New school year…get a fresh start! Here are great tips to get the clutter out of your home and keep it that way!

1. We are all familiar with the three piles – keep, donate and toss. This method works! Use it.
2. Address one room at a time and finish completely before moving on to the next space. If you try to tackle a whole house at once, you might get overwhelmed and give up. And if an entire room is too much, simply start with one drawer or one closet. By taking it a little at a time, you will pick up momentum with small steps of accomplishment.
3. A good rule of thumb when cleaning out your living space is to let it go if you haven’t used it in a year. Five years of not using an item means it shouldn’t even take up your storage space.
4. In storage areas, group boxes by seasons. Clearly label stored boxes so that the mystery boxes don’t take over your storage space…again.
5. Keep like things together. Use compartments within drawers, closets and storage spaces. It’s almost impossible to keep clutter under control in large, undefined spaces. Grouping like things together also helps you keep track of what you have and what you need. If you can’t find it, you buy it again and create more clutter!
6. Kids bring home mountains of artistic treasures. You’d like to keep them forever, but it’s just not possible without drowning in a sea of fingerpaintings! Preserve them digitally by taking a photo or scan of each masterpiece and then organize the images by date so you can revisit your child’s art with the click of a button.
7. Establish homes for your stuff and habits for yourself. All the things that come into the house that can become clutter or get lost in it (keys, purse, wallet, umbrella, mail, etc.) need a specific place to be every time you come home. Lost and wandering items can get out of control quickly!
8. Make labels wherever you can. It’s harder to put something out of place if a label clearly tells you not to!