The great summer cleanout

Summer is the perfect time to tackle those long overdue, and often postponed, downsizing projects around the house.

By taking advantage of the warm temperature and the availability of summer help (tap into students who are on vacation from school), quick work can be made of numerous projects.

Before diving into the summer cleanout, consider your goals and keep them realistic and manageable; don’t bite off more than you can chew. Stay focused. Work in one specific area at a time, and avoid ping-ponging to other areas. This will only serve to minimize your success of completing the project. Give yourself time to make good decisions, and take breaks along the way to regain the focus.

The primary goal could be to clean out the garage or shed, with the intent of eliminating as many of the contents that are no longer needed, wanted or liked. Leave the attic for the days when the temperatures are much cooler. Once you have decided on which items you can live without, the next major decision is what to do with them. Here are some suggestions.

Donate Used Items

Donating slightly used articles to a thrift shop is a good starting point. Thankfully there are many in the area from which to choose. Place these items in bags or boxes and deliver them to the store or if you have larger, bulky items, like furniture, call the thrift shop and schedule a free pickup. Don’t forget to ask for a donation receipt that could be used as a charitable tax deduction.

Collect Household Hazardous Waste

Montgomery County participates in a fivecounty Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program that enables residents to have hazardous materials (HazMat) properly recycled free of charge.

“Household products containing toxic chemicals, like pesticides, oilbased paints, solvents, cleaning products, weed killers and automotive batteries can be a threat to people and the environment if improperly discarded. Never throw these materials into the trash, as the toxic chemicals may harm sanitation workers, or result in fires in collection vehicles. It is also not safe to pour them into a sink or storm drain as they can end up in the environment polluting the air, water, or soil,” according to the Bucks County Recycling website.

For more information about upcoming collections events and for a list of acceptable materials, visit: montcopa.org/706/ Household-HazardousWaste-Collection-Pro.

Shred Old Documents

As you sort through your contents, you may discover dusty boxes of old bank and investment statements, cancelled checks and tax returns that date back to the previous century. While it certainly is prudent to retain selected documents, others should be properly discarded.

For more guidance on records retention, visit senior-transition-services. com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/record-retention-checklists.pdf.

Discard Old Refrigerators and Freezers

If you want to free up some valuable space taken up by a working refrigerator or freezer in your garage or basement that is over 10 years old, PECO can help. By calling 1-888573-2672, you can schedule free removal and recycling and best of all, receive a $75 rebate.

For more information, visit peco.com/recycling.

Now it’s time to recruit the troops to help you, gather up the boxes and bags, keep a supply of cool beverages handy and dive into your downsizing project. May you complete your cleanout project quickly so you still have time for the beach, mountains or hammock in the backyard.