LANZHOU, April 21 (Xinhua) -- In seven hours, a cluttered bedroom turned into a tidy, well-organized space, with thousands of out-of-season clothes and household items carefully sorted and stored away. The transformation created room for a baby cot, as the family prepared to welcome a newborn in a month's time.
"Sorting and organizing is like untangling a yarn ball, where you need to find the starting thread for the client," said Nai Dan, a 31-year-old home organizer in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, whose job is to help declutter apartments like the one mentioned above.
The concept of decluttering originated in the United States in the 1980s and later became popular in Asian countries such as Japan. A professional home organizer is a person who masters organizing skills, space planning, color matching and other knowledge, and provides customers solutions for item storage and space renovation.
In China, it is now a promising career in big cities, where many residents struggle with the pile-up of household items after years of online shopping spree, but increasingly adopt the philosophy of "danshari" that promotes a less-is-more approach to life.
The 2022 edition of the occupational classification code of China officially recognized professional home organizers as residential service personnel, boosting the development of the new profession that promises higher earnings but requires more advanced skills than conventional house cleaners.
Nai first discovered this new profession around five years ago and invested about 10,000 yuan (about 1,458 U.S. dollars) in training in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. After completing her training, she returned to Lanzhou to establish her own de-cluttering business.
However, it required some time for potential customers to comprehend this profession.
"In the beginning, I had to spend a lot of time explaining what my job entailed, as people simply couldn't understand why the charges were higher than those of regular cleaners," said Nai.
Typically, home organizers are paid based on either the area they cover or the time of their services. In major metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai, the expense of sorting out a three-bedroom apartment can exceed 10,000 yuan.
Nai, who secures orders through local service firms and social media channels, caters to a diverse clientele ranging from families to young solo-dwellers. She earns an hourly wage ranging from 80 to 120 yuan, with her annual income surpassing 100,000 yuan.
For Nai and her customers, this profession goes far beyond simply tidying up homes and folding clothes. It offers tailored solutions designed to optimize the use of space.
After receiving an order, Nai will start with an in-depth conversation to understand the client family's habits, professions, and future plans, before proceeding to measure the rooms and draft a comprehensive plan.
"Each customer needs a unique plan," she said. For instance, households with pets require dedicated spaces for their supplies, and for homes with elderly residents, safety considerations and the accessibility of items are paramount, while for small apartments, maximizing vertical space and incorporating multi-functional furniture are essential.
Finally she would leave customers a map detailing the locations of items stored in various areas.
Ding Yidan, a resident of Lanzhou, said the service is not just about cleaning up messes but also about feeling better.
Previously, her room was in a state of disarray. "There were times when I had to fumble through the crevices of the sofa and delve into the pockets of my clothes just to find a key, which would leave me feeling irritable," she recalled. Seeing the room getting neater, Ding felt that her life became refreshing and her mood brightened up.
Guo Wen, a domestic service trainer at Wanzun Vocational Training School, has observed a shift in the demand for domestic services. As members of Generation Z become the primary customer base, the focus is moving from traditional tasks like cooking and cleaning towards more refined and diverse services. Organizing and storage skills are becoming a bonus for domestic service workers.
"While the hourly rate for general domestic workers is under 50 yuan, those with professional organizing skills can command up to 100 yuan per hour, along with higher customer satisfaction rates," said Guo.
A white paper released by Liu Cun Dao, a home organizing brand, suggested that in 2023, the number of individuals trained to become professional home organizers exceeded 73,000, marking a yearly increase of 97.29 percent.
The consulting group Shangpu predicts that by 2026, the market size for China's whole-house storage and renovation services will reach 30 billion yuan, indicating an acceleration in the industry's upgrade from single-space services to comprehensive whole-house solutions.
Official data showed China's service sector had surpassed 80 trillion yuan for the first time in added value last year, making up 57.7 percent of the country's GDP. It also contributed 61.4 percent to economic growth, up 3.7 percentage points from the 2024 level, and accounted for around half of total employment.
The country's new five-year plan calls for improving the sector's quality, efficiency and competitiveness, underscoring its role in supporting industrial upgrading, meeting people's livelihood needs and driving job growth. The government work report this year also highlighted the need to enhance the capacity and quality of the service sector.
However, Guo believes that while home organizing industry is gaining popularity, its long-term development hinges on standardization. Currently, most decluttering specialists only hold qualification certificates for domestic service workers.
"The housekeeping industry is trending towards refinement, and it is crucial to swiftly establish professional standards and improve the qualification certification system. This is not only vital for the future career planning and growth of professionals but also for the overall development of the industry," she said.
This sentiment is shared by Nai Dan, who told Xinhua that she has received phone calls from numerous young individuals seeking advice on pursuing a career in this field.
"I am delighted to witness the burgeoning expansion of the home organizing industry," she said. "Therefore, I earnestly hope that this industry will continue to evolve, becoming increasingly refined and well-regulated." ■
