Can’t find your keys? You’re not alone. On average, individuals spend between four and nine hours each week dealing with clutter-related tasks. Moms often feel especially overwhelmed by clutter because they’re managing not only their own belongings, but also the constant influx of toys, clothes, school papers, and household items that come with caring for kids, on top of juggling daily home responsibilities. Implementing effective home organization systems can significantly reduce this burden, saving time and boosting daily efficiency.
The AB Effect, founded by Ashton Burns in August 2025, is dedicated to helping people eliminate unnecessary clutter and transform their living spaces into functional, peaceful environments.
“As the oldest sibling, I always helped my parents keep the house organized and had a passion for this.” With years of experience working alongside moving, organizing, and interior design professionals, Ashton decided to turn her passion into a business.
The AB Effect serves clients from all walks of life, including seniors seeking to downsize and simplify, those preparing to move, and families that have outgrown their space, need to reconfigure their space, or simply need help organizing their space.
Over the years, Burns has learned tips and tricks to tackle some of the most chaotic areas of a home. For example, the following approach can transform a kitchen pantry from a cluttered, overcrowded space into an organized system that is efficient and easy to maintain.
- Identify all expired items that may be hidden on the shelves and throw them away.
- Categorize foods and label them.
- Place foods in sections to make them easy to locate later. For example, one part of a shelf could be assigned for canned items, another part of a shelf could stash rice, lentils, and flour, while another entire self could house cereals and breakfast items.
- Remove items that are no longer needed and donate them to a local food bank.
When helping clients, Burns’s approach is to guide individuals to let go of excess.“I try to help and instill a minimal mindset within people, knowing that less is more,” Burns explains.
She says one of the main challenges clients face is emotional attachment to certain items, especially children who may struggle to part with toys or garments. She offers the following tips on what to keep, donate, or discard, especially when organizing practical storage solutions for children.
- Sort toys into categories such as stuffed animals, building blocks, dolls, and art supplies.
- Discard broken toys.
- Donate toys children no longer use to a local charity or a family in need.
- Store toys in labeled bins or baskets so children can easily see and find them.
- Rotate toys occasionally to keep the play area neat and make old toys feel new again.
Sometimes, thinking outside the box—and hiring a professional who can create a solution designed specifically for your space and needs—can make a huge difference. For example, one of Burns’s recent projects involved transforming a cluttered garage that had no storage space. Burns designed and built a custom three-unit shelf system, a shoe rack, a hat rack on the side, and additional overhead storage racks attached to the ceiling of the garage. This setup ensured that everything was organized and out of the way, turning a previously disorganized space into a functional area.
Although hiring someone can be extremely helpful, there are also simple things that people can do right away to make their home more organized, such as hanging a key organizer or providing a catch-all tray by the entry door that serves as a collection point for keys, receipts, and knickknacks.
Tired of the clutter? Let the AB Effect bring order and calm to your space. Contact Ashton for more information at 972-849-5324, or visit her Instagram at @theabefeffect.organzing.