Summer is approaching and that means more time for fun. Whether you have children or not, summer is a great opportunity to prepare your home for outdoor BBQs, fun in the sun, and overall enjoying the season. You may be wondering when the best time to organize your home for summer is or how to tackle the job in the first place. The good news is that you’ve landed on the ultimate summer guide to organizing and decluttering your home this summer.
As a professional organizer, I help families and individuals organize their homes for any part of life. Like any other season, I’ve created useful, practical tips to help you get ready for summer without creating more overwhelm in your day.
Summer is a time for fun; don’t let a cluttered or messy home ruin it for you. Use the tips below to create a smooth transition into one of the year’s busiest seasons. Learning how to organize your home for summer is a perfect skill to learn now and implement for years to come.
7 Ideas to Organize Your Home for Summer
Use this summer organization guide to help you get your home ready for summer. The following tips are based on seeing how they have helped families over the years and they will help you, too.
Review Your Summer Calendar
Coordinate your schedule first before you begin to organize your home for summer. If you see what you have going on during the warm months, this will help you know when the best time will be to organize and declutter your home. Take note of the last day of school, the first day of school for the new school year, when you will be away from home, or when you will have guests come over for a stay.
These dates are all important to know about ahead of time. This will help prevent any rushed cleaning up that you might do before those dates come up. In addition, you can coordinate a to-do list that allows you to clean and organize in a practical span of time versus facing the overwhelm of cramming things in when you’ve run out of time.
Store Items You Won’t Need
If you still have lingering winter items hanging around your home, now is the time to put those away. You won’t need them for the next few months. These items include sweaters and jackets, boots, holiday decor, heaters, fire logs, etc. Grab a bin or two to put all of your winter items in and store them safely in your home or in your garage.
The key to storing things is to organize them in a way that doesn’t add clutter to your home. In addition, you don’t want to hold onto items that you won’t use again next winter. Use storage space appropriately so that you don’t add more work for yourself in the future.
Clean Up Outside
When you organize your home for summer, don’t forget to clean up the outside area as well. This includes any garage space that you have. Throw out any broken items, sweep off your patio area, reposition any outdoor furniture area, etc. Outside space is just as important as your indoor space.
In addition, the garage is known as a place that collects clutