When your house is in chaos, so is your brain.

That’s why Colorado Springs resident Darla Marcel is working to help local women get a clean start.

Working through Hot Mess Express, a national nonprofit with chapters around the country, Marcel is assembling volunteers to help women in need with no-judgment cleaning and organizing from Larkspur to Fountain. The goal: help those in need get a fresh start because it’s easy for your mental health to decline when surrounded by clutter, Marcel said.

“We focus on any woman who needs help in the community,” said Marcel, the chaos coordinator for the Colorado Springs area. “Most of these women, their houses have been in disarray for so long, and we all know when it gets too bad that anxiety gets the best of us, and we don’t know where to begin.”

The concept of “messy home, messy mind” is backed by science. According to a study cited by WebMD, women who saw their homes as cluttered had heightened levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), while those who described their residences as well-organized had lower levels.

So, to alleviate some of that stress, volunteers with Hot Mess Express meet at the homes of local nominees and clear that clutter. Beforehand, Marcel does a walkthrough with the resident to meet and discuss a game plan. From there, she gathers a team of volunteers, who will organize the house and clean the space, as well as help the nominee with other tasks, whether that be cooking or just providing her a little break.

“We do whatever that nominee needs,” Marcel said. “We get her back on her feet and we give her a fresh start, and we just let her go from there, and hopefully we make an impact in her life.”

The local chapters rely on donations to pay for cleaning supplies and other essentials, including gift cards to grocery stores or restaurants to help the nominee. After clean-up day, Marcel stays in touch with the nominee to make sure they have what they need to stay afloat.

As soon as the nominations opened for the Springs area, applications came flooding in, Marcel said. Anybody can nominate themselves or a friend.

Currently, Marcel is working under the Denver affiliate for the nonprofit, Bri Williams, as they work to get an official Springs chapter up and running. Williams, who is also the financial operations coordinator at the nonprofit’s national level, is thrilled that the team is expanding to reach Colorado Springs.

“Our goal is to be a village that so many people these days struggle to find,” Williams said. “What we’re attempting to do is make sure that nobody out there is alone when life gets overwhelming.”

Marcel knows just how hard it can be to keep up with daily chores while balancing daily duties. As a mother of six, including a child with special medical needs, she knows what it’s like to need help.

“I’m fortunate enough to where my husband and my kids have picked up that slack and helped me when I needed it the most. But I know there’s a lot of families and moms who don’t have that opportunity,” Marcel said.

Asking for help is often the hardest part, Marcel said. That’s why the organization’s slogan is “Not a handout, just a hand,” to encourage women to seek assistance without guilt.

“Having this little foundation and being able to ask for that help in private, right, when we need it the most is just is amazing to me,” Marcel said.