Fall Into Place

Like resolutions that conjure up the idea of another new year, we often relate deep cleaning to springtime. And there is something about lightening our loads around March; however, I whole-heartedly endorse another round of deep cleaning sometime during the fall. Why? As summer is ending, walk around your home. Take a glance inside your closets and drawers, under the beds, in the garage, or wherever your clutter likes gathering. During the distraction of summer fun, "things" find temporary "summer homes." Toys, games, books, pool bags, movies…whatever it is piles up. But unless we take the time to move everything back into its proper place, clutter builds and we feel slightly suffocated. The holidays come and before you know it, our houses are bulging, and we are overwhelmed with where to even begin. 

Clean Closet

Having been an "organizer" pretty much my whole life, I have various methods I employ daily to maintain order in my home. But even I have closets RIGHT NOW that are in disarray, filled with random "homeless" items that I have neglected over the past few months. My approach: Pick a spot in my house that needs tidying and give myself 2 weeks to tackle it — definitive and reasonable. Most people don't have the luxury of time on their hands so if you find yourself here, allow yourself an extra 5 minutes every time you do a sweep through the house. The first thing you come across that needs some attention, give it your 5 minutes. Start slow so you stay steady. I use this EVERY DAY and it is amazing what dirt, grime, and chaos I can eliminate within a week.

One of my favorite quotes is, "When we clean and order our homes, we are somehow also cleaning and ordering ourselves" (Gunilla Norris). For me, this holds entirely true. If my thoughts are discombobulated, I vacuum. If I need to ponder something for a while, I clean floors. And if my life is out of control, I clean the whole house. There is real comfort in working through our problems while engaging in a deliberate and hard, yet ultimately rewarding, task.

However you decide to approach fall, make it a tradition to clear the clutter and junk physically and mentally — I promise you will love breathing in the simplicity and serenity.