By Holly Henbest, Realtor

Did you know Jan. 14 is National Organize your home day? I don’t know about you, but when the holiday decorations come down, the de-cluttering of my home begins. January is the ideal time to freshen and de-clutter your home and although it can seem daunting, we have some great tips and advice for you. If you’re thinking about selling your home anytime soon, this is especially for you.

This is our suggested path to a clutter-free home.

Tip #1: Start with your holiday décor. Don’t put it back into storage if you don’t love it. Also, if it’s broken, get it fixed before you put it back in storage or make the decision now to toss it. You won’t want to deal with getting it fixed next year when it’s time to decorate, so get it fixed now. This is especially true for trees with broken lights. If you wait until next year to get them fixed, you’ll be adding frustration to your holiday decorating plans.

Tip #2: Start small and with areas that have items that need to be tossed and minimal decision making is needed.
1. Medicine Cabinets: Toss anything that is expired, or you know you won’t use any more. Don’t hold on to the last couple of tablets from your prescription from two years ago. Look at your aspirin and all medications to see what you really use and what is obsolete. Toss what you can. That box with one bandage left in it, the cough syrup you’d have to shake for 30 minutes to get a drop out…toss them!
2. Refrigerator: Look at your salad dressings, condiments, and sauces––toss anything that is expired, or you know you’re not going to use. Empty out the refrigerator completely and clean it. Start fresh!
3. Kitchen Cabinets: Sugar, spices, flour, cake mixes, canned goods, soups, etc.––look at expiration dates and if you know you haven’t used the cream of tartar in six years, then say goodbye!
4. Junk Drawer: Do you have 10 keys to things and have no idea what they are for? Do you have pens that don’t work, broken pencils, and dried up glue? Toss, toss, toss!

Tip #3: Transition from the toss phase to the donate phase. What do you no longer use, but could be valuable to someone else?
1. Linen Closet: Do you have sheets and towels that have collected dust and probably need to be re-washed because you never use them? Or better yet, sheets to a bed you don’t have any more? Then it’s time to donate. How many towels do you really need? Donate away!
2. Clothes Closet: Does it still fit? Is it out of style? When’s the last time you wore it? Ask yourself these questions and think about how you feel when you look at that dress or pair of pants. We’ve all heard about the “sparking joy” feeling and it’s true. If you look at an outfit and it doesn’t spark joy, then listen to your gut and create a donation pile.

Tip #4: The garage is its own category and needs to be tackled on its own. Here are my suggestions for the most organized garage.
1. If you store items in plastic containers, only use containers that are clear so that you can see what’s inside. The idea of red containers for Christmas and orange containers for Halloween sounds good, but you’re still going to gaze up at them and wonder what’s inside, so only buy clear containers.
2. When you go to purchase containers, be sure to get way too many and in a few different sizes. Better to return what you don’t use, than to have to make multiple trips to the store to get more.
3. Once you have your container supplies, the best first step is to empty out as much as you can. Decide what you can toss or donate and then decide if there is anything you should give to someone in your family. Especially if you have family members who might appreciate having a family heirloom item such as your box of china that’s been collecting dust in the corner.
4. Make a list of any items that need repair. Do you have bikes with flat tires? A bike with flat tires probably isn’t worth storing unless you’re going to use them, so get them fixed. Spring is coming and you’ll be out riding bikes soon!
5. Review your duplicates and donate anything extra. For example, how many hammers and screw drivers do you have?
6. You probably have a lot of old paint. Remember that blue room that’s now white? You don’t need that blue anymore. You can throw away paint that is totally hardened. If you have paint you don’t use, you can buy paint solidifier and add it to the paint and then you can toss it.
7. Try to organize areas of the garage for different categories. Have an area for holiday décor, tools, paint, documents, etc., so then you won’t have to search every nook and cranny to find something.

Tip #5: Set some goals!
We recommend you start small and then have some weekly goals. You can’t organize a whole house in one weekend, and you want to make thoughtful choices with items you’re going to toss and donate, so don’t overdo it too quickly.
Week 1 – Drawers & Cabinets
Week 2 – Closets
Week 3 – Dressers
Week 4 – Garage
Week 5 – Attic

We hope your 2023 is off to a great start and you enjoy an organized and de-cluttered start to the year. If you’re thinking about selling your home this year, you’ll be even more ready to get your home listed and prepared to move too!

Holly has been a Desert Ridge resident since 2000 and has been a Realtor since 2006. She is the leader of The Henbest Team with Realty One Group. Holly is ranked in the top ½ of 1 percent of Realtors in Arizona and is a certified luxury marketing expert. She has been ranked #24 in the Top 50 Realtors by the “Phoenix Business Journal” for the past several years and recognized by “So Scottsdale!” magazine as a Real Estate Superstar for 2019, 2020 and 2021. She’s also been the #1 ranked realtor at Realty One Group/North Scottsdale for the past several years. Learn more at henbest.com.