As summer sadly draws to a close, it’s time to gear up for fall. Fortunately, by focusing on a few key things to declutter before September starts, according to Horderly professional organizer Jamie Hord, you’ll be ready to go once the first leaves start to fall—without taking too much time away from enjoying those precious summer days.
Summer Clothes
Before you break out your sweaters and cozy-season clothes, take stock of what you wore and what you didn’t among your summer clothes, while it’s still fresh in your mind. Give away anything that hasn’t seen the light of day this summer. Anything that isn’t worth saving—such as a pilled and overstretched swimsuit—should be recycled or tossed.
And hey, while you’re at it, take a quick sort through your fall clothes as you bring them out of storage to see if there’s anything that doesn’t fit, doesn’t suit you, or otherwise shouldn’t make it back into your closet.
School Supplies
If you have kids, August is the time to sort through your school supplies and see what needs refreshing, what isn’t being used (that you might be able to donate to a school supply drive), and what’s ready to go. Compare it to your child’s school supply list, and you’ll be able to minimize the back-to-school purchases by “shopping” from your own house first.
Lunch Containers
After a little summer vacation, it’s time for back to school (and back to work). Go through your lunch container stash and get rid of anything that doesn’t have a matching lid, is cracked, or is otherwise unusable. (While you’re organizing, go ahead and make sure that your lunchboxes have been dusted off and freshly cleaned.)
Water Bottles
Odds are, you probably have a drawer or cabinet filled with water bottles—even if you stick to only a few. Go through your water bottle stash and remove anything that’s missing a cap, leaks, or isn’t one that you reach for regularly. Also, consider ditching any plastic water bottles that are not labeled BPA-free to minimize the risk of chemicals leaching into your water.
Home Workspaces
Make the shift back to school (or your work-from-home days) easier to bear by sifting through any paperwork and clutter that’s accumulated, so you have a perfectly peaceful spot to get the work (or the homework) done.
Halloween Stuff
The spooky season is right around the corner—and Hord said you should get ready, stat.
