About 5 percent of the population suffer from a self taught, chronic condition, which I refer to as “Disposophobia™”. These very smart people are always depressed and are often misdiagnosed by the unknowing as hoarders, clutterers, slobs, messies, ADD, ADHD, OCD or just lazy people.

No matter what you call it, "clutter" is a disaster, just waiting to occur. Seriously cluttered conditions always present a true safety, health and fire hazard. Moreover, the cost of being a Disposophobic is enormous in dollars and lost time.

The good news
Clutter situations can be resolved but almost never by the Disposophobic using their own devices. To work over time a Disposophobic needs two things.

1. A very clean slate from which to start anew.

2. To admit to themselves that they have a problem and want to live a different and more productive life.

Having 30 years of one-on-one experience working with Disposophobics and their families I have learned from Disposophobics what works and what doesn't work. From these thousands of cases, I developed a systematic recovery plan "ThePlan" that works extraordinarily well when the Disposophobic is willing to allow me and my staff to do what he or she cannot do for themselves.

Disaster Masters ® services are in stark contrast to therapists, professional organizers, space planners, maid services etc. as we don't work by the hour. Organizers, cleaners, and others tend to make a larger problem in that they are not fully prepared and rarely finish a project for two reasons. They don't know how manage a Disposophobic's behavior and they charge by the hour.

Being so, every hour is just another painful, emotional and financial decision for a Disposophobic that only exacerbates the situation. For years I have witnessed and heard about failed attempts of Disposophobic's efforts to fix themselves. The reason is simple, it takes several skills, disciplines and a competent project manager working in concert to deliver meaningfully and lasting success for a Disposophobic.

Said another way, A skilled plastic surgeon without a hospital and trained staff can't resolve a patient's ills.

Therapist, Social Workers, Professional Organizers, Cleaning Companies, Maid services and even family and friends simply don't have the necessary experience, a qualified staff, the proper materials and equipment and the know how required to efficiently recover a chronic Disposophobic.

Although Disaster Masters is NOT in the specific business of space planning, debris removal, cleaning, packing, moving, shipping, organizing, maid services, social work  or hypnotherapy, we do however provide all of those services and more in a timely and very specific order.

Contrary to some opinions, Disaster Masters services should never be compared to ordinary, one kind of services like junk removers, murder- suicide cleaners, professional organizers, estate clean out dealers, yard sale mavens and other "one service" people or companies.

Disaster Masters are extraordinarily different!
Disasters Masters provides the entire gamut of services necessary to undo years of a Disposophobic's thinking and self abuse. We never commence a restoration project without knowing first hand exactly what is in the space or how to find and recover lost valuables. Our first goal is to provide search, salvage and debris removal as well as teach our clients how to think differently which is the only fix for a Disposophobic.

Said another way Disaster Masters is more like a hospital than a surgeon in that we provide everything, including the surgeon, to deliver a guaranteed results for a Disposophobic

Why Disaster Masters?
I know precisely what works and what does not work. When you have pioneered a 30 year career and a unique business that works every time it must be right. My devoted staff and me are always proud of "ThePlan" and how it has recovered thousands of recovered clients with whom we have provided this unique "Life Transition Management Service".

Knowledge is not Everything, Successful Experience is
With the proliferation of Oprah, Dr, Phil, Clean Sweep, Mission Organization, and dozens of copy cat TV shows about hoarders who sensationalize a persons alleged recovery, these shows have spawned several thousand one person businesses called Professional Organizers, junk removersl, or clean out companies. Recently even the murder and suicide cleanup companies have found their way into this unique service by joining National Associations who make it appear that these folk know what they are doing.  Notice on their web sites the logos of associations to give them validity.

Most of these amateurs organizers and cleaning companies become a member of The National Association of Professional Organizers and overnight they are suddenly "Professional Organizers". Next is a business card or a web site. This gives them the right to call themselves "professional." They may even attend a 1-3 day seminar from an older organizer who only does seminars. DUH? The same goes for other diploma mills.

And now by reading a book or two we now have "Certified Professionals" without any one-on-one experience. And also we have the Professional Life Coaches Associations which are basically diploma factories who for a fee can anoint anyone who wants to become a professional Life Coach.

