OrganizingLA Blog

Nadya Suleman's House Is Disorganized. But Is That Normal?

Would you offer to organize Nadya Suleman's home, schedule and life?

NBC Los Angeles is commenting on the disorganization inside so-called Octo-Mom Nadya Suleman's home in Whitter. Suleman appeared recently with host Ann Currie on the Today show, surrounded by formal dining chairs, warm walls, a clear coffee table and a clutter-free floor.  Putting her best foot forward initially, the comfortable suburban Los Angeles surroundings seen in the Today Show video couldn't be any further from reality.

As the pressure mounts around her life, mother-of-14 Suleman has given up a good share of her privacy and opened her doors to what's really happening inside her home. NBC Los Angeles reports that the clutter discovered throughout the house probably isn't unlike what is hiding inside most homes, especially the ones with children.

"RadarOnline's video shows floors cluttered with piles of clothing and toys. There are unscrubbed scribbles on a door and walls, and what appears to be the return air vent for the heating system has tape all around it, evidently to hold it to the wall."

"Does anyone really expect there to be no unpicked up clutter in a house with six kids? Three kids? One crayon-toting toddler?

"No, the glimpse inside the Suleman home shows about what you'd expect to see in the homes of any number of families not in the media's bullseye. But as the 33-year-old single mother herself has acknowledged to TV psychologist Phil McGraw and others in her growing list of media interviews, she realizes the house as is is not adequate to accommodate the octuplets who will soon be mature enough to be leaving the hospital."

Is her home fit for 14 children?  What would you do?  Is her home's lack of systems, no storage, and clutter any of our business? The hospital has told ordered Suleman to clean, organize and improve living conditions before she can take her babies home.  Perhaps she needs a visit from Niecy Nash and Clean House for some tough love. But is a professional organizer and interior designer enough? 

Check out the RadarOnline video and come back here and share your comments.

Readers-- If you had an opportunity to help organize Nadya Suleman's home and busy schedule, would you?

Today Show image courtesy Huffington Post.  Other images courtesy RadarOnline.

Read More:

Surprise, Surprise: Octo-Mom's House Is a Mess

Is the Octuplet's Home Safe?

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Home Makeover Disaster. Crew Leaves House Unfinished?

We've talked here before about the reality of home makeover shows. 

How too much happens for the good of the television viewing audience and not enough for the people giving up their time, home, and personal secrets. Our Los Angeles friends in the "business" work hard to turnover an entire room makeover in a day or two with young designers, hunky carpenters and 40 production assistants walking through your personal life and with disregard for your stuff.  We've heard rumors that parts of the houses get neglected while others become stashing locales.  All this so the editors can whip together that wonderful "after" shot full of organized design, artfully placed books, and carefully chosen mementos.

Well, we discovered a home makeover headache for one unlucky participant and the Baltimore Sun wrote about it.

"When James Buechler volunteered for the Style Network's Clean House, a show that clears the clutter from your home, he got more - actually, less - than he expected.

He did get new furniture, paint and organization in his Sparrows Point house, which he said he is mostly pleased with. But much of the makeover stopped where the cameras did, leaving parts of walls without color, a hallway half-tiled and a lot of nicks and dents from the 50-person crew."

Buechler, according to the Baltimore Sun, says the crew left with more than nicks and dents. The crew soiled his carpets, and bailed following the shoot, not hauling away trash and storage tubs.  They abandoned plywood in the staging area in his backyard, hid furniture and tossed his old mattress into the garage.  In short, he claims they left the home so topsy-turvy, he could not find his socks and underwear.

We shared this article with three friends who have worked extensively in the reality tv makeover business.  One didn't mind sharing a quote, but didn't want to be named:

"John, these homeowners are turning their keys and their most valuable possessions over to a bunch of strangers who stick you in a hotel. They go through everything and turn your home upside down. It's no wonder this family can't find their underwear."

"Many homeowners on these makeover shows can be a real pain. They get thousands of dollars worth of of free furniture and accessories not to mention all the free labor to pull it together. They can get very greedy and see deep pockets when the producers come knocking. The fact that the Baltimore Sun quoted the garage sale was the largest sale in Clean House history makes me wonder who's issue this really is."

Monica Ricci, a veteran of several MISSION: Organization shows on HGTV shared this with us her thoughts:

"Having worked in tv, you realize very quickly it's not about the homeowner; it's about the tv program and the audience. I can see why this homeowner is unhappy. If my home were left in a shambles, I'd be upset too. If the production company has the budget to employ a 50-person crew during taping, they should have the integrity and the money to leave the property in decent shape when the episode is finished."

What do you think?

Maryland Homeowner Unhappy With Clean House - Baltimore Sun, by Meredith Cohn

Images courtesy Baltimore Sun and Barbara Haddock Taylor and Chiaki Kawajiri

Related Posts:

Clean House Comes Clean About Reality Television

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