Something happens when September rolls around in New Jersey. The air gets cooler. Kids head back to school. And suddenly, all those closets and cabinets you’ve been avoiding all summer start calling your name.
I get it. Summer is for the beach and barbecues, not sorting through old sweaters. But now? Now’s actually the perfect time to tackle house organizing projects. You’re spending more time indoors anyway, and the weather in Monmouth County is ideal—not too hot, not freezing yet. Open a window, put on some music, and you can actually get stuff done without melting.
The Real Reason to Do This Now
Spring cleaning gets all the attention, but fall organizing makes way more sense. Think about it. In a few weeks, you’ll have Thanksgiving guests.
Practical Home Organization Products.
Then the holidays hit. Suddenly you need space for decorations, room for visiting family, and you’re tearing through cabinets looking for serving platters you haven’t seen since last year.
Getting ahead of this saves your sanity. That’s really what it comes down to.
Start With Your Bedroom Closet
Closets are brutal. Mine was packed so tight I couldn’t see half of what was in there. Clothes I bought three years ago that didn’t quite fit right but cost too much to get rid of. Shoes that destroyed my feet. A blazer from a job I left in 2018.
The only way to deal with this is to pull everything out. Everything. Pile it on your bed if you have to. When you can actually see what you own, the decisions get easier. That shirt you forgot existed? You didn’t miss it. It can go.
Three piles work best. Keep, donate, trash. Be honest with yourself. If you haven’t worn something in over a year, it’s taking up space you could use for things you actually like. We have great donation spots around Monmouth County—Goodwill, Salvation Army, local churches. Your unwanted clothes can help someone else.
Pack away summer stuff now. Swimsuits, shorts, tank tops—put them in labeled bins. Makes room for fall and winter clothes without buying more storage. Vacuum bags are great for beach towels and bulky items. They compress down to almost nothing.
The Coat Closet Situation
That closet by your front door is probably worse than you think. Ours had coats the kids outgrew two winters ago. Four umbrellas (why?). One glove. Random scarves. A pile of reusable shopping bags we kept forgetting to bring to the store.
Pull it all out. Check pockets first—you’d be surprised what ends up in there. Money, receipts, old tissues. Then be realistic about what stays. Kids’ winter coats from when they were in first grade? They’re in fourth grade now. Those don’t fit.
Hooks work better than a rod in these small spaces. Put some low for kids’ stuff. Higher ones for adult coats. Add a shoe tray if there’s floor space. You’ll stop tripping over boots, and getting out the door becomes less chaotic.
Kitchen Cabinets Are Their Own Beast
I avoided my kitchen cabinet clean out for months. When I finally did it, the expired food I found was embarrassing. Spices from 2020. Canned soup with a best-by date I couldn’t read anymore. Four open boxes of pasta, all half-empty.
Take one cabinet at a time. Remove everything. Actually wipe the shelves—they’re probably sticky. Check dates on everything. Then put back only what you use and what’s still good.
Group things together. All the baking supplies in one spot. Canned goods together. Breakfast items in their area. Sounds obvious, but most of us just shove things wherever they fit. When everything has a place, cooking gets easier. You stop buying duplicates because you can see what you already have.
Clear containers help with this. You know exactly how much rice or flour is left without opening containers.
Counter Space and That One Drawer
Countertops become dumping grounds. Mine had mail, keys, a blender I used once, random papers from school, and about six things I couldn’t identify. You need workspace to actually cook. Appliances you rarely use should go in cabinets. Coffee maker and toaster can stay. The panini press you got for your wedding? That can go away.
Then there’s the junk drawer. Everyone has one. Mine had dead batteries, expired coupons, pens that didn’t work, rubber bands, twist ties, and mystery screws from furniture assembly. Empty the whole thing. Throw out obvious trash. Use dividers for what’s left. Takes maybe twenty minutes, but you’ll stop wasting time digging through chaos when you need scissors.
Tackle One Room Each Weekend
Don’t try to organize your whole house at once. That’s how projects get abandoned halfway through. Pick a room. Spend Saturday morning on it. Move to the next one the following weekend.
Bathrooms need regular attention. Medicine cabinets fill up with expired pills and old prescriptions. Toss them—most pharmacies around here take them for proper disposal. Makeup expires too. Mascara lasts about three months. That tube from 2021 needs to go.
Living rooms collect books, magazines, toys if you have kids, random electronics. I started going through books twice a year and donating ones I won’t read again. Magazines get recycled once I’ve read them. For toys, I rotate them out. Half stay available, half get stored. Switch them every month or so. Kids play with what’s out, and you’re not drowning in plastic.
Making It Stick
Here’s the thing nobody tells you: the initial declutter is the easy part. Staying organized takes daily effort.
One in, one out helps. Buy a new sweater? Donate an old one. Keeps accumulation under control.
I spend about fifteen minutes each night putting the house back together. Dishes in the dishwasher. Toys in bins. Mail sorted. It’s not exciting, but these small resets prevent massive cleanup sessions later.
Just Start Somewhere
You don’t need to transform your entire house this weekend. Pick one closet. One cabinet. Do that much. You’ll feel better, and momentum builds from there.
Fall weather in New Jersey won’t last forever. Use these comfortable weeks to create a space that actually works for you. When holiday chaos hits in a few weeks, you’ll be glad you did.