Exclusive | Home organizers are surging in demand fueled by women in the midst of 2 major life changes

After splitting with her husband last year, Chiara Giovanni finally felt ready to revamp her space, cancel the clutter and “sever some of the emotional hangovers” of items that were hard to part with.“I wanted to take steps toward making this a forever home,” said Giovanni, a management consultant, of her Astoria rental.She knew she lacked the wherewithal to do it herself, so she hired Melissa Riepe, a professional organizer who lives in nearby Sunnyside and finds herself with many post-breakup clients.

 “I had complete paralysis around anything that belonged to my ex,” Giovanni, 32, told The Post.That included a sentimental Bronx Science sweatshirt.

It is now boxed with his other things, awaiting the day — which is approaching — when she feels ready to give it back.“Now I have a home that feels like my own and not a waiting room for another partner,” Giovanni said. Breakups are bad business, but they mean business for professional organizers like Riepe, who says they’re among the biggest reasons clients call on her the most.And when it comes to needing help, there are plenty of people — primarily women — like Giovanni who contribute to the growing demand.Indeed, organizing has become a huge growth industry since its inception 40 years ago, said Jalene Bowersmith, executive director of NAPO, the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, which has around 2,000 members.

A report commissioned by NAPO shows the market size of professional organizers in North America is around $3.5 million this year, projected to reach around $6 million in 2031.“People can always try to do it themselves,” Bowersmith told The Post.“But on Tiktok, you see a before and after, and a quick video of a messy room being organized.

You are not seeing the whole process.” To proceed in earnest, plenty of people need the helping hand of a sympathetic ally.“The emotional side of it is one reason organizing professionals exist,”...