Fall schedules seem to trigger decluttering and organizing. Kids are in school. Vacations are over. It seems like many of my jobs right now as an organizer are to declutter and organize closets and storage shelves.

There is a very good reason for this. If you have stuff out with no “home” for it, your closets and drawers are probably full and cluttered. A great place to start with big projects are closets, drawers, and storage shelves. When you are finished, you will probably have space to put the stuff you really want to keep.

Remember the song “Do-Re-Mi” from “The Sound of Music”? She sings, “Let’s start at the very beginning!” Clearing out storage places like closets, drawers, and storage shelves are the perfect places to start. So, to begin, round up a box for donating, a bag for garbage, and a box for stuff that goes elsewhere in the house or to someone else. A table is also very helpful so you have a place to put everything while sorting and aren’t bending over all day.

Now you are ready to tackle your first space. Empty out the entire closet if it is small or one shelf at a time if it is large. Now, sort everything and put back only what you really want to keep. I recently assisted with a children’s toy closet and what they no longer wanted was donated to Children’s Closet knowing they were going to bring joy to some needy children. When you have a place to pass your unwanted stuff on, it’s easier to let it go. Places I love to give to are St. Vincent’s and Salvation Army because they give back so much to our community.

When you have everything sorted, you may want to rearrange your closet space to make it the way you want it. Hopefully, you have made space for things you want to put away. It is important to see what you have in these spaces. Deep storage shelves where you layer items make you lose track of what you own. If you must put things behind, be sure to put what you use most front, center and easy to reach (especially for children).

Labeling boxes and totes is another way to see what you have. You might think you will remember what is in each box, until you are trying to find something and have to look through multiple boxes to find it. One of my sons is in a situation where he has moved several times with yet another move in January so he has not even unpacked some of his boxes knowing he will be packing up again. But he was very systematic about itemizing what is in each box so that he can find what he needs. He is so relieved that he took the time to do this cumbersome job.

Drawers can be such a quick fix to feeling like you can find things. Empty out your drawer and put it back in order keeping what you use. It feels so good when you open the drawer! Remember, more is not always better! If you have excess, pass it on to others who can use it.

“A place for everything and everything in its place!” Know where your stuff is by organizing and decluttering your storage spaces. Then you will have places to put stuff that need “homes”. Fall is a good time to get started!

Doris Puls, of D & O Decluttering and Organizing, is a professional organizer whose mission is to make a difference in the lives of the people she works with in homes and businesses. Contact her at organizealpena@gmail.com or at 989-356-9545.