Whether it's in the garage, attic, basement or spare room, junk tends to pile up, however, with a plan, it's easy to take care of that mess.

BY KATHRYN CATES MOORE / Lincoln Journal Star

Go ahead.

Open the garage door and face it.

Go upstairs to the attic during the light of day.

Venture down to the basement, all the way back to the place where you store your empty boxes, in the furnace room.

It’s officially spring and, while some people feel the need to open up the windows and wash every one of them, others want to get rid of the mess they keep behind closed doors.

Professional organizer Deneice Schofield calls those rooms “stashing points.”

The garage, the basement, the attic are mostly out of sight, but not necessarily out of mind, she said in a phone interview from her Iowa home.

These places were created for storage, she admits. “They are out of sight for a reason,” she said. “It is a quick way to get rid of something.”

But sometimes the idea of a giant mess hidden away can get to you, Schofield said. “It’s eating at you.”

Organizing, according to Schofield is both a physical and mental cleansing.

She has a plan.

Don’t just walk into the space and randomly start tossing things, she said.

First, make a list of spots that will get your attention during this clean up. Don’t list items, just places, like the holiday closet in the basement or the back of the garage.

“Getting it down on paper will take away some of the mental nagging,” she said.

Then set aside a specific amount of time and work the entire time on that task.

“You won’t finish it,” Schofield said. “So plan on several of these blocks of time.

“Walk into the room and start on the right-hand side. Work around the space in a circle.”

Set out four cartons (or bags or containers) and specify one for “Keep and Use,” another for “Trash,” still another for “Garage Sale or Recycling” and a final one for “Can’t Decide.”

Fill the boxes rather quickly, she said. “Don’t languish over your decisions.”

When you finish your block of time, take care of the boxes. If it is in the “Keep and Use” box, it may need to be moved to a more accessible spot in the house.

If you are recycling, do it then. Make a trip to the thrift store or the scrap metal recycler.

Instead of worrying about the “Can’t Decide” box, Schofield suggests removing anything of real value, such as jewelry, and closing it up. “If you don’t use anything in it for one year, toss it — without reopening it.”

Once you have done your sorting, you can actually begin to organize.

Clear the area first, remembering that this process is messy. But hopefully it’s only a temporary mess.

Schofield has a very small storage area. She boxes items, then numbers them and keeps a list of the inventory on the wall. “That way I don’t have to write on the box,” she said.

Organized homeowners who prefer clear plastic tubs like the ability to see what’s inside.

Categorizing helps at this point, she said. In a garage, for instance, put all of the car-cleaning tools in one area. Lawn care maintenance goes in another.

Cleaning is a good thing at this point. Schofield recommends Tidepowder detergent for garage floors. Dampen the floor, sprinkle with Tide and use a broom to brush it in, then rinse.

Finally, put things back in their new, clean places.

“It’s such a relief to get rid of the stuff,” she said of the process.

So go ahead.

Open the garage door.

Go upstairs to the attic.

Venture to the very back of the basement.

And dig in.

Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 473-7214 or kmoore@journalstar.com.

If you go

Organization guru Deneice Schofield will tell Lincoln audiences how to “Get Organized” on April 18. Schofield, who has written four books on organizing, will appear at the Quality Suites, 216 N. 48th St. Lectures are scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon and 7  to 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door.

Clean up your neighborhood

Here are the dates and contact people for local neighborhood cleanups.

Antelope Park, May 20, Dennis Restau, 476-6841

Arnold Heights, April 29, Jeff Schwebke, 470-3384

Clinton, April 29, Maurice Baker, 464-1864

East Campus, April 22, Richard Schroeder, 466-1643

Everett, April 22, Pat Anderson-Sifuentez, 434-5940

40th and A, April 22, Willis Scofield, 770-8281

Hartley, April 22, Don Eveland, 560-8512

Irvingdale, May 20, Mary Rachael, 477-3927

Near South, April 29, William Carver, 477-8325

South Salt Creek, April 29, Gary Irvin, 476-0706

University Place, May 6, Lois Haupt, 464-7650

West A, April 22, Deb Vocasek, 438-1903

Witherbee, May 6, Rick Bagby, 488-8567

Yankee Hill, May 6, Dirk Johnson, 420-2552

Household hazardous waste collection

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department has scheduled the first of six household hazardous waste collections for Saturday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the State Fair Park’s 4-H Youth Complex.

The other five collections are scheduled through Oct. 14 at several different locations in the city and county. Dates and times are scheduled as follows:

May 20: Pfizer Inc., 601 W. Cornhusker Hwy,  9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

June 9: Malcolm Fire Station, Malcolm, 3- 7 p.m.

June 10: Nebraska Wesleyan University, 56th Street and Huntington Avenue, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Sept. 9: Goodyear Tire & Rubber, 4021 N. 56th St., 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Oct. 14: State Fair Park, 4-H Youth Complex, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Items accepted include: turpentine, paint thinners, stains, polishes and waxes, oil-based paints, pool cleaning chemicals, flea and tick powders, rodent poison, charcoal starter fluids, mixed or old gasoline and items containing mercury including thermometers, upholstery cleaners, grease removers and brake and power steering fluids.

Items that can be recycled locally and will not be accepted at the collection include: latex paint, motor oil, gas grill cylinders, electronics, computers and lead-acid, button, mercury and lithium batteries. Wastes from businesses will not be accepted.

 For recycling information, advice on how to dispose of other items that are not accepted such as medicines, fertilizers, explosives and ammunition, or for other information on the use and disposal of hazardous products, contact the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department at 441-8021 or log on to www.lincoln.ne.gov (search using the keyword “households”) or www.ci.lincoln.ne.us/city/health/environ/pollu.