PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- It's the holiday season and with so many people staying home from work and school this week, preventing boredom can be a challenge.
Not to mention, when it's this cold out, who wants to go outside?
Portland's Dawna Hall says the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is a great time to stay inside and de-clutter your space.
Since 2009 her business Organize ME! has been helping overwhelmed homeowners clear clutter and simplify their lives.
She says the first step is sorting, purging, and categorizing your stuff.
One fun tip that I do myself is I'll take all the kitchen gadgets and throw them in a box with a date and as the year progresses I will take out things that I need and put them back in my drawer as I use them. At the end of the year, everything that didn't make the cut back into my drawer, is out of there.
Hall says another area to tackle in your home this week is a closet. Any closet.
From your bedroom closet, to the coat closet, or the linen closet, there's a way to look at every item and decide if you should keep it, donate it, or throw it away.
In her bedroom closet, for example, Hall displays her clothing with the hangers facing backwards. As she grabs articles of clothing to wear, she replaces them facing forward. At the end of the year, if there's an article on a hanger that's still facing backwards, she gets rid of it.
By the way, her closet is organized by color and by sleeve-length. Moving right to left you'll see a progression of sleeveless tops and dresses to long-sleeve items.
She also organizes folded shirts in her dresser by color. She files them away, like paperwork, instead of folding one on top of the other.
It's easier to file, because then you can see them all.
As for an overflowing linen closet?
Get rid of the old towels and sheets that have probably seen better days. Animal shelters could use those.
Hall will help clients who live within a thirty mile radius of Portland. For more information, visit her website.