Testimonials

When I finally realized I was not up to the task of decluttering my “junk room”, I was lucky enough to find Mary Ann at SHED Organizing Services. We worked over a period of many months to straighten out years of neglect in my room. It took many months not because Mary Ann was slow, but because I was too emotional and needed breaks at times. But Mary Ann had bigger plans for my small house. She could see a gem where I could only see my house as good enough. Her style and taste are impeccable and by the time we finished my whole house was book club ready! I could finally be proud of my little house. Mary Ann’s kindness toward me during this extremely emotional task was wonderful. I would highly recommend her.

I needed help moving my mother to a much smaller home. I felt overwhelmed with the thought of discussing each and every household item and whether it would fit in the new abode. Luckily, I enlisted SHED Organizing Services. Mary Ann was able to distill the process down to a few workable steps. She was practical and firm when discussing what could be accommodated in the new place…this went a long way toward preserving my relationship with my mom.

When it came time to clean out my in-laws home of over 60 years, and prepare it to be sold, my husband & I didn’t know where to start. SHED knew exactly how and where to dispose of everything: furniture, housewares, etc. Some of the furniture went to our local auction house, and SHED arranged for what remained to be delivered to Alexandria charities. Mary Ann worked quickly, and provided very detailed donation lists for tax purposes. She also arranged for, and supervised, the contractors needed to paint the interior, refinish floors, and haul away any trash. We were very happy with the work SHED accomplished in a short period time, allowing us to get the house on the market quickly.

Awesome! Mary Ann was a lifesaver. I was moving from a small townhouse which was overstuffed with items I kept moving from house to house over the years. I needed someone who had the impartiality and the confidence to ask, “Really? You need this?” and help me realize it was okay to purge. Because of her experience, Mary Ann came prepared with boxes, packing supplies, service providers, etc. and, most importantly, determination in assisting me with decluttering. I have already recommended her to several friends and colleagues and will continue doing so. And by the way…the house sold in less than one week!

I came to Mary Ann for help organizing my cluttered garage, but I got so much more! She helped me to get rid of all the things that no longer served a real purpose, whether practical or emotional. The garage looks great, I only have what I need or want, and I can find everything quickly. Mary Ann also helped me develop priorities and a game plan for getting other organizing and decorating projects done in my house. I am so much more relaxed now knowing what projects I want to tackle and in what order. I plan to consult with Mary Ann each step of the way.

Mary Ann Ferraguto was recommended to me late last year. I had a client who was selling her home, moving out of town, and needed help with consigning some items, getting rid of others, and coordinating the entire move. This was a herculean task already, then the timeline got considerably shorter (2 weeks) and the list of items grew substantially. Mary Ann’s professionalism was unwavering and her commitment unquestionable. Moreover, the care and respect she extended to my client in a very difficult situation only expanded my growing trust, respect and awe of her. Whether you need organizing, coordination, moving, consigning or just about anything, do yourself a favor and start with Mary Ann. She’s amazing! I can’t wait to work with her again.

When we decided to sell our home, we were faced with the daunting challenge of downsizing the belongings accumulated over 35 years of marriage. Mary Ann worked side-by-side with me every step of the process. She set up a schedule and helped me stick to it. She used established relationships with all the service providers we needed, including haulers, auctioneers and moving companies. During this very stressful period, Mary Ann remained pleasant, organized and resourceful.

When we arrived at the decision to move from our condo to a retirement home, we had to face the problem of “What do we take with us and what do we do with all the rest of the furnishings we acquired over a lifetime?” Fortunately, we were introduced to Mary Ann Ferraguto at SHED Organizing Services.
Mary Ann has the rare combination of well-developed organizing talents, excellent contacts in the consignment and moving/disposal world, and the ability and willingness to do the hard work required to make it all come together. She provided the needed assistance at both ends of our move, organized the removal and sale of unneeded furniture and decorative items, packaged many of the small items to be sold, donated or moved, and helped in the task of unloading the many boxes of items we moved. Our experience with this move was pleasant and basically carefree. Mary Ann can count us as thoroughly satisfied customers. We recommend her to any and all who are contemplating a move.

I can, without hesitation, recommend Mary Ann to anyone looking for assistance in downsizing, staging, organizing or pulling a total move together. We were working under very tight time constraints, and a result of Mary Ann’s focused efforts and organization, were able to get the property on the market quickly. I sold the home in record time, and it closed within 30 days. As I write this testimonial, Mary Ann continues to finish the job of packing and ensuring that the home is left in pristine condition for its proud new buyers.

