It’s the end of the first week after the summer holidays, the weather is changing and thoughts turn to the last quarter of the year. It’s a good time to clear away the summer clutter and make room for your final goals of 2019. But it can be hard to know where to start so let’s think about how you can create more space in your home and your life with these 6 steps to your post-summer declutter.
You could sweep around your home, reviewing each room and removing the things that you no longer need but this can feel too overwhelming so try these 6 steps to work your way through your summer clutter systematically. Focusing on the items that you typically use during the summer means that you’ve recently used them (or not) so it will be easy to make decisions and you won’t miss them during the autumn and winter months. Work through these steps, tackling the bulkiest and easiest categories first to create lots more space for you and your household.
Why is now a good time to declutter?
Now is the perfect time to declutter! You've had a busy summer, spent lots of time outdoors, spent time with the family and less time in your home. You may have been away and accumulated lots of new things along the way. It's a great opportunity to review your things when you've recently used them. The weather is still fine (most of the time) so you have outside space if you need it. The light is still quite good and you still have some energy in the evenings. Make the most of it!
Where should I start?
Good question! I'd start with the bulkiest items or the room you use the most. Dealing with the things that take up the most space, or that are taking up space where you want to live, relax or sleep, that are well worth the effort and will make you feel motivated to keep going!
How can I make decisions/what should I ask myself?
Some things are really easy to make decisions on, some not so easy.
I'd suggest you look at the item and ask yourself....
- Have I used it this summer? Or do I know I will next summer (e.g. you have a Scuba holiday planned for next year)
- Am I likely to need it in the foreseeable future?
- Does the ease/cost of replacing it when I next need it, out-way the inconvenience of storing it in my home?
- Could I borrow it from a friend of relative next time I want one, rather than storing this?
Try these six steps...
Now we've tackled those questions, lets get started. These steps are easy to crack on with and will help you clear out the summer clutter. Who know's you may even catch the decluttering bug and tackle some of those other projects too!
- Start with seasonal items that you are no longer going to use. Clean, review and pack away your camping gear, sports equipment (such as scuba). Pack away suitcases, pop plug converters, wash bags, smaller travel bags inside the suitcase ready for your next trip
- Now move onto items that you’ve used over the summer and think about what you’ve not found useful. We tend to have more picnics over the summer so you’ve got a feeling for the containers that you’ve used and those that have not been used very much at all. Sort through lunch boxes, food containers, drinks flasks, and travel mugs, pass on any that you didn’t use this summer and don’t foresee using in future
- Review towels and bedlinen, donate any that are worn out or haven’t been used. Keep only enough for your household, allowing for wash cycles, and the maximum number of guests you are likely to have at one time
- Look through your summer wardrobe; shorts, t-shirts and swimwear, donate anything that you didn’t wear this summer. You may still wear some summer clothing over the coming weeks, but have a think about how you wish to store these clothes when you are finished with them. You might move them areas that are more awkward to access (high shelves or lower drawers) until next summer
- Review your summer shoes, sandals, trainers and donate any that you’ve not worn, dispose of any that are damaged
- Pass on or donate those summer reads and any books that your children have grown out of. Take the opportunity to review the shelves in your living space to simplify the visual landscape too.
These first steps are a great way to clear your space and freshen up your home for the autumn months. Good luck!
