Why Bobby Berk Says Fall Cleaning Is Totally Underrated

The spring season is synonymous with cleaning—the holidays are over, we're emerging from winter hibernation, and the longer days inspire us to start getting our homes back into shape.

But for Bobby Berk, there's actually a different season he thinks is totally underrated for cleaning and organizing: fall.

"Spring cleaning—everything's wet, everything's rainy—in the fall, you can actually open up your garage," he tells The Spruce. "It's just a really great way to organize, and in the fall is when you're going through everything to get out your holiday decor, so it's a really good time to go through your stuff and see what you have."

Fall is also when our routines start to kick back in after summer and kids go back to school, so fall cleaning might be a good way to make our lives easier—something Berk knows a lot about.

He just teamed up with Amazon for their "Smartify It Yourself" campaign, which hopes to educate people about smart home tech and just how easy it can be to incorporate it into your everyday life.

We spoke with Berk to learn his favorite ways to use home tech, and to find out which fall home trends he's looking forward to.

Smart Home Tech Is More Accessible Than Ever

Berk is an avid DIYer and has been a fan of smart home tech since it first came on the scene—"I had smart bulbs back when bulbs were invented," he jokes.

In the early days, people thought smart home tech was complicated and perhaps didn't feel it was for them. Berk says nowadays, it's easier than ever, and there are so many useful applications for it, from the attic to the garage to even your HVAC system.

"There literally isn't a room that you can't smart-ify," he says.

But if you're completely new to it, he suggests starting simple by finding ways it can add to and improve your everyday routine.

"I plug my coffee maker into my Alexa (and lights as well), so when I get up in the morning I say 'Rise and design' and it starts brewing my coffee," Berk says.

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Berk's Other Favorite Fall Trend: Lighting

With the days starting to get shorter, Berk has one essential "trend" for people to try out this upcoming season: lighting.

"I think the fall trend is making sure you're adjusting your lighting properly," he says. "We need more bright, energizing light in the early evening, so that way we're not falling asleep so early. But bringing it down to that lower level about an hour before it's time to go to bed is super important as well."

He says he's not a big fan of decor trends—in fact, he's not a big fan of fall decor or holiday decor either.

Instead, Berk prefers to recommend that people surround themselves at home with the things that make you happy, even if that's decorating for the holidays a little bit too early.

"If it makes you happy, do it," he says. "[But] find that happy medium where you're still getting to do what you love, but also thinking about the people that live around you."