Lizzy Latinsky, owner of Org Theory, has an impulse to organize, which makes revamping her clients' closets and clutter a breeze. Here's her advice on getting your home shipshape as the seasons change.
Tidy Transitions
“I believe that organization is the foundation or starting point for creativity and efficiency,” Latinsky says. “And with the holiday season coming up, it's a perfect way to bring a little order to what can be a chaotic situation.”
In general, and especially as our activities and needs change moving into new seasons, we tend to accumulate more and more stuff. The holiday season can especially mean an influx of gifts and toys adding to our inventory. And while a fresh start can come at any time, the turn of a season is a natural time to transition.
Facilitate Fall Fare
From grilling season to soup season to the light salads of spring, we eat and cook differently throughout the year. With all the entertaining of the holidays, set yourself up for success by organizing your kitchen. “Go through your spices and dry goods,” Latinsky says, “and get rid of expired stuff. Make room for baking and seasonal cooking items.”
For folks who can see themselves committing to a streamlined organizational system, it may be worth investing in sets of canisters and jars. “Sometimes the boxes and bags that food comes in aren't optimal,” Latinsky says, “and decanting products into containers creates more room in the kitchen.”
Festive feasting also leads to leftovers, so go through your fridge and make room for the holiday haul by cleaning out expired, spoiled and unpopular items.
Address Your Nest
Cold weather often comes with a switch to heavier duvets and flannel sheets. “On Amazon, they have these storage bags specifically made for comforters and pillows,” Latinsky says. “When you throw a comforter into the closet, it's going to become unfolded and take on a life of its own.”
In a designated bag, your warm-weather bedding stays safe from the elements in an attic or basement, and stacks easily. Clean first and stash in a storage solution like ChaosCleared's lightweight, washable bags.
Clothing Cleanse
Packing away unseasonable clothing is a great way to make your closets and dressers spacious and easy to navigate, and seasonal swaps are a perfect time to go through your clothes and see what you didn't wear.
Latinsky has a trick for identifying the items that aren't getting play. “Hang all your hangers backwards and as you take clothes off to wear them, turn the hanger around. At the end of the season you'll see the backwards hangers and realize how many things you didn't wear.”
For the hats, gloves and scarves coming into rotation, Latinsky suggests bins. “Anything that can't be folded nicely, put it in bins or baskets.”
The Big Stuff
When the weather changes, our outdoor activity changes. Sleds and snow shovels come out; gardening supplies and beach umbrellas retire. “For things like that,” Latinsky says, “I definitely suggest investing in wall organization systems for your basement or garage to get those things off the floor and out of the way.”
As with the kitchen containers, there are times when investing in more stuff is necessary to control the stuff we already have. Org Theory specializes in identifying and installing the shelves, racks and systems that will make a space most functional and easy on the eyes.
Decluttered Décor
Classifying items as high-touch or low-touch helps inform where to store them. Things like holiday décor that we only reach for once a year can go on the highest shelves or the deepest reaches of the attic. High-touch items can be placed where they're easy to get to.
Just because it can be especially sentimental doesn't make holiday décor immune to purging. “Just like clothing or toys,” Latinsky says, “it's easy to just acquire and it can get out of control. Employ the one-in, one-out rule with holiday décor to keep it manageable.”
Clear Space, Clear Mind
As the weather chills and the days shorten, many of us start to feel a mental gloom as well. Even if it's not full-on seasonal affective disorder, it's still worth protecting our moods in the darker, colder seasons.
“Prioritizing organizing and cleaning ahead of the winter is foundational,” says Latinsky. “It really has an impact. Your home is your sanctuary, and when you're feeling your best in your space, you're going to be at your best for the people in your life.”
Latinsky loves the idea of not just spring cleaning but fall cleaning. Get ahead of an influx of visiting family and friends with a deep clean, and make room for gifts and holiday décor while laying the groundwork for a more buoyant mindset.
The Expert:
Lizzy Latinsky
Owner, Org Theory
