After such a scorching hot summer — we even hit 80 for a few days here in Seattle — you're probably looking forward to fall by now. The official date for fall's arrival is September 23, which gives you a little time to mull over some autumn organizing tips from Martha Stewart. As a SoCal native who's relatively new to seasons, I found a few of these ideas especially helpful.

Click through to Martha Stewart to see all 20 tips, but these are a few of my favorites:

• Transform metal mailboxes into magnetic entryway storage. The magazine hooks hold coats, mittens get stashed inside the boxes, and magnets keep notes and lists in easy view. (We recently featured a similar idea that uses paint cans for storage.)

• Tie a carpenter's belt around your wheelbarrow for easy-access storage of garden tools.

• Instead of stashing your gorgeous garden planters in the garage all summer, make them do double duty as kindling keepers.

• Oh, how I wish I'd had a color-coded utility chart like this on hand last winter when the pipes burst in the house we'd just bought and all we could do was shrug when the fire department asked us about the shutoff. So embarrassing. I now know where everything is, but my petsitter doesn't.

• Bulbs and tubers pretty much look the same when you dig them up before winter. A quick jot of permanent marker will remind you come spring.

Be sure to check out the rest of Martha's organizing tips. Get your house in shape now so you can focus on cozy sweaters and steamy apple cider come fall!

Images: Martha Stewart