Donates Ideas, Tips & Guides

Brie Williams

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As you prepare your garden for autumn and winter, you may come across some tree seedlings, especially sycamore, ash, and oak, sprouting in your borders. Rather than letting these young trees end up in the compost heap, consider giving them a new lease on life by participating in the GardenAdvice Young Gardeners Tree Project as a tree donor..

The days are getting shorter and temperatures are dropping—which means the end of summer is in sight. As vacations come to a close and kids head back to school, it’s helpful to get prepared for this season of transition. One way to do so? A good, deep clean.

You don’t have to wait until spring cleaning to organize your garage. In fact, it’s best to do this work in the fall, experts say. This is because you’ll want the necessary fall gear and tools close at hand before the autumn leaves start to pile up.

A backyard shed is often used by homeowners to store any lawn or garden items or it's used as extra storage for items that no longer fit inside the house. Although it may be easy to throw any spare items into the shed, it also isn’t the right place for everything.

If items tend to sit in a corner of your home collecting dust for weeks or months at a time, it’s time to clear the clutter—for good.

Your dorm should be your home away from home, but it can be hard to imagine that when stepping into the empty space for the first time.

If you've always been curious about secondhand shopping and are wondering how to make the most of your first trip to the thrift store, keep reading.

The thought of a professional organizer entering your home may send you into a cleaning frenzy. Even if you’re naturally tidy, piles of items can easily stack up, whether due to a lack of storage or a lack of a system.

When it comes to cleaning and organizing methods, I find the ones I use the most are the ones that give some loose structure to get you started, but then easily segue into a bigger cleaning and organizing session.

Cottagecore took hold of the internet for its dreamy, farm-life aesthetic. Romanticized images of frolicking through gardens, growing veggies at home, and baking pies from freshly foraged berries proliferated social media feeds. However, there are some people who go beyond the aesthetic and actually live the lore. Enter: urban homesteading.

Decluttering your space is simple in theory: just sell, donate, or discard/recycle anything you don’t use or need anymore. But it's the practice of that simple theory that can be hard. 

Out of all the rooms in a home, a kitchen can be one of the hardest to declutter. Since kitchens are the hubs of most homes, it’s easy for clutter to accumulate over time.

As we continue to declutter our closets, wardrobes, and dressers in favor of swapping out our winter wear, you've likely come across your fair share of garments you no longer need.

Whether you're on a personal mission to curtail the use of plastic bags or you happen to live in one of the handful of states that have enforced bans on them, chances are you might still have a few floating around your house.

As we all know, decluttering is an integral part of cleaning, so much so that it’s usually the first step. While there are plenty of ways you can tackle this job (and there are a few rules to follow), the basics are the same: get rid of anything you don’t need, use, or want. 

Keeping your entire home tidy can seem daunting with families, pets, and even just daily messes that pop up. That’s why having an organizing strategy you can replicate for each room is critical.

For some, spring cleaning is a satisfying ritual that freshens up a home, making it feel lighter and more organized. But for others, it can be intimidating and time-consuming.

While we always welcome the chance to deep clean and declutter our homes each spring, we also could use a refresher on how best to approach a huge, home overhaul.

Now that we’re firmly planted in March, it feels safe to say it out loud: spring is practically here. Along with bluer skies and brighter days, it also brings the perfect time of year for cleaning and organizing.

Join us on Tuesday 9th July 2024for an exclusive tour of Highgrove Gardens, the private home of TRH King Charles III and The Queen Consort, followed by a Prosecco and canapés reception, a seasonal three-course lunch and a talk by BBC Gardeners’ World host, Alan Titchmarsh.

When it comes to home organizing, there are a lot of common misconceptions floating around. We spoke with pro organizers and asked them to debunk some of the main myths that we often hear when it comes to decluttering, and you may be surprised at what they share below.

I'm not doing major goals or wild resolutions this year. Come February, they'll just be a laughable distant memory. Instead, my focus for the next 365 days and beyond is creating a sense of peace and serenity in my home.

If you're one of the many people who use the start of a new year to take on a house-wide clean out, you may be wondering which categories you should think about tackling first.

Micro-decluttering, or the art of sorting through clutter in your home in 10 or 15 minute increments, has become quite popular in recent years, and for good reason.

While the holiday season can be a time of excess, once the season has ended, it's a great time to declutter. Whether you’re making space to store holiday decor or eager to do a full clean-out once the festivities close, it’s a time to make your home feel cozy and comfortable. 

Even for the most organized, attempting to declutter our homes isn't always something we look forward to. While we may feel at ease having cleared surfaces and polished presentation, decluttering isn't everyone's strong suit.

My name is Darlene O’Neil. I live in a small village in Moravia, New York. I had volunteered and donated my time with the VFW Auxiliary for years. This kept me busy year-round, and I would squeeze time in for everything else. I finally decided I needed to step away and spend more time with family, friends, and my home, but first I needed to focus on me. I’d forgotten how important it was to do that. How do I heal?

DANVILLE, ILLINOIS — An elementary school was razed to the ground In 2006. The school was 92 years old and named after Stephen Douglas who debated Lincoln in the adjacent city park in 1858. Many Vermilion County Master Gardeners are retired teachers who wanted to maintain the site as an educational venue. Partnering with the city of Danville and local organizations, these ambitious Master Gardener/teachers formed a committee and created a community garden. Now the old school is fondly commemorated in the garden with a permanent plaque.

Cleveland, Ohio — Way back in 1904, a 5-acre community gardening program was built in Cleveland Ohio’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood. In 1922, the neighboring Ben Franklin Elementary School began to offer elementary-age students an education in growing food as well as the science involved in gardening. Unfortunately, in 1977 the school program was canceled. It was not revived until the 1990s when Ohio State University’s Extension agency, through their Master Gardener Program, resurrected the garden and renovated the old garden classroom. Over time, the Master Gardeners created and refined a complete 4th grade gardening curriculum.

The Home Edit seems to be able to make any space look good. A box of cords, reno tools, the pet supplies—it's clean, organized, and often color coded in the shades of the rainbow.