Your Fall cleaning and decluttering checklist
I could write a tome on this subject, and I will definitely cover more cleaning and decluttering tips in future blog posts. Let's stick with the absolutely essential fall cleaning and decluttering tips, shall we? Don't be too "judgy" or too hard on your self if you don't make it through this list. Prioritize and do your best. Or, you can defer some of the items on this list to a later date, like spring, or simply ask for help!
Mother Nature knows best
Nature holds much wisdom and many secrets for life. Mother Nature is a great teacher and I have long believed we should follow her lead. In witnessing the changes and transitions during fall—birds migrate south, animals hibernate, the weather gets cooler, the days are shorter, and the leaves fall to the ground marking the end of their growth cycle—perhaps these are the metaphorical cues for the transition, change, and "clearing out" that should be happening in our own home, space, and life. Indeed, it is a time for letting go of that which no longer serves us. You will hear me say this phrase a lot! Fall is the ideal time for cleaning, decluttering, tidying, organizing, and reorganizing. The same can be said for spring time. It's a great way to prepare the home for the holidays because you will need to know where everything is. Searching for things in a chaotic environment during the busiest time of year takes up valuable time and energy, and causes undue stress, anxiety, and frustration.
Out With The Old and In with the New
The art of letting go. Admittedly, the whole decluttering, organizing, cleaning, and tidying process involves work and effort, but the rewards—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—are so worth it. Also, invest the time and energy now and you may have less decluttering, organizing, and cleaning to do in the spring. Practise clean as you go, on a daily basis, be mindful of the things you accumulate going forward, and this will truly pay dividends in the long run.
START BY GETTING RID OF THINGS
So, let's get busy. Some important tips include: setting aside time for cleaning, decluttering, tidying, and organizing when you are in the mood to do this, and to treat yourself to a reward when the job is done. It works for me. By far, the most salient advice is to start first by getting rid of things—completely, in one sweep.
Wardrobe rotation—simplify, edit and organize: Rotate and/or swap out your summer wardrobe for fall and winter clothing, accessories and footwear so it is visible and accessible. This is an ideal time to throw out, gift or donate clothing that you no longer wear, that does not fit, that doesn't appeal to you, or that has outlived its usefulness. Tip: Focus on keeping only the items and essential pieces in your closet and wardrobe that you truly love. Less is more. Keep pieces that convey quality and purpose.
Declutter, tidy, clean and organize/reorganize the kitchen: That includes kitchen cabinets and the pantry to ensure you have what you need on hand for holiday entertaining. Throw out any non-perishables that are past their "best before" date, and get rid of extra or duplicate utensils, gadgets, small appliances, cutlery and dishes that you never use. Pack up these items for donation, recycling or re-gifting. Do whatever you can to keep your kitchen counter spaces clear of clutter, and remove and store any gadgets, spices, oils, items, dish washing soap.
Clean, sanitize and organize the fridge and freezer: Toss out any spoiled food or anything else that is past its prime. Clean, disinfect and sanitize the refrigerator including the freezer, inside and out, with natural cleaning solutions, if you are so inclined.
Clean the stove, oven and microwave.
Declutter the bathrooms: Get rid of make up and medicinals and any other products that have expired. Drop off old prescriptions at the pharmacy for proper disposal. Get rid of the clutter on the counters and vanity. Take a look inside the bath cabinets and be ruthless about discarding items and products that you never use, that have expired, or small product samples you've been collecting from hotels and spas—anything that creates clutter and takes up space.
Declutter and organize the linen closet: Check if there are any excess linens that can be donated, or those that are well worn and should be discarded, or that can used as cleaning rags.
Declutter book shelfs: Keep only your faves and classics. Re-gift books to your friends and/or donate books to your local library or used bookstore.
Deep cleaning the house from top to bottom: Thorough cleaning of the bathrooms, closets, wardrobes, living room, kitchen, pantry, dining room, bedrooms, hallways, and front entry way. Throw open the windows and air out your place.
Clean and declutter your home office, including your computer files.
Organize, clean out, and tidy the garage, basement and attic: Do a sweep through the garage, basement and attic and get rid of the extraneous stuff and tools, anything broken and then organize what's remaining. At this time of year, focus on holiday decorations and lights. Be sure to sort and organize your seasonal decorations and lights, tossing out the ones that you never use or that are broken beyond repair. This may be an ideal time for a garage or yard sale.
The Simple Solution to Make Decluttering Easy
As you declutter, clean, tidy, and store/organize/reorganize all the spaces in your home, or at work, it will be much easier and less overwhelming if you follow this simple, easy solution for sorting and organizing your belongings. The goal here is to establish what will be discarded and what will be kept. Getting rid of things comes first. There are lots of options for how and where you can discard the unwanted items, such as donating to thrift shops and charities, recycling, re-gifting, and selling, to name a few.