Over the last 3 years I have been inundated with phone calls and Email from Disposophobics and relatives who hired a Professional Organizer, a junk removal company, Feng Shui master, or worse an Ebay power seller posing as the aforementioned who did not complete the project which created a secondary disaster.

Thanks to the internet even the suicide cleanup companies are now directing their advertising on Google to market to hoarders. It is so simple and easy for articulate incompetents to buy a web site that sells services to Disposophobics or their relatives. Simply put, there are far too many new companies entering a very serious business they know little about.

It is so simple and easy to sell books, tapes and personal services to a Disposophobic. The books become more clutter and the service fails due to incompetent people. The only thing the service can do is apologize. The Disposophobic suffers another failed attempt.

Disaster Masters never has a reason to apologize for failure to cure a Disposophobic's problems because every one of our projects are guaranteed to succeed and here is why. Until I personally know we can deliver guaranteed results I will refuse to undertake the project. 30 years and still in business at the same place with the same phone number. 718 939 5800

The ABC's of a Successful Recovery Project

Every project begins by speaking to me on the phone. I ask several pointed questions to make sure we are the right solution for the caller.

The next step is for me to conduct an onsite appraisal of the situation so I can see the actual condition of the space and interview the Disposophobic. This is generally done within 24 to 48 hrs of the call.

Within 24 to 48 hours following the appraisal, the Disposophobic will call me and we will then answer their two most important questions.

One. Exactly how much will our services cost in dollars to deliver a new beginning.

Two. When can we begin, how log will it take?

When the Disposophobic clearly understands The Recovery Plan and agrees with our methods and practices I will then create a 3 to 5 page Letter of Understanding between us detailing what will be done, when and how all of the financial arrangement including the start and finish dates.

When this is done, we will set the project in stone and our result will begin a new life for the Client.

All of the above is based on hard line project management. It does not matter if a project is in New York, California or Kansas all projects begin and end with me. I am always involved with every project we have ever done to assure results. Depending on the size and scope of the recovery project I will utilize staff consisting of me and as little as two up to fifteen different kinds of skills, labor and specific services.

The key to our definable results are being able to do two things well. Plan and Manage. I have been doing these project for so long that I was forced to created a new word that aptly defines precisely what I and a host of other competent experts can do for clients. I feel so strongly about consumers being able to find qualified people who have the knowledge and the experience to create a plan of action and equally important to implement and manage the project to completion. The people who can do this kind of work can only be defined as Planagers. A Planager is one who is competent to plan a project and then implement and finish the project on time and on budget as planned. No extras, No Lost time, No excuses or apologies.

In this fast paced world, I too, am sick and tired of dealing with other people and even very large companies who claim they can provide a service only to learn at my expense of time and dollars that they can't. Some of these companies have even created specialist whose job it is to apologize. Do I hear insurance, medical facilities, repair companies etc. DUH

Planagers, have the knowledge, experience, resources, staff and equipment to understand, define the scope of a project then start and maintain control of the situation throughout the project to avoid loss of time and assets.

Additionally, Planagers have the ability to direct the project's staff and negotiate with lawyers, agents, landlords, managers, and government agencies that are involved with the project.

How does it work?
First things first.

Step one is to know everything there is to know about the situation.

For me to intelligently assess any recovery project an on-site visit is mandatory. This on-site appraisal provides me with the information I require to present a creditable report of findings as well as being able to propose a realistic solution, which includes a time frame and fixed dollar amount.

As the founder and President of DISASTER MASTERS® Inc. in 1987 I created a special division and a staff of experts who work directly with me to manage Disposophobic's clutter, Contents and Life Transition Management.

I personally manage each and every recovery project we do with an iron hand. 

Said another way. The project starts with me and ends with me. Nothing gets lost in the communications.

Please don't call my office and ask me to quote prices on a project I know nothing about. Even after 30 years I am not smart or dumb enough to talk intelligently about anything I can't see. Provided I am supplied with ample photographs of a situation, I can determine a fee within 20 percent and describe in writing the results we can achieve.

I look forward to your phone call or Email

Ron Alford
Founder Disaster Masters
Creator Disposophobia.com
Creator ThePlanagers.com