‘Everybody has that one thing they don’t want to throw away’: how I became a decluttering guru

Sophie Aroutcheff: ‘My biggest rule is to make your life simpler.’ Composite: Dunja Opalko/The Guardian

I arrived at this job in an unusual way. I used to work in international fashion wholesale. Being organised was a natural part of my character, and that only grew as I had children and left my job to stay home with them. While I was looking for a new career, a friend who worked in decluttering said: “You’d be amazing at this.” I’d never heard of it as a job, but I started helping people around me and it grew from there.

Decluttering has become very trendy. I’ve never worked with a hoarder, my clients are just people who are overwhelmed with life. A lot are time poor, so hiring a decluttering expert has become another time-management service.