Original Air Date:
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Messy House Tour:
Do you have a messy house? Oprah posed the question at the start of the show from backstage Harpo Studios. Help is on the way, she assured as she began the first clip of Peter Walsh in NYC. Peter Walsh and his cleaning team started the first leg of the Messy House Tour which will last through May and stop all over the US helping people create a comfortable and safe home with step-by-step, room-by-room instructions and advice.
Messy House Tour - Clutter Bug:
Oprah and Peter entered the stage in a black VW Beatle convertible with multiple other Bugs in a variety of colors on stage. With so many people having messy houses, many don't realize how the clutter robs them of peace, harmony, focus and motivation.
The Clean Up Your Messy House Tour continue for 6 months, through May, with proven methods and systems to help people clean up their homes and turn them into the sanctuaries they deserve. Oprah stressed that with the condition of the country, people can't control what's going on outside, but they can control their response and personal environment.
Messy House Tour - Babette:
Footage was played of Peter and his clean team's first stop in Harlem where they walked around an apartment building looking for someone to let them in - where they found Babette. Peter and Babette started in the cluttered kitchen with a 10 minute cabinet clean up. Peter instructed Babette to separate out items in her cabinet in 10 minutes into what will stay and what will go. He advised that if you haven't used an item in 12 months - any item - than it needs to go. Just 10 minutes a day for a small space can jump start your home organization.
Designer Candace Olson then came in to help organize the toy area. Moving toys into wheeled storage benches cleaned up the floor while carpet tiles taped to the wall made for perfect pin boards to hold the kid's artwork.
Babette, along with her husband and 2 sons, appeared on the show via Skype from their new toy area. Babette shared that she has continued to organize since the team left and use Peter's suggestion of sorting like things together and labeling storage. She expressed that she feels relieved now to live in an organized home and that her kids have even been helping out too.
Messy House Tour - Kid's Artwork:
Peter showed an alternative idea to wall carpet tiles to organize kid's artwork - creating bound photo books. Using examples the team made for Babette's kids, Peter showed how easy it is to take a digital picture of your child's artwork and upload it to Snapfish.com. You can then use the images to make a bound book which will be a keepsake - but you won't have to store on to all of the actual creations. Books can me made for each year in school, for holidays or based on a theme.
Messy House Tour - Patty:
Patty, who lives a few floors up from Babette, was the next stop for the clean team to surprise.
Patty expressed to Peter at the door that her biggest issue in her home was clothing organization. When Peter entered the apartment he realized that Patty and her family would benefit from a quick sort. Peter instructed Patty to separate items into a keep pile and a donate pile including clothing and shoes. Since most people tend to buy the same type of clothing over and over, Peter suggests hanging like items together to avoid buying too much of 1 thing. After clearing out 7 bags for donation, the team surprised Patty with a room makeover from the Container Store.
Peter instructed Patty on the reverse hanger test where clothing is hung with the opening of the hanger facing out - since most people wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time, doing the hanger test for 6 months will give people an idea of what items they don't wear because the hanger will still be in reverse at the end of the test. For those items that you haven't worn, you should then consider selling or donating those pieces.
Peter stressed that the importance of having an organized home and master bedroom especially, is that is gives the message to the family that you value your relationship, self and things.
Patty appeared via Skype from her newly organized bedroom and revealed that it only took a few hours of her time to get her bedroom in shape with the help of Peter and his team. Peter explained to Oprah and viewers that the reason they can do it so quickly is because they have a proven system. Patty expressed that the change has reframed the way her family looks at their home and how she and her husband teach their children how to value their things.
Oprah stated that "your home should rise up to meet you" - a sentiment she has expressed regularly to help people view their home as a place to nurture their spirit.
Messy House Tour - Marin:
Peter and Candace moved on to the last home, on this the first leg of the Messy House Tour, which belonged to Marin - a single in the city. Marin welcomed the team into her home where every room was a mess. They started in the kitchen, where Peter stated that the room should reflect the healthy life you want. As Peter went through each room using the quick sort method, he explained to Marin and viewers that the home is a metaphor of your life and reflects what's going on within you. To get more from your house, ask yourself, "what do you want from this space?"
Peter and Marin walked through the home separating trash into black bags, recyclables into blue bags as well as sorting donation items and what Peter calls "clutter to cash" - or items that you can sell. During the process, Peter explained to Marin that having an organized home shows that you value what you own.
24 hours after they started, Marin's NY apartment had been transformed by the clean team with new paint, wallpaper, furnishings and accessories. The team used furnishings from Pottery Barn, The Container Store and West Elm. When Marin walked through the apartment, she exclaimed, "Stop the cameras, I can't deal!" - she was thrilled with the changes. Marin's closet was customized with help from The Container Store and showcased her designer shoe collection. The rest of the apartment was rearranged with the living room being moved to the back of the apartment where the bedroom had been - something Marin didn't expect to see. A new sectional sofa was added to the living space, with Candace Olson explaining how a sectional can actually make a small space seem less cluttered.
Marin appeared on the show via Skype from her new living space and shared that she didn't realize before the makeover that being messy had hindered her success in life.
Messy House Tour - Register:
The show ended by Peter and Oprah encouraging viewers to head to Oprah.com and register for Messy House Tour help that includes monthly homework assignments and step-by-step guides until May. Registering includes the option to sign the Clutter Pledge, which Peter stated says that you take the project seriously. At the bottom of the pledge is a place to write out the vision you have for your life and space.
