Summer Decluttering Checklist
Summer is the time to let go of all that extra clutter that has built up during the school year. The kids are available to be extra helping hands while you bag up and donate items that you no longer need or use in your home. Declutter these items to be ready for summer fun!
Your decluttering plan
Start your Summer decluttering by setting goals and deadlines for your work. Establish which areas you will work on, when you will work, and when you want to be finished with decluttering. Having specific assignments with dates helps you stay on track and keep you accountable for editing and letting go. Start small with small spaces to declutter and small amounts of time like 30 minutes. You will keep moving forward without being overwhelmed. A simple system for sorting is to use clear garbage bags to move stuff to your car. Having a drop-off routine keeps your decluttering moving forward.
What to declutter
If the item is “good”, it can be donated. Items can be swapped online through neighborhood online groups. Define how many you want of certain items. Find a “home” to store the items for easy access and keep that category together in one spot.
Kids:
- Swim toys, suits, and goggles
- Kids outgrown clothes
- Books for younger kids
- Outgrown toys
Home:
- Food from the pantry
- Old magazines and school books
- Patio, lawn, and garden equipment
- Plants
- Nightstands
- Technology and extra cords
Personal:
- Personal care and makeup, including sunscreen and bug spray
- Hair accessories
- Sunglasses
- Summer hats and baseball caps
- Swimwear and cover-ups
- Travel gear and travel toiletries
Decluttering the hard stuff
Paper is the hardest stuff to declutter. Do your paper work when you are high energy!
- Backpacks and school work that come home at the end of the school year.
- Review your kids’ schoolwork and art projects together.
- Together keep the best work and create a photo art book or add this to an archival bin for the year.
- Mail and incoming papers
- Recycle or shred advertisements
- Set aside payments and action items
Getting started is the hardest part of decluttering. Put on an energizing playlist, grab bags for donation and get going.
To help you avoid the pitfalls of organizing, check out my ideas and those of my colleagues here.
Going through that backpack is definitely “a thing.” We are still in school for a couple more weeks up here, but I remember that this was a project. It often comes home with all the work from the year, in addition to the normal contents. You will be so happy come next fall not to have this hanging over you!
Each season is an excellent time to reset, edit, declutter, and organize. Summer is generally less hectic, so it provides more time to work on organizing projects.
@Linda – so true! A little less hectic and a little more organized as a result!
Yes it is a “thing” and so overwhelming! Think how good it will feel to close out the school year this way!