Strat decluttering for the holidays by removing trash and organizing items into different piles that you’ll keep, donate and toss out. Whatever you intend to keep, find a specific place for it, and if you buy something, get rid of an item that’s taking up space. Start small, go room-by-room, and don’t try to declutter all at once—doing so can get overwhelming.

A small amount of diluted bleach is okay to pour down a garbage disposal. As part of your weekly garbage disposal maintenance, use 1 teaspoon of bleach with your concoction of ice cubes and lemon peels. Turn on the disposal and run the water until the blades chop up the ice cubes.

Any more bleach in your disposal can harden oils and greases in your drain, which can cause problems. Always wear gloves when working with bleach, and know that you really don’t need bleach at all—vinegar, baking soda, salt, and ice should do the trick.

Whether you’re a renter or a buyer, you should clean a house when moving out. For renters, it’s usually written in the lease that a house must be cleaned before it’s vacated. If you’re unsure how thoroughly to clean the place, check with the landlord beforehand; otherwise, you may not receive your deposit back. When selling a house, a contractual agreement is often made with the realtor that the house is swept and that all personal belongings are removed before the previous owners move out.

Typically, professional organizers do not provide cleaning services like vacuuming or dusting. Their primary role is to declutter your home by rearranging items, maximizing storage space, and helping you decide what to discard. However, some larger companies that offer professional organizing may also provide home cleaning services, and hiring a company for both can be more economical. Hiring an organizer is a helpful way to reset and tidy your house, making it easier to stay on top of cleaning in the future. You can also hire a local cleaner to come in after the organizing is complete.