A Fresh Fall Reboot

Fall for me feels like a fresh start.  It is still hot outside, but there is a little bit of a cool breeze these days, and it gives me a pep in my step to want to clear out things around me.  With that in mind, I want to shovel out all the stuff we have accumulated over the last year, or years for that matter, to give way for more free thought and freedom from things around me. When we remodeled our kitchen, my friend who helped decorate and put things in their place purposefully in the kitchen also made me PROMISE not to fill it up full of useless things, so that I would enjoy the space itself.  We have been in the “new” kitchen for almost 10 years, and I have worked hard at keeping it clean and sparse, it is my favorite space to be in our house because it is peaceful and free of junk.

As a realtor, when I am assisting clients in preparing their houses for sale, I have a checklist of things to do to make the house shine.  Most of the time when the sellers have gone through the rigor of preparing their house for the sale, they often say “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Not that we all need to be in the mindset of being “show ready” but it is nice to rethink why we hold on to the things we do around the house.

Here are the highlights that I think are useful at any time, not just when preparing your house for sale. Decide to let go of things you aren’t too attached to. You might have received a wedding gift that you feel obligated to keep around on the off chance that the gift giver might stop by to see it.  Keep things that make you happy. I like to pack up items, even if they are sentimental, but just take up space, and box them away to see if I miss them or not.  If I do miss them after several months, I can bring them back and showcase them again, or if I don’t think about them, I can give them away. If you haven’t used something in over a year, it is likely you won’t need it anytime soon or won’t use it. Don’t just pack it away and then store it in the garage, give yourself a deadline to then pass along those things to other places by donating or selling them. Might be worth putting an expiration date on the box to make sure you remove it by then. 

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. You want to allow for natural flow through the home.  If the furniture blocks a pathway, consider placing it in storage or selling it.  Large pieces such as bookshelves and dressers can also take up a great deal of space, making a room appear to be smaller than it actually is.  Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the purpose of the room and leave plenty of space to move around. If you don’t need it, donate or throw it away.  Neatly arrange books in bookcases. Clean off everything from the kitchen and bathroom countertops.

Other things to consider besides decluttering are ways to make your house sparkle.  Wash the windows inside and out, remove any cobwebs, re-caulk tubs, showers, and sinks, polish faucets and mirrors, clean out the refrigerator, dust furniture, ceiling fan blades, and light fixtures, steam clean the carpets and ceramic tiles, replace worn rugs, hang up fresh towels.  

It is a big undertaking, but being purposeful about the way you live in your house instead of the clutter taking over will allow for less clutter in your brain. If you decide to do even some of these things, it will likely snowball into doing more.  Donating or selling your things will allow someone else to enjoy those things. Won’t it feel nice to have a home with the things you love and need?