would be SOOOO proud of me. My entire pantry and the kitchen drawers we looked at are all organized now. It feels so good!

The best thing I learned from you is how to think about my prime real estate, especially putting what I use most often within my reach. It seems intuitive, but you helped me to think outside of the box. For example, I don't have to just put food in the pantry because it's a pantry. Putting all of my kid's lunch stuff in that deep drawer has been a HUGE help in the morning when I make lunches everyday. It also helped to put like utensils together to see what I had and what I didn't really need. I did a lot of weeding out.

Lila - Relocating

Cary helped me organize my new apartment and we did some additional downsizing of things I didn't get rid of before my move to North Carolina. She's highly organized, extremely efficient and a very hard worker. I had her scheduled multiple times to complete my unpacking and doing the organizing in a three bedroom apartment. She took my donated items to several charities and provided receipts for me on subsequent appointments.
It went fabulously! Cary listens to what you want, asks good questions to truly UNDERSTAND both the spoken and unspoken needs or desires and then reminds you what you said you wanted when you start to waver a little bit over something. (Well maybe it was just me who needed to be reminded when I said I wanted to donate something and then hemmed and hawed over it....but she did so in a gentle way that I found very effective in keeping me focussed on the desired outcome). She's attentive, prompt and has a great sense of humor. Cary is non-judgmental and understands that different people have different priorities and puts her emphasis on helping you make your space fit YOUR life.
I have zero hesitation in recommending Cary, and I'll hire her again in a heartbeat when I find a condo to buy and move again to a permanent place.

Jeanne - Daughter's plea for help

Cary Farrell and Clutter Free has worked with my family for over three years. After years of tensions with my mother regarding the decades of accumulation and piles in her home, my sisters and I decided to call a professional organizer for help.
We met with Cary first before introducing her to our mom. Our conversation helped us to get to know Cary and her methodology and we knew that we had found the perfect fit to work with Mom- someone who is compassionate and kind, and also energetic and decisive). We also realized during that first conversation with Cary that there are some things that family can't help other family with, and as much as we wanted to be the ones to help Mom regain control over her house, a professional option was really the better choice for us for long-term success of the organization AND health of our relationship.

After introducing Mom to Cary, they set up their first organization session. My sisters and I had low expectations as Mom's house had been in a state of piles and build-up for some time, but to our surprise, Mom invited us over to her house to see the results after the session and our JAWS DROPPED. We had no idea that such significant results could be seen so soon! Within just a couple sessions, Mom's kitchen and bathroom came to a state of organization and functionality previously unknown. Soon following, the living room and bedroom and office became clear and usable.

Best of all, Cary did this with Mom's buy-in and active participation! (I should mention that once we had snuck into Mom's house while she was away for a weekend and got the place "clear and usable" but it was not a long-term fix as a few months later it was back in its cluttered state without us really addressing Mom's needs in that "surprise" process). Cary helped Mom make decisions that honored the memories cherished within her house WHILE clearing up space for Mom to have people over again.

Mom is so proud of her house and has her family over regularly, and has never felt like anything was thrown away or "lost" without her choice and decision (this had previously been a complaint against her daughters' help...)We continue to hire Cary on a regular basis for a few hours here and there to help Mom keep on top of things.

Lest this report indicate that Cary only handles extreme cases, I also had Cary over for 2 hours to help me organize my home office after I had moved. I had several boxes of things I just didn't know what to do with- books, childhood art & memories, etc- that sat in unopened for months. Cary came over and helped me make decisions and set up my office in a way that held the things I want out and on display, and also still has space for me to do the activities I want to do in that room. I have never regretted a single decision I made from that organization session and feel great about my space and belongings. If I hadn't hired Cary, those boxes would likely still be there.