Remember: Getting rid of things comes first—completely, and in one sweep. You will not accomplish much if you do it piecemeal, or a little bit at a time. I am a huge fan of The KonMari Method in which tidying is done by category (item), not by location (room). Tackle one major category at a time, in the correct order, until it's completely done, in one go, before moving on to the next category. According to Marie Kondo, creator of The KonMari Method, the correct order of categories looks like this: Start with clothes, then proceed to books, and then papers, miscellaneous, and finally, she saves the hardest for last, which is sentimental items or personal mementos.
To sort and organize what you will keep versus what you will discard, set up five bins and label them as follows:
Keep
Garbage/Recycle
Donate
Sell
Relocate/Re-gift/Return
FINAL THOUGHTS
There is a lot to do here. What I have described above is a general approach for dealing with your fall decluttering and tidying project. It is offered mainly as a checklist. It touches on the major bases to cover in order to get ready for the fall/winter season, and to help you get organized for the busy holiday season so as to reduce the chaos and stress of that busy time of year.
In future blog posts, for those of you who are interested, I will spend more time on this topic and deep dive into the transformative power of "letting go" when you delve into a full fledge decluttering and organizing project for your living space.
I have tried countless approaches for decluttering and organizing over the years with mixed results, until I found the approach that works best for me. You may have already guessed. Yep, it's The KonMari Method. After many years of trial and error, what I learned is that you can not underestimate the emotional aspect of, and the psychology of clutter. The key takeaway: Combining the right approach with a deep understanding and self-awareness of the psychology of clutter and the emotional attachments we form to our material possessions has proven to be a successful formula for me.
I have been avidly organizing, decluttering, tidying and cleaning since I was a young girl; this is a topic that is not only near and dear to my heart, but it is essential in my line of work. I will only use and stick with a method that leads to lasting, positive results, and that supports my vision of beautifying life. Regardless, I would highly encourage you to experiment with different methodologies for decluttering and organization until you find one that works for you.
Final-final thought: Simplicity will win the day. It's not necessary to invest in the latest and greatest commercial storage solutions and storage items when you can use what you have on hand in your home, like clear plastic food containers, or a simple shoe box or lids from a square or rectangular box. Save your money. In the past, this is a rabbit hole that I repeatedly fell into. Storage solutions can be clever and practical, and they may be exactly what you need to get the job done. However, I tend to think they are a slippery slope. Are they a solution for our procrastination tendencies or an avoidance technique? Do they give us a false sense of control? Do storage solutions give you a convenient "out" and hence permission and justification to hold on to stuff that you should have gotten rid of? I can remember the temporary sense of relief and satisfaction I got from carefully organizing, packing, and storing stuff using an elaborate system. This was my way of dealing with stuff, especially clothing, that I was unable to discard due to emotional attachment and guilt. But I was only fooling myself. This stuff was still taking up space and it was weighing me down. Clutter is stagnant energy. The point of decluttering and streamlining is to lighten your load (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually), and create space for an effortless flow of positive energy, or chi, in your home and in your life. Getting rid of the clutter re-energizes your space and home, and breathes new life into all facets of your life. The transformative power of decluttering is life affirming. It allows you to move forward with greater clarity and focus, and makes room for positive things to enter into your life.
bonus TIPS
TIP #1: Discarding is the first step, completely, in one fell swoop! The finishing steps are to tidy, store, organize and reorganize your space. Whatever you plan on keeping, do not put it away, store it, or begin to tidy and organize (or reorganize) until you have completely discarded everything else and removed it from your home or work space. The bins that I have suggested in this post are a tool to help organize, sort and separate what you are keeping vs what you are discarding, and to designate a final destination for the discarded things, e.g., garbage, donate, sell, etc. You could just as easily use garbage bags instead of bins. Whatever works for you. The point is, the stuff must go. Remove it immediately from your premises lest you suffer a relapse in which your resolve weakens, and you find yourself adding, moving, or transferring things back into the "Keep" bin. Resist the temptation to do so by reminding yourself of the end goal. Do not fall into this emotional trap. Be strong!
TIP #2: Keep only what you truly love. Pick up each and every single item and cradle it in your hands. Tune in to what you are feeling on an intuitive level, and then see and feel what your physical or gut reaction is to the object or item you are holding in your hands. Is the thrill gone or do you still light up inside with euphoric joy?
TIP #3: Remember to reward yourself for a job well done. You've earned it!
Need Help?
As always, I’d be happy to assist you with the transition into fall/winter by deep diving into your to-do lists, helping you to enhance, organize, and simplify your home and life, and getting party-ready for the busy holiday season. Just give me a holler!
Stephanie Villano, PMP, CSM
Stephanie Villano is the founder of Contessa Concierge & Personal Assistant Services and an award-winning creative professional, certified project manager, mission-driven entrepreneur, and lifestyle architect. She empowers and champions people in their quest to cultivate a more meaningful, balanced, productive, and purposeful life through services that enhance, organize, and simplify life.