In Search of a Clutter-Free Summer

Memorial Day — the unofficial start of summer— has come and gone. If you’re anything like us at The Organizing Blog, you probably used the long weekend to plant some flowers, take a bike ride, visit with friends and/or have a cookout. Fine pursuits!

But do you know what can make one’s enjoyment of those pursuits (and most others) even better? #Organization! A #clutter-free environment knows no season — and it can provide you with the #clarity you need to truly live in the moment.

Think about it: A cluttered space demands attention. Maybe you waste a lot of time looking for things among the stacks of papers, piles of laundry and dusty gewgaws. Or maybe wrangling all that #stuff leaves you with little down time.

Summer is a great time to get those things under control. With good weather and a few hours each week, you can conquer that #clutter — and enjoy all of the seasons to come.

Start with the #garage. Has that #space attracted a lot of stuff that doesn’t have a home elsewhere ? Go through it and ask yourself why you hide #junk there and if you’ll ever really need those things again. Weed out what you don’t have a use for and set it aside.

Along the way, fine-tune your storage of the things that do have a purpose — even if that purpose is occasional, such as holiday decorations. Sort “like” items into labeled bins and boxes that you can find and access easily without a lot of hunting. Shelve or stack them thoughtfully, and you’ll be creating new space!

Next, do the same for the basement. Organizing your below-ground space likely will have the added benefit of helping you keep cool while you work. Set aside the things for which you don’t have a purpose or can’t find a place, and put them in boxes and bags.

See that growing pile of #junk? Slap some price tags on those things and have a quick #garage or #yard #sale. Or click though to ClothingDonations.org to arrange a #free #donation #pickup. You’ll be #helping the nation’s #veterans and be ready to enjoy the rest of the summer #clutter-free!

Decluttering on Labor Day Weekend

If you have a lot of #stuff laying around that goes unused, Labor Day weekend is a great time to weed some of it out. Pick one of the three days and get to work: Go room to room with boxes, bins and a garbage can, selecting things to give away, sell and trash. You’ll likely be able to fill those bins with #junk you don’t want or need in just a few minutes or hours. Take that stuff and throw a #garage sale to make some extra cash, or simply contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation pickup to get it out of your sight quickly and help fund programs that help the nation’s many #veterans. #LaborDay

School May Be in Session, But Summer Isn’t Over

This week, schools throughout the country are welcoming students back for another year. A few kids may not be ready to let the carefree, lazy days of the seasonal break go, of course, and may complain loudly that “summer’s over.”

#Summer is far from over, though, especially for anyone who isn’t in school. The start of school may be a harbinger of cooler climes to come, but there’s still a month to go before the vernal equinox — and plenty of warm weather left to enjoy.

Now’s the time to kick that summer fun into high gear! Have you gotten in any of your favorite outdoor activities, such as camping, fishing, boating, kayaking or swimming? Have you taken the opportunity to picnic in a park or cook out?

Maybe you’re more indoorsy — or a temporary heat “dome” is encouraging you to stay inside. Beat the heat at an indoor matinee. Or take on a household project such as #decluttering your wardrobe or #redecorating a room, Apartment Therapy suggests.

There’s still time to schedule an end-of-summer trip, too. September and October are beautiful months to visit many northern climates and see the leaves change color, and it’s still hot enough in the south and the tropics to swim and sunbathe.

If you opt to #organize and #declutter, there’s still time to schedule and stage a #garage sale. Set aside your castoff clothing and household goods and tag them. Pick a weekend and post signage directing shoppers to your door; you’ll have extra pocket money in no time.

If that sounds like too much work for your precious summer days, you can always schedule a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org to effortlessly relieve yourself of that #extra #stuff while supporting valuable #veterans programs.

Whatever you choose, there’s a lot of summer left to do it. Even the Labor Day holiday isn’t the limit — and if you have kids, they’ll be at school, leaving you much of the day to concentrate on personal and professional needs. Start planning what’s left of summer now!

Declutter the Garage and Have a Sale

August may give you an extra day to #declutter, the chance to sell some of your extra #stuff and the warm, sunny weather necessary to do both. But before you have a #garage sale, you’ll likely need to clear out the #garage! The first thing to do is take everything out, says Budget Dumpster. Not only will you be able to sweep and wash the floors or repaint the walls, if necessary, you will also be able to make a realistic assessment of your #storage needs and add #shelves, hooks and other #organizational aids. Then, you can sort the things you want to keep — maybe even your car — back into a freshly #decluttered and #organized space.

Donate the Stuff That Doesn’t Sell

Perhaps the most important secret to garage-sale success is to avoid reintegrating anything you marked for sale into your home after it ends. Think about it: You were ready to let those things go because they were no longer of any use to you; the fact that they didn’t sell at a low price doesn’t make them any more useful. Do yourself a favor: Before you make your first dollar, #schedule a #free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org for the days after the #garage, #yard or #tag #sale. A truck will whisk that extra #stuff away, and the #clutter will be gone from your life for good. #GarageSaleSuccess