The start of the school year often means more than backpacks, books and pencils cluttering mudrooms and kitchen counters. Fall sports are back, too, and with them stinky jerseys in the laundry room and mud-clogged cleats in the garage.

There are simple ways to mitigate the stench and the dirt that come with active teens, says Good Housekeeping contributing editor Heloise, who has written several home and lifestyle advice books and the Hints From Heloise syndicated column. We asked her what she’s learnt from years of answering readers’ cleaning and organising questions.

“It just takes a little extra effort, along with some tricks,” Heloise said. Here are some of her tips.