Organizing Projects for Fall
As the weather cools down and the leaves begin to change, it's a great time to start thinking about organizing your home for the fall season. Here are a few projects to get you started:
#1: Declutter Your Closet
As you are swapping out your sundresses for sweaters, take a minute to consider which pieces you wore frequently during the warm weather months and which items never really made it into rotation. If you didn’t wear it all summer, consider donating it to make room for something you will really love and wear. Checking in with your wardrobe twice a year helps you identify any gaps that you want to fill, makes space for new purchases, and ensures that when it comes time to rotate in seasonal items you love everything you see.
Quick steps to take you through the process:
Choose a category of clothing (dresses, jeans, sweaters) and remove everything within that category. Only taking one category out at a time helps you avoid the overwhelm of having every item of clothing out on your bed while also allowing you to see clearly the items you have within that category. This helps you choose your favorites and weed out items that are similar but always passed over in favor of your favorite.
Bag up donations and make time in your schedule to actually drop them off. No one wants to drive around with them in their trunk for six months.
Now that your clothing has been pared down to the best of the best and categorized, it’s time to invest in some organizational tools. Matching hangers make a world of difference in making your closet look cohesive. We like slim velvet hangers for smaller closets and larger wooden hangers for closets with more space so each item can have some breathing room. Hanging organizers, shoe racks, baskets, and shelf dividers are all great options!
Once you have your organizational tools, start putting everything back in your closet. We like to organize by category and color!
#2: Pantry & Spices
The cooler months are primo cooking, baking, and entertaining season. Get ahead of it and give your pantry and spice rack a good clear out. Check expiration dates and look for items that need to be purchased. There’s nothing like being mid-bake and running out of baking soda or realizing your nutmeg expired in 2017. Go ahead and grab some to-go containers to be ready to send treats home with friends.
Start by clearing everything out of your pantry. This will give you a fresh start and allow you to see what you have. Give it a good wipe down while everything is out.
Sort through all the items and group them by category, such as canned goods, grains, snacks, breakfast, oils, vinegars, etc.
Check expiration dates and toss any expired items. Donate items your family won't eat to a local food pantry.
Use clear containers to store items like pasta, rice, cereal, and snacks. This will make it easier to see what you have and when you need to restock. Write the expiration date on a piece of tape and stick to the bottom of the container.
Label everything to make it easy to find what you need quickly.
Use risers or shelves to make the most of the vertical space in your pantry.
Consider using baskets or bins to corral smaller items like spices and snacks. Label everything to make it easy to find what you need quickly.
Keep frequently used items at eye level and less frequently used items on higher or lower shelves. Make sure you keep items you don't want your little people to be able to independently access up high or you may find they've taken it upon themselves to prepare a pre-dinner appetizer of 30 packs of fruit snacks
Taking food out of its original packaging and getting rid of bulky boxes will save you so much space! Try your best to decant and unbox everything right when you get home from the store. It takes a few extra minutes on the front side, but will save you time and space in the long run.
#3: Medicine Cabinet
Having a well stocked, up-to-date medicine cabinet is really important! You never know when illness or injury will hit and you want to be prepared when it does. Most people have medications stashed in different places around the house. Your first step is to gather it all in one spot and remove any items that do not belong with medications or first aid and relocate them.
Next go through and check for expiration dates. Toss everything that is out of date. Almost all medicines, except those on the FDA flush list (you can check at www.fda.gov) can be thrown into your household trash. If the medication is on the FDA flush list you can go into google maps and type in "drug disposal locations near me" to find the nearest disposal center.
Once you've made sure all medications and first aid are current start dividing them into categories by use. We like to initially divide into adult medications and children medications before narrowing down to categories like:
Allergy
Cough & Cold
Fever & Pain Relievers
Prescription (by person they are prescribed to)
First Aid
Stomach
Topical
Daily/High frequency (for your most used meds)
We typically use some combination of stackable bins and turntables. Make sure to keep your daily or high frequency medications easy to access. Ensure that you have everything clearly labeled and in a place where you know small children do not have access to it! DONE!
Doesn't this one feel good? I always feel more prepared when our medications are in order.
B O N U S points for making self contained flu and/or stomach bug kits so when it hits in the middle of the night, because it always does 😑, you will have everything you need to jump right in and provide great care!
Fall is our favorite season and tackling a few home organization projects is a great way to ensure that the upcoming time spent indoors is cozy and not chaotic! If you're ready to tackle a project but aren’t sure where to start, we've got your back! Give us a call- we'd love to chat!
