| The Life Chaotic |
| By Cedar Burnett |
Published
08/1/2007
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Project Archives
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The Challenge
Think you've got too much stuff? In March of 1947, two reclusive brothers by the name of Collyer were found deceased in their apartment in Manhattan. The pair were known to be compulsive hoarders and had packed their brownstone so full of their possessions that they were forced to move through tunnels carved into the detritus. Between the stacks of gas chandeliers, bowling balls, a wine press, a baby carriage and fourteen pianos, one brother, blind and paralyzed, was discovered, having perished of starvation. His younger brother was unearthed some time later, where it was found he had been crushed to death by a large stack of newspapers. From this hapless tale we get the term Collyer Syndrome, a history-rich euphemism for "disposaphobia," which is estimated to affect up to two million people in the United States.
 Signs of entropy at work in a Bothell kitchen.
Luckily, help is on the way! As our lives have sped up and our need for household efficiency has risen, an industry has emerged in response to our rampant disorganization. Professional organizers are on the move and on a mission to bring order to our disorder and trunks for our junk. One such organizing services firm, Eliminate Chaos, was recently hired to help a family in Bothell. A mother of two teenage girls had finally had enough of her haphazard kitchen and pantry, and looked to Master Builders Association member Eliminate Chaos for support.
Stale cereal and forgotten flavor packets filled this family's
cluttered pantry. |
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