Cleaning Out Your Closet, Keeping You Sane
/By Carina Livoti
clivoti@longislandergroup.com
Organized by Arlene's Arlene Weil, of Dix Hills, keeps her own well-concealed closet clean.
Arlene Weil has been organizing things since she was a kid.
“Professional organizing is something in someone’s nature,” Weil said.
Weil spent 28 years in corporate America before the Dix Hills entrepreneur decided to turn her love of cleaning out closets into a business. Weil left her position as a medical outside sales representative to help care for her hospital- and rehabilitation-bound mother 2012.
Throughout her family turmoil, she said she coped by cleaning out her house. It was at that point that she realized she could make a business out her desire to organize things.
After her mother died in December 2013, Weil became focused on her business, Organized by Arlene.
Organized by Arlene targets primarily residences, cataloging the closets and homes of Huntington residents. An avid supporter of community businesses, Weil offers members of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce a 10-percent discount. She also helps real estate agents to remove clutter, making homes more presentable for sale.
“I really get a vicarious thrill out of cleaning people’s closets out,” Weil said.
According to Weil, her original spirit of cleaning as catharsis continues to be a theme in the business.
“This is a job where when you leave, everybody is hugging and kissing you, saying thank you so much,” she said.
In the same vein, Weil often works with the adult children and loved ones of community members who have died. She helps them organize the homes of the deceased, making it easier for them to see what is there and decide what to keep and what to give away during their time of bereavement.
The business owner makes it a point not to simply throw things out but to direct her clients to the appropriate donation and disposal resources. She follows up with each client for maintenance later on.
In addition to cleanouts, Weil helps organize and catalog items like wedding gifts.
No matter the situation, she said she works to help people “to find serenity in their space and to deal with their unique environment.”
Arlene charges $50 an hour and offers promotional packages for larger projects. For more information, visit organizedbyarlene.com or call 516-652-3894.
