Fairfield County’s House 2 Home Organizing lends its expertise to fight spooky clutter during Halloween. All Hallows Eve brings many great things, including social gatherings, a costume for every party and pumpkin spice lattes. However, the holiday can also create stress in the form of a house turned ghastly by clutter.
“Halloween has the huge potential to create organizing challenges (and possibly a trip to the dentist), from costumes and candy to decorations, and with the added ingredient of excited kids, the house can get out of control quickly,” said House 2 Home’s Ben Soreff. The company has these tips for potential holiday pitfalls:
Costumes — Deciding on the perfect costume can be a lengthy process, but with a few organizing tips, it can be streamlined. As challenging as it may be, the kids are an integral part of the process. However, that is changing with more and more adults taking over the holiday. First, check sizes, donate any costume that no longer fits and recycle those loose, unmatched pieces. If you plan on making a costume, store all the parts together as the shopping process continues. House 2 Home also recommended keeping the half-built costumes out of reach of curious youngsters at least until the glue dries. In the future, a homemade costume may become a keepsake for sentimental reasons. However, it’s usually best not to keep a store-bought costume in the keepsake bin, since a photograph will do and store-bought costumes make great donations for new kids to enjoy.
Candy — The best organizing strategy for candy is to limit the quantity that comes into the house, the company said. Be realistic about the number of kids who actually ring the doorbell, using last year as a guide. You may want to consider organizing the candy in individual small treat bags ahead of time. This makes it easy for children to grab a bag and eliminates the time-consuming “major decision” of which candy to choose. Another great way to reduce candy clutter is to donate the leftovers. Many dentists offer a reward for candy, while www.operationgratitude.com runs a give-back program for military members.
Decorations — While orange bins with black lids are nice, they aren’t necessary. The key is to decide what to save for next year. Decorations like dusty fake spider webs or torn paper ghosts with missing color, because of years of ripping tape off, should be discarded. Focus on how expensive and rare the decorations are. The homemade ghost and goblin artwork may be more sentimental now that the kids are older and should live with your stored keepsakes.
Social gatherings — “The end of October sees a lot of Halloween parties, so make sure your invitations have an RSVP date clearly noted,” said House 2 Home’s Kathleen O’Connor. Party prep can be time-consuming, so after making a budget, make a list as well and prioritize those items to buy or create. Are you having party games? If so, what’s on the shopping list? Some people do well with visuals, so using a calendar may be helpful. Set “deadlines” so you do not get behind. Once your supplies are purchased, designate a space in your house to store them until party time.
For more, visit h2horganizing.com.
