“A HUGE lifesaver”
We cannot thank you enough for your compassionate and creative work with our friend. A HUGE lifesaver. We will continue to recommend you.
Mary W., Durham, NH
“Absolutely Wonderful”
What you have done for me has been absolutely wonderful and I have loved working with you. You are a hard worker with a rare work ethic and fun to be around.
Margie E., Dover, NH
We want to highly recommend the services of The-So-Organized-Sister and Ruth McQuade. She undertook this project with great enthusiasm and skill. She is, as her company name implies, very highly organized, and extraordinarily dependable. Her communications to us on progress were excellent, and included written, verbal and photographic reports which was especially important to us as we had already vacated the premises and were 1000 miles away! She packed boxes for moving and supervised the move along with items then taken from storage without a hitch. She is personable and fun to work with, most trustworthy, and absolutely tenacious about her responsibilities. She does not give up on anything, no matter how difficult. We placed a lot of burden on her, and trust in her, and she performed magnificently. We cannot say enough about how great our experience was. Charlie and Jane, Dataw Island, GA
“I hired Ruth of SOS to help me pack up for moving. Her service was wonderful and was provided with such compassion. It was a delight to see her efficiency in action. I won’t hesitate to hire Ruth again should the need arise. ”
“S.O.S. was a life saver!”
Having the task of cleaning out my Mother's home, while simultaneously having the home shown by the realtors was completely overwhelming. Ruth came in at a moment's notice. She sorted, cleaned, and arranged in such a way that the home was cleaned out and sold within the month. She was willing to work with realtors and contractors, representing my wishes when I was unable to be present. Ruth is efficient and gets it done, with quality and a smile. She is delightful to work with, I have nothing but high praise.
Pam M., Durham, NH
“Ruth made the work productive and enjoyable”
Ruth is an energetic, organized and supportive person. She has helped me immensely in reducing clutter, eliminating extraneous items from the house and preparing for the next stage of my life. In starting this process, I had been concerned that someone might push me to throw out items before I was ready. Instead Ruth has encouraged me, without pressure or judgement, so I can move forward without stress. Ruth has made the work productive and enjoyable.
Leslie M., Lee, NH
“Whatever you need, Ruth can help!”
Embarrassed that things had gotten so out of control in my messy home, I found Ruth to be patient, as well as thorough, kind and nonjudgmental. She helped me a great deal as I struggle to de-clutter and organize my home. Ruth is honest and respectful as well as friendly and prompt. I highly recommend her as a skilled and versatile worker. Whatever you need, Ruth can help!
Jan H., Somersworth, NH
“Infectious enthusiasm ”
“Ruth has assisted me in downsizing me before an expected move to a retirement community. Her competence supported by an infectious enthusiasm has made the process less stressful, productive and very helpful. This is the second time in five years that I have had to downsize. The first time, without her was dis-heartening, stressful and often overwhelming. Comparing the two different times brings out the special person who is Ruth. If I could recommend Ruth for any job that involves organization she would have my highest recommendation. I would be happy to talk to anyone interested in her work.
Lew K., Durham, NH
“Faced with over-flowing boxes and drawers of files and not-yet-filed material last year, I called Ruth, to help bring order to my study and my life. She has proven to be invaluable. Now whenever I feel over-whelmed by things I don’t want to look at, I call her to get me straightened out. She encourages me to let go of some things and finds an appropriate place for many memories. I recommend her for any organizational work that you can’t face alone! She is efficient, friendly, cheerful, and completely professional. Stop worrying and call Ruth!”
"It was absolutely amazing and an incredible relief."
I would recommend SOS to just about anyone. She is a godsend, and working with her was the best money I have spent in five years. I am a busy professional with minimal extra time. I had a job change and a move in very short order while running my own business, and needed to quickly pack up a large apartment and get rid of things I didn't need. I was of course feeling quite overwhelmed. In a period of maybe 8 hours, Ruth had completely organized my life, down to the last detail. It was absolutely amazing and an incredible relief. I had a 'room of requirement', that was turned into a perfect 8 box system in a cubby holder complete with labels. Once I moved, everything was perfectly labeled and I did not lose a single item. As I unpacked, everything was totally logical and it was much easier to put things away than had I done it myself.
