With the kids heading back to school and the holidays sneaking around the corner, the remnants of summer fun are likely still scattered throughout your home. Fall just might be the most important time to give things a deep clean and get your home organized. Follow these three steps to prepare your entire home for the new season and the joys fall brings!

Step 1: Say Goodbye to Summer

Summer was full of fun—and messes. From summer toys and vacation essentials to outdoor equipment and warm-weather textiles it is time to clean up and stow away. Gather up everything you won’t be needing until next year and get your home reorganized. Let’s get started:

• Sort: We like to start by working through the largest rooms of the house first so you don’t get overwhelmed by bigger projects later on. Simply walk through each room and gather up all the items you’d like to store during the fall and winter. Place them in a basket or bin or on a clean counter or bed to keep things organized. Work your way through the rest of the home, bringing all the items back to your designated spot.

• Clean: Once you have everything sorted, it’s time to get cleaning. Scoop up all washable items first to get a head start on laundry while you continue this process. Next, get all your cleaning supplies ready. Grab your GO by greenshield organic™ Multi-Surface Wipes and Cleaner to give everything that isn’t otherwise washable a thorough wipe down. Tackle bigger projects like cleaning the grill, outdoor patio and furniture once all the smaller items have been stowed away.

• Stow: We love bins. They are easy to label, good at protecting items from dirt and water, and can be easily stacked for mess-free storage. Be sure to label each bin with necessary information so that items can be easily found when needed. Invest in larger bins for bigger items and neatly stack anything that can’t fit in the same area. Check out these creative storage hacks from HGTV for all those miscellaneous items.

Step 2: Say Hello to Back to School

For those of us with children, the fall season means the kids are entering a new grade and another year full of new curriculum, hobbies and wardrobe essentials. Now is a great time to get your children’s belongings cleaned and organized for a less-stress school year. Here’s how:

• Sort: Again going room-to-room, you’ll want to take up any out-of-place items and bring them back to the kids rooms. From here you can begin by placing away items in their rightful homes, and bagging up items that are no longer wanted or needed. It’s a great time to sort through old clothes, toys and school equipment to clear clutter and create a list of anything you may be missing. Before you trash anything offer items to local donation centers which may be in need of children’s clothing, toys and back-to-school supplies.

• Organize: Once you have cleared out unwanted items you can begin organizing closets, desks, bookshelves and your kitchen for those rushed weekday mornings. Make it easy to stay organized with labeled baskets, coat hooks and cabinet space so the kids can find everything just when they need it.

• Clean: Next, take up any items that need cleaning so that everything is fresh and ready to use. Go the extra mile by equipping your car and the kids backpacks with GO by greenshield organic™ Surface Wipes. If your kids are heading off to college this year you’ll still want to go through these same steps, keeping everything that needs to stay behind in one space, and packing up needed items for the year ahead.

Step 3: Get Ready for the Holidays

With the holidays around the corner, now is a good time to give your home a deep clean and make any necessary upgrades in preparation for future guests. Deep cleaning allows us to stay ahead of the mess, and get all the holiday decor ready for easy decorating. Let’s go!

• Clean: Now is the time to prepare guest rooms with fresh linens, supplies and a good presentation. From here tackle those overlooked chores to create a welcoming home. Start with the highest points in each room to avoid cleaning things twice. Dust off fan blades used during those hot summer months, replace lightbulbs and give your walls some TLC, then work your way down to clean up furniture and cabinets, steam clean the carpets, or mop and vacuum the floors. Moving through the home don’t forget to wipe away dust, scrub down high traffic areas like the fridge, toilets and bathtubs, and clean up baseboards and doors for a polished look.

• Organize: While cleaning you may find that certain areas are in need of some serious organization. Impress guests with highly organized pantries, closets and displays. Taking the time to make things neat and tidy gives the look of a cleaner home. Work your way across book shelves, glass cabinets, coat and linen closets and those spots guests may need to use to like sinks. This will make their stay as enjoyable as possible and keep you from that last-minute cleaning scramble.

• Eliminate: The holidays promise good food, memories, and… new gifts! If you haven’t done so already take a closer look throughout your home and consider eliminating items that are no longer in use. Once-loved toys, DVDs, decor, kitchen gadgets, linens and clothes make great charitable donations or yard-sale items to raise some extra cash for gifts. The organize and eliminate steps can also be used to inventory and organize all your holiday decor if you didn’t do so last year.