As the sun sets on summer I know, we are never ready…but the good news is that fall is wonderful, so all is not gloomy and as an added bonus, we usually have many weeks left of nice mild weather. A project is always fun as we say goodbye to summer, and as promised, I am going to give you a great decluttering and organizing project to pack up summer and have it ready when it returns!

The first thing we are going to do is establish a dedicated space in your home or garage to house our summer items. Lets start with the small stuff: gardening items. Once you have found or created a space or storage bin or shelving space, begin the process of putting these items away in an organized fashion. Make sure to thoroughly wash everything (including gloves) so that they are put away clean and neat. Anything that has not survived the summer (meaning is broken or cracked or???) throw away. I promise you, it will not fix itself magically over the winter and now is the time to get rid of it.

I spent a lot of time discussing garden hoses in my July newsletter, and many of these points are the same. If your garden hose did not survive the summer, it is garbage and should be placed there. Hopefully yours did pass the summer test and is now ready to be neatly put away and stored. Make sure that all of the water is drained from the hose and then place it away in a dedicated space.

Depending on your outdoor furniture, some may need to be housed inside, so after cleaning the pieces, place them where they need to be stored, whether that’s inside or out. Wipe down cushions and also take time to assess:  did squirrels or other animals take a run at your accessories? Any items that unfortunately did not survive should be tossed (maybe that’s why they are called throw pillows?!)

Garden items such as solar lanterns, pottery pieces and the like that cannot be left outside during the winter months can be grouped and carefully placed indoors, and make sure to clean and label them so you can easily find them next summer.

Last but not least, look forward to the beauty of fall!! See you next time!