Mom reorganizes homes of domestic abuse survivors for free

A woman helps survivors of domestic abuse restart their lives by helping them reorganize their homes - for free.

Nicola Rodriguez, 48, who goes by her nickname the 'Essex House Dolly', launched her cleaning business three years ago.

She specializes in working with clients who suffer from hoarding and charges $32-an-hour detoxing wardrobes, and reorganizing kitchen cupboards and toy playrooms.

But she also offers her services for free - mentoring women in the process of restarting their lives following an abusive relationship.

She spends three months helping women get back into work and creating a safe new home life.

Nicola, from Ongar, Essex, said: "I work with helping women who've found themselves in that position to make it a little easier.

"When I'm helping someone start their life again that's usually over a three-month period and I look at how to get them back on their feet.

"Quite a few women that I've helped have been able to turn bedsits into homes and I've helped people get back on their feet.

"I don't charge a penny for that - I can't take money off women with children that are recovering from an abusive partner.

"It's massively rewarding."

Nicola started her business in September 2021 after her friends encouragement and spends anywhere from just a few hours to months with clients.

She said: "I'm basically like a Stacey Solomon - people say I sound like her too!

"Sometimes I'll go in and organize a kitchen that will take no more than four hours.

"Other clients I've been with for months and I go in once a fortnight - tackling two bedrooms, a boot room, the pantry and a gym, and next month I'm going into the attic to turn it into a walk-in-wardrobe.

"This week I'm doing a wardrobe detox with a lady that can't bring herself to throw anything away and I'll do what Stacey does in Sort Your Life Out.

"We'll reorganize and rearrange it - color code hangers and fold clothes away in color order.

"A lot of the clothes we donate for kids and moms from the Refuge charity to use.

"So it really varies."

The mom-of-two usually visits two homes a week and often deals with people struggling with hoarding.

She said: "Sometimes it can be very hard.

"Mentally it can make people so unwell and I've had occasions when it's made people too upset and I've had to stop as they clearly aren't ready.

"There was a lady that I met around this time last year and she contacted me.

"She had a one-bed that needed some TLC.

"I went round and it hadn't been cleaned for about three years, it was in such a state.

"We needed to figure out how it had got to this point.

"She opened up to me and said she bought the flat with her husband and her husband sadly passed during Covid and her life turned upside down.

"We cleaned it and sorted it out and got her to put it up for sale and she's now living in a beautiful new apartment and she's really happy.

"And we turned that around in just three weeks - I had to see a chiropractor for my back after!

"Once we'd cleaned it and decluttered it was a sellable property. I wanted to help her with the whole process."