Things to declutter this fall to get your house ready for winter and the festive season.
Fall is a great time to tackle decluttering, even better than spring under many respects.
If you have kids in school, fall marks a new beginning and you are bound to feel motivated to get rid of the old, get on with the new and start on the best foot possible.
Even without kids, it is easy to see this time as an opportunity for a new start: as trees shed leaves and get ready to cocoon for the winter, you may feel you want to do just the same and get your home as organized, welcoming and safe as possible for the long cold months.
Decluttering can be satisfying but also overwhelming so today we are looking at what to prioritize this season so you can have a house that is perfect for you and for holiday visitors!
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1. Clothes and wardrobes
Wardrobes and clothes are a natural starting point for your fall decluttering efforts as they match an immediate need: that to dress for a changing temperature and/or get your children appropriately dressed for school
When tacking fall decluttering, you don’t need to go all Marie Kondo and take out every piece of clothing you have ever owned (that is a great way but can get very overwhelming very fast) and you can simply start from what you currently have on hangers, drawers and shelves.
Have a look at the summer clothing you had available for the summer just gone: which ones did you use? Which ones did you never even consider and which ones were great but are now too ruined to be worn again?
Make three piles and ask yourself:
Those you wore: are they clean and in good conditions? Great, they can go in again or be put in a box for next season
Those you didn’t even consider wearing: why did you not wear these? Do they not suit you, not fit or maybe they are simply not to your taste? Then consider donating them or sell them online
Those that are ruined: we all have a dress we adore but is simply no longer in good shape.
Keeping it for the memories can be tempting but maybe there are better ways: if you can fix it, great! If you can’t, maybe you have a nice picture of you in that dress, that can work as keepsake? Or maybe you can find a similar dress again and replace it?
Something super special you may want to keep no matter what and that’s ok but chances are not all that is ruined in your wardrobe is worth the space they take.
You can find our fall wardrobe decluttering guide here.
2. Linen closet and bedding
Bedding may not be as visible as the clothes you wear every day but a messy linen closet can be a colossal waste of space and poorly kept linens and towels are also a potential source of stress if you happen to have guests, expected or, worse, unexpected!
The easiest way to declutter a linen closet it to take everything out and check each sheet for tears and stains. Be ruthless and deep clean or toss anything that you would not want a guest to use: that is good for them but also a great way to up the standard for yourself too.
After you have decided what to keep and what needs to go, check if you have all you need and what you may need to buy.
When buying linens, consider replacing fitted sheets with flat ones and consider going for white: white sheets are easier to clean (hello, bleach!) and flat sheets are also much easier to iron and store.
You can also have some fun learning how to make your bed like a hotel: the cherry on top of your decluttering effort!
3. Towels and guest towels
Towels are also a great thing to declutter at the start of the fall.
Start from those that came to the beach or the pool with you and check their state: are they in good conditions, clean, fluffy?
Then do the same for everyday towels and towels for guests.
Check for tears and texture and toss aside anything that seems rough but don’t throw them out yet!
First, try our tips to get fluffy towels and see if you can salvage what you have. You may be surprised to see you don’t need to buy new ones after all!
If you find yourself in need of new guest towels, take a moment to evaluate what you need them for: is this for the occasional overnight guest or do you have a busy house, for instance over the holidays?
Depending on your style, you may prefer to opt for disposable guest towels instead and your old guest towel can be reused as everyday ones.
4. Freezer and pantry
You may find yourself decluttering your fridge often but can you say the same about your freezer and pantry?
These storage areas are meant for longer-term storage so it is normal to have some build-up of food and cans, however, occasionally even preserved and dry food expires to it is important to stay on top of it.
I love to declutter my pantry in the fall: it is a great way to make space for foods for the winter and a great opportunity to make a list of what you have, what you don’t and what you usually buy but never use!
I love to make this list and then pin it to the pantry door – you can even get a pen and tick stuff off as you use it so you never run out of essentials and never buy unnecessary items.
5. School supplies
Fall is the natural time for clearing out old school and office supplies too and it is incredible how much space this apparently simple exercise can free up!
School and office supplies tend to spread around the house in pencil cases, boxes and drawers: take the time to go through all these spaces, gather all you can and check each item.
Make sure that the pens work, the pencils can be sharpened, sticky notes are still sticky and so on. Then find a home for them (a large box can do) and toss unceremoniously all that simply doesn’t do the job. Schoolwork and office work will feel so much better with the right gear and tidy surfaces!
Heading into distance learning this year? Here are our suggested school and tech items to make your new school year easier.
We know the mere mention of decluttering can leave us feeling overwhelmed, but even these five small steps will take you a long way towards having a more organized home.