Ruth is an incredibly caring and compassionate professional and made a major difference in my life during a very hectic time. Even just hanging out with her is great, she has wonderful energy and is extremely kind and thoughtful and I enjoyed the time she spent in my home. I would work with her again in a minute and recommend her personally to anyone who needs help reducing chaos and disorganization, whether the task is large or small. My life was much improved and I am still enjoying the benefits of her service in my new home. I would be delighted to be a reference for anyone considering making this wise investment.
Molly P., Dover, NH
“My house is better than it was before I started! ”
I hired Ruth to help me work out some solutions to home disorganization! Ruth has the energy and enthusiasm to turn even my topsy-turvy home into a place of order! She helped us conquer our laundry problem and see the bedroom floor again, which was huge. My girls worked with Ruth on organizing their play room which helped give them ownership of the area. I found it was hard some days having the energy to dedicate to home organization, as it's always hardest on the person whose clutter is being shifted and eliminated, but Ruth's energy made the time spent worthwhile every time. Ruth is a hardworking clutter buster! Even on days when I had lost direction I was impressed with how far we'd gotten due to her diligence and drive to create order out of chaos! Thanks to Ruth, my house is better than it was before I started!
Stephanie G., Durham, NH
"Skillful Organizer"
Ruth was the 'prime mover' in getting me transitioned from my 1700 house, after 17 years of living there, to a much smaller 2-bedroom apartment. We got rid of SO much by taking items to Swap Shop at Transfer Station, Echo Thrift Shop at Durham Community Church; and selling some large items. All this was a HUGE step forward towards my move! Altogether competent and an effective and skillful organizer with a keen sense of how to arrange a room... Ruth will help you get it done - and well!
Henry S., Newmarket, NH
“Giving a shout out to Ruth Calhoun McQuade! She transformed our basement! After moving into our house almost 3 years ago- we still never organized our basement. She and I completed 2 sessions of cleaning/organizing the dreaded basement! She appreciated my thriftiness and used what we had or found amazing finds from the swap shop. It’s transforming to walk into my clean & functional basement and locate things! Best of all my kids have bought into it! Just yesterday, my 5 year old said, “oops, I forgot to put away my gloves!”
“Ruth has been a lifesaver at our house! For years I have dreamed of putting away holiday decorations in an organized way-but every year I rush and just throw it all haphazardly into bins to quickly move on—The packing, organizing and labeling that Ruth did this year was nothing short of amazing—I wish I had her work years ago.
Ruth has spent quality time (separately) with my 5 year old and 8 year old son. She adapted her approach to their age and learning style, teaching them organization techniques that have truly worked for them. My 8 year old is so proud of his new-found folding skills and my five year old is committed to color coordinating his closet.
Ruth is extremely efficient with her time. She has been a wonderful resource in our chaotic family life and I cannot wait to conquer my next project with her. ”
“I was facing an overwhelming task until Ruth stepped in and made our move doable, one phase at a time. Ruth is competent, caring, and the most organized person I have ever met. She is a problem solver. She works quickly and efficiently. No task is too big or too small. I felt as though Ruth was my magic wand.” Elaine D, Lee, NH
“Ruth is a pleasure to work with. She works hard with good humor and dedication. I moved to a smaller space and had to downsize and git rid of belongings, especially a lot of books. She helped me sort out what would fit into my new apartment and what would not. She did a lot of packing, selling some items for me, and she made arrangements for what I wanted to donate. She did exactly what she says she does: “sort, simplify, file, pack, prioritize, move you out or move you on with joyful intention”. I highly recommend her services.” - Linda J., Durham, NH