I sought the assistance of Mary Ann and SHED Organizing Services to help me prepare my home for sale. Our family was downsizing to two separate, smaller residences from a home four people had occupied for 20 years. Mary Ann helped family members focus on key decisions about which items were valued most, and then arranged for the efficient disposal or donation of the rest. She also helped us devise a plan for a series of updates to enhance the home’s appeal, both inside and out. Mary Ann provided reasonable recommendations for improvements and expert referrals to service providers. I am confident we would not have been as well prepared for the sale of our house, and it would not have sold as quickly as it did, without the valuable assistance she provided. I highly recommend her professional services.

Wow. SHED Organizing Services changed my life! Mary Ann came into my home and rescued me from the clutter and mess! She was extremely professional and not once made me feel bad or embarrassed about my home. Mary Ann gets down into the trenches and gets dirty to help you get things accomplished. She helped me weed through and determine what to keep, what to donate and what to just plain throw away. She offers many great advice tips on organization and lifestyle. I feel so much “lighter” and definitely happier after working with her. I highly recommend her services and will definitely use her again.

I would like to thank Mary Ann Ferraguto and her company, SHED Organizing Services, for rescuing my wife and me from a very difficult downsizing situation. We went from a 3,000+ square foot house to a 1,500 square foot condo this past year. We had accumulated close to 15,000 pounds of goods and furniture that would amount to 1,000 pounds of “stuff” per square foot. There was no room for us.
Mary Ann came to the rescue. She organized everything in our old house, and either sold or distributed more than 5,000 pounds of goods to retailers and others. We gathered more than 500 pounds of sensitive financial information for shredding. She hired subcontractors to take junk to the dump. She knows all manner of vendors in Northern Virginia—from cleaning oriental carpets to rebuilding and refinishing a 17th-century Empire chest. Simply put, Mary Ann Ferraguto can do it all. I most strongly recommend her services.

When I needed help to get my house under control, Mary Ann was the right person. She showed me what to keep and what to eliminate, leading to a much less-complicated life. Her manner is professional and courteous. I would not hesitate to use her service again.

SHED Organizing is amazing. I tried so many times to organize my basement and closets by myself, but every time, I’d get exhausted after about 6-7 hours, stuff everything back into the closet, and feel like I had accomplished nothing. I interviewed four organizers before choosing SHED. I selected Mary Ann because of her years of experience and unique combination of organizing and design skills. I was shocked by how quickly she helped me get organized. She was respectful of my boundaries, but challenged me to think about whether I really needed things.
When we’d get to some of the more cluttered areas, I’d want to stop and move onto something easier, but Mary Ann didn’t let me. And boy, am I grateful. My house is now organized, everything has its place, it’s peaceful, and I learned what contributed to my clutter problem and how to control it in the future. I’d enthusiastically recommend anyone to use SHED Organizing, whether for kitchen cabinets, a messy closet, or a cluttered basement or garage.

Mary Ann came prepared, and was organized and efficient. She helped me get rid of clutter which I no longer found useful. It made the room look bigger! She also arranged for the donation of things that were still in good condition, and then sent me the donation site’s form for my taxes.

Mary Ann was brilliant in working with an elderly client who needed enormous help getting her home ready for sale. Mary Ann’s organizational and problem solving skills, plus her ability to work effectively with all parties involved definitely rank #1 with me! Mary Ann got the job done to my client’s complete satisfaction. I never could have brought the house to market without her. I highly recommend her without reservation!

As part of Good Shepherd’s effort to process re-engineer our religious education program, SHED Organizing Services was selected to develop and implement a plan that would (1) standardize classroom organization and inventory of supplies, in compliance with facility guidelines; (2) account for and dispose of accumulated textbooks, supplies and teacher aids; and (3) provide organization of common work and storage areas. All of these goals were successfully met and within the agreed deadline.
We’re grateful for the discernment SHED demonstrated when disposing of unused items (donations were made to churches in need, as well as local charities) and we are very pleased with the organization, signage and new name of one of our key storage rooms (RE Resource Center). Since more than 40% of our parishioners speak Spanish, it is great to see labels in English and Spanish. We have received accolades from our catechists regarding these positive changes.

Thank you so much for helping me clean my room! Before you came, I would spend as little time as possible in my room, just because I couldn’t take the mess. I made half-hearted attempts to clean my room, but after a few days I would get discouraged, since it was still a mess after hours and hours of cleaning. I would never have thought that after 3 or 4 days of working with you, my room would be totally clean, reorganized, and my furniture would be in better spots. It was amazing. There is no way I could have done it on my own.