October’s weather is perfect to clean, declutter and organize your outdoor areas. Downsize and eliminate the excess on and under the deck, the porch, the storage shed and the pool area. This includes any parts of the garage where you store outdoor equipment, tools, and supplies.
The best way to declutter and organize is to remove everything from the storage areas and put them into piles of trash, donate, and keep.
Items to eliminate:
Broken or rusty garden tools
Excess yard tools and equipment that you no longer use
Lawn furniture and cushions that you no longer use
Old potting soil, lawn chemicals, outdated seed packets
Broken flowerpots or planters that you no longer use
Excess and broken garden statues and yard decorations
Store items, so that they are neat, tidy, easily accessible, and stored safely so they aren’t a tripping or a safety hazard.
Group and store small garden tools in a bucket or basket so that you can carry them while gardening.
Store heavy items like bags of soil and mulch down low on the ground or shelf.
Hang and store long handled equipment such as shovels, rakes, and brooms.
Service the lawn mower for winter storage and service the snow blower for winter use, making sure they are easily accessible for the season.
Winterize your grill, patio furniture, planters, and statues.
Scrub, power wash and hose the outside areas to maintain the outdoor appearance.
Scrub soffits, doors, deck/patio, windows, screens, trim
Remove cobwebs and schedule bug and pest control
Sweep driveway, walkways, and sidewalks
Scrub or replace garbage and recycle can
Marian Taylor is the creator of The Marian Way. Her mission is to support people in living a simple, and beautiful lifestyle. As a professional downsizer and relocation specialist for 10+ years she knows firsthand as to what it takes to help people let go of their “excess”, with her time-tested tools, tips, and solutions. Send questions or comments to: Marian@TheMarianWay.com
Part of Issue 21: