By LANNAN M. O’BRIEN
It happens every year. You diligently deep-clean every room, designating containers for every item that seems out of place, transforming your home into an immaculate, magazine-worthy beauty. For months on end, your organizational systems stay in place—and then winter comes. The bins and baskets become catch-alls, overflowing with chaos. What happened to your regimented cleanliness?
Clutter and disorganization tend to accumulate when we retreat indoors, but managing them doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We consulted a few local experts to help you tidy up your space for the upcoming season, and keep it that way for good!
Declutter Your Space
There is a big distinction between organizing and decluttering, and Nicole Gabai of Falmouth, a certified virtual organizing professional and owner of B. Organized, defines this in her work with clients. The decluttering piece involves deciding which items to keep and which to get rid of.
The key is keeping clutter in check on a regular basis, not just once or twice a year. “Every now and then you need to do what I call an inventory check,” said Gabai. How often it’s conducted depends on the area of the home. For example, she said, “If we’re talking about the closet, it could be once every few months, or at the change of seasons.”
Fellow professional organizer Beth Burch, the owner of Organized Spaces by Beth Burch—which serves the Cape and Plymouth—noted that most people simply have “too much stuff,” and it’s all about editing out what you don’t need. While Nicole Gabai conducts her work virtually and teaches clients the skills to declutter and organize their spaces, Beth Burch conducts in-person visits and manages tasks from dump runs and donations to finding the right products to improve their home storage. “I just meet the client where they’re at,” she said.
The following are a few general decluttering tips from both professionals.
1. Dispose of items that are damaged or expired
Anything that is cracked or chipped, permanently stained, or missing pieces (for instance, plastic containers with missing lids) can be thrown out, Gabai said. In the kitchen, she advises tossing any expired food in the refrigerator and pantry, including spices: “They start to lose their flavor.”
2. Remove duplicates
Sometimes it’s helpful to have multiples of an item, like pens and paper. But other times, clients have duplicates of things they don’t need. “I’ll ask them, ‘Do you really need four whisks?’” said Burch, in a gentle, unassuming manner. Any duplicate items they decide to keep, but won’t be using regularly, are placed in a “backup bin” and stored for later use.
3. Analyze your emotions
There is often an emotional component to decluttering, acknowledged Gabai. “People get attached to their stuff, and that’s something that you have to be honest with yourself about.” As difficult as it may be, she recommends that when you have difficulty letting something go, you ask yourself, “Why am I keeping this chair? Does it go with my décor? Does anyone use it?” She explained, “It’s about really evaluating its meaning for you in practical life.”
Address Problem Areas
When getting organized for spring, it’s a good time to review the most problematic areas of the home, which, Burch and Gabai agree, are the garage and basement. “They’re the catch-alls,” Burch noted. “It’s fine to let it [the clutter] build for a while, but it’s nice when everything has a place to put it back in.”
One of Burch’s biggest strengths is finding creative storage solutions for rooms like these. After decluttering, she helps clients source products like shelving, bins, hooks, and more, that fit perfectly in each space to accommodate each of their belongings. Even in small spaces, she said, “I always look at the vertical space. You can always go up.” In these situations, she considers floating shelves and even ceiling storage.
Clients’ garages often have bare walls, said Burch, allowing her space to measure and install shelving for organization. “I’m not fancy, I’m functional,” she admitted, stressing the importance of everything in your home having a place. “Sometimes, products are needed to store those items.” (Burch is a fan of the Elfa line of storage solutions, available at Elfa.com.) Pro tip: there are a wide range of storage products for bicycles depending on your space. Burch especially loves floor racks designed for kids’ bicycles, similar to those you’d see at a park: “The kids can park their own bikes with just their front wheel in the organizer, and it just keeps them from piling up.”
Seasonal Switch-Out
When you think of spring cleaning, you probably envision the dreaded task of putting away winter clothes—and replacing them with warm-weather garments. However, it’s more than just swapping out your wardrobe. “It’s a big undertaking, but it should be done thoughtfully,” Gabai said. Here is some advice on how to approach the closet changeover.
1. Determine what stays and what goes
Storing clothes for the winter involves a bit of decluttering in itself. “You don’t put it away for next winter if you’re not going to use it,” said Gabai. This is where you decide which items are stored, and which can be thrown out, donated or consigned. Here are a few highlights of the checklist in Gabai’s 2023 book, “The Art of Organizing: An Artful Guide to an Organized Life,” for garments you can part with:
Clothing that is ripped or stained
Items that no longer fit
Anything you haven’t worn in one year
Clothing with stretched-out elastic
Shoes that hurt your feet
Burch suggests having one bin in every closet for donations, and another for items that no longer fit (particularly for families with children). “When those fill up, it’s time to do something with them,” she said.
2. Don’t forget dresser drawers
For dressers, Burch uses drawer organizers (“You can get them at the dollar store,” she said). If the task is too time-consuming, you can organize one drawer at a time, and even set a timer for yourself. “It’s just taking 10 minutes and focusing on one drawer,” she said. Take everything out of the drawer and remove any items you no longer need (see list from #1), and sorting winter items to keep in containers for storage. “Then you have nice, fresh drawers with everything cleaned out,” she said.
3. Be mindful about storage
For seasonal clothes, you can use one bin that says “winter” on one side and “spring” on the other, Burch recommended. It’s important that items are cleaned before being stored, according to Gabai, and that they are kept in an airtight container. Pro tip from Gabai: use lavender sachets (lavender with cedar is best) to repel moths and keep clothes smelling great.
4. Consider donating or consigning
If you notice your bin of unwanted items (that are in good condition) growing by the second, you’ll need to think about how to rehome them. Gabai believes that donation is always an option: “There’s always somebody in the world who will use it more than I do.”
However, if you have items of value or are hoping to earn money, you might consider hosting a yard sale, or selling your belongings online via channels like Facebook Marketplace or Facebook yard sale groups that serve as virtual selling platforms—for example, Cape Cod Virtual Yard Sale or Cape Cod Yardsale. To give items away for free, try “Buy Nothing” Facebook groups like Buy Nothing Cape Cod, MA or individual towns’ “Buy Nothing” pages.
Consignment is another great way to earn money on your extra “stuff.” Local consignment shops like Penny Lane Consignment in Sandwich accept clean, gently used clothing, décor and small furniture for resale (visit pennylaneconsignment.com for consignment guidelines), and you receive a percentage of the items’ determined value. “We take the best of the best and then we sell it,” said shop owner Deb Devlin. “The up-side to consigning is that you’re earning extra cash for what you’re getting rid of.” Plus, she added, it just feels good to clean out your closet. “You’re decluttering, you’re feeling good about it, but you’re making money, too.”