Clean and declutter in October? You might be thinking that the holidays are still far off, and that it is too early to be concerned with cleaning, clutter and all that nonsense. Truth be told, it is far better to be prepared, then to deal with repairs last minute when everyone else discovers that they need their chimney cleaned too. With the cold weather coming, make sure that you will be able to keep everyone in the family warm and toasty. And as always, if you can’t do the cleaning yourself, don’t hesitate to hire someone, at least for part of the job so that your house remains as efficient as possible.

Stare the feelings of overwhelm in the face and tell yourself “I can do this.” Now this time say it out loud, because really you can. It just takes starting in one room – which may be the garage, or the toy room depending on your current situation – and tackle it with some gusto.

Besides taking care of the obvious: cleaning garden and outdoor items and putting them safely away, it may remain to have your carpets cleaned. And while you are at it, some decluttering is in order too. For example, you may want to browse your closet and get rid of items that no longer fit, or that you imagine never wearing again. At the same time, you can go through your summer clothes, wash them and put them away till needed again.

Use your best judgement in tossing items and in order to avoid clutter from accumulating between now and the end of the year you can adopt a mental mindset that you already have enough.

An added benefit of fall cleaning? You may even find some items that you can donate (to open up space in your home) or you may find some items worth selling. With that little extra income you can treat yourself to an experience, rather than filling your home with more things that collect dust.

Do you participate in fall cleaning, what’s your strategy for keeping clutter at bay?