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Groom Your Room presents the September To-do list
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus
New colors to see, new smells to savor, new experiences to engage in, and it is time to switch gears in a major way by closing out the summertime and getting ready for fall weather, activities and fun. What is there to look forward to you ask? Well, there are the obvious things like birthdays, holidays, festivals, grand end of season farmers’ markets and football of course. Just in case you are looking for something a bit more eclectic here is a short list of fun:
September 6: Fight Procrastination Day. This is every clutter bug’s dreaded day. No excuses people. Get off your butt and get to de-cluttering. You will be so proud of yourself if you can tackle at least one whole project or room. GROOM YOUR ROOM is here to help. You are never alone in getting organized.
September 11: Make your bed day. There are 2 schools of thought on this. Some people do not make their beds because they only see their bedroom when they wake up and when they are ready to go to sleep so why stress about making the bed. The other side says it is more relaxing and peaceful to climb into a freshly made bed each night instead of looking at the chaos of messy sheets and blankets right before bedtime. Whichever side you sleep on, pun intended, let today be the day for making the bed extra special than normal or making the bed to see if you do in fact feel better getting into a freshly made, neat, inviting bed. It’s worth the effort for research purposes don’t you think?
September 17: Constitution Day. During these uncertain times in American history it is a wonderful thing to set time aside and remember how we became a great nation and how much the painstaking words of our Constitution came to be and why. The very last meeting of the Constitutional Congress was held on September 17, 1787. The Constitution was signed on this day. After it went to the states for a vote the Constitution went into official effect on March 4, 1789. It is hoped that our American Constitution will not be re-written or revised in any way, only honored and understood better to help America stand firm and proud, united.
September 26: Johnny Appleseed Day. While gardens are being put to bed for the long winter months, today is a great day to visit an apple orchard near you and appreciate the bounty of nature. And of course, this means Apple Pie season has begun. Yummy!
Now let’s get down to it shall we? Here are your top 5 To-do items for September, should you choose to accept this mission.
Item #1: Patio, deck, backyard furniture. It seems that Mother Nature is definitely going through some kind of transition. I feel like the seasons are a bit off for the past few years. If you experience this as well where you live, then this organizing item might be best as a transition rather than a solid put away item. At my house I get my outdoor furniture ready for winter by transitioning from summer to fall instead of directly to winter. My son built a firepit in a corner of our yard so in the fall I move some of the outdoor chairs and tables to the fire pit area, so we can sit outside in the cool air at night and enjoy the smells of winter approaching. I add blankets and a cooler for snacks and munchies and beverages. The next step these outdoor items will take will be just after the first frost. I will put them all away and get the yard cleaned up for good until the nice weather comes around again. For decorating your fire pit area here are a few suggestions and for winter storage ideas for your outdoor furniture this site might be of help. Please share with us if you have any ideas that work for you. And as always send photos.
Item #2: The front of our house is southern facing. Therefore, very little to no mold grows on the vinyl siding because the sun kills it. The back of the house however is a completely ugly story. Before the first frost and now that the furniture is put away, this would be a great time to power-wash the siding. What a difference it makes when the dirt, mold and grime is removed. Click here to get tips on how to power wash your vinyl siding.
Item #3: Turning to the inside of our homes now, let’s talk about carpet cleaning. I’m talking scrubbing, washing, deep cleaning those carpets from the sand and dirt of the summer. If this is too daunting of a task it might be beneficial to have a professional come in and do what they do best. Scheduling them now for late fall is a good idea since you can bet you are not the only house that needs clean carpets heading into a closed house for the winter.
Item #4: This is the time of year my husband goes around the house changing ALL of the vent filters from the floor and ceiling vents, including the heat/air conditioning units as well as humidifiers. The first time he showed me what the filters looked like after only 6 months I couldn’t believe that much dirt, dust collected. The filter went from white to black in no time. Yuck! I started adding fresh scented dryer sheets to the filter pads and the house has a subtle fresh smell now. While you are at it, why not check the filters in your vehicles and your dryer vent for lint. For those who suffer from air allergies this site might be of help.
Item #5: Take inventory of baking supplies. Do you have the cookie cutters you will need? Are your cutting boards clean and fresh or do they need replacing? Are your accessories up to date like sprinkles, sanding sugar, clear gift bags, twist ties, storage containers? These last 4 months of the year are a whirlwind of baking and gift giving. If you are looking for ideas to help with making baking easier and fun click here.
Looking for some extra to-do’s because you have that kind of time and energy? Here you go:
*Turn mattresses around, front to back to equalize wear. It really does make a big difference and helps add life to your mattress.
*Clean tracks at all doorways and windows so that the doors and windows will seal better to help keep the cold air out.
*Drain and store garden hoses.
*Have chimneys inspected and cleaned if necessary. Collect some wood now and let the logs dry in your fireplace so it will be ready to go when you want that first fire on a cold wintry night.
“It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.”
― Sarah Addison Allen, First Frost
Good Luck! Please share your end of summer stories with us!
Call to Action
In what ways is the end of summer easy and/or hard?
What are some of your end of summer traditions?
What do you look forward to most about the fall?
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