Cary brings a TON of energy to each session. She helps direct her client's energy so that their decisions are engaged, then provides the legwork to plow through unfathomable amounts of clutter and belongings in a short amount of time. She brings tangible results quickly, yet her work still holds for the long-term. I happily recommend Cary to all of my friends, and my clients (I run a housecleaning company), and quote her sayings and encouragements on a regular basis!
⊥top

Teacher

Cary helped me clean out and organize an office space that had become a default holding space in the house.
I had moved from a larger house I had lived in for almost 30 years a few years ago and, at that time, had to downsize significantly. Nevertheless, I still ended up with boxes of "stuff" I didn't know exactly what to do with. I didn't want to throw it out, so it all ended up in the office. I decided to hire her to help me get that office finally cleaned out so I could actually use it.
She arrived right on time and we went immediately to work. She is very systematic and I found it extremely helpful to talk through why or why not to keep something. I had tried to do this myself, but just kept going around in circles, mentally speaking. Having someone else to bounce the logic off was key for me. One of the things she said that will continue to help me in this regard were, "If you lost this, would you buy it again?" I realized that the answer many times was "no", but I nevertheless hung onto the object because it had been a gift or because I felt that to get rid of it would be "wasteful." However, it helped me to realize that I was going to be donating all these items to someone else who could actually use them made me realize that they wouldn't be wasted.
Cary also made things so easy by taking care of bringing the items to donate and doing a lot of the physical work.
The final cost seemed on the high side to me, since I'm just a public school teacher, it was TOTALLY worth it!! I love my office now! In a few months, I plan on hiring her again to help me tackle the GARAGE!!!
Totally, totally worth it! Thank you, Cary!

Construction Zone

I have been living in a construction zone with one project following another and items being moved from room to room based on the project at hand. I needed help to find a way to organize things and begin to get things cleaned out. I had reached a point where it just seemed impossible. Cary was able to come out the day I called. We spent 2 hours going over what I wanted to accomplish, setting goals, and then we started doing a first presort through a huge pile of items. Loved the fact that she did not do the work, but helped walk me through the process so I would feel comfortable doing and maintaining it.
It went very well. She spent time discussing my objectives and helping create a plan of attack. We then spent time doing some of the presort needed before being able to get things back where they should belong. Since we were only going to be spending a couple of hours, after getting things going she spent time reviewing what I would need to do after the presort. She gave me all the necessary ideas needed to get things moving. If I need more help she said she would be pleased to come back. She has since emailed to check how the project was coming along. I loved her help and follow up and would definitely recommend her service to others.

Billie - Attic

Watch out Peter Walsh! Cary Farrell can out organize even you! Cary helped me organize my attic and created a miracle. She is fast, efficient and (need I say) organized. She does not judge, she only gently suggests. Do you REALLY need that object? How often do you use it? I highly recommend Cary.

Dianne

Clutter Free is a wonderful business designed to help manage the stress of moving and the organization of your home . I have used Clutter Free many times. Cary helps box and remove
donations, trash and "to the dump" items. She takes everything down the stairs and outside to her car. Cary talks you through "do I need to keep this or not", which helps you to make a decision either way. She will do anything to achieve a successful outcome.
I have come to value Cary's skills and trust her implicitly. I would hire her in a heartbeat.
Absolutely 5 stars!!!!

Maggie - Christmas Decor organization

Thank you Cary. You make a tedious process enjoyable and what a great job. I'll be in touch for more very soon.

Maggie

Laurie

It is one thing to appreciate good taste; it is another to be able to create a beautiful home with good taste. That takes talent, and Cary Farrell has got it! She is an artist. An organizer. A planner. A woman with excellent taste who is exceptionally resourceful, gracious in every way, and extremely efficient with her time when she works with you. She sees what needs to be done and helps in whatever way you truly need her. She is naturally a tremendous support and you will be amazed how much is accomplished with her by your side. I highly recommend Cary to anyone desiring to declutter, organize, renovate, or decorate their space and make it beautiful!

Mandy

Cary has helped me with my client needs as well as personally. She is efficient, thorough and very helpful with making decisions of whether to keep or toss! I highly recommend Cary for all your organizing and system creation needs!

Michele

Thank you, Cary, for assisting us in decluttering our house! I appreciate the organization and systems you helped us to establish. During the process you provided no-judgemental coaching and asked questions to get us to think of function! I am thrilled with the results and value your keen sense of approching challenges. I look forward to collaborating with you again very soon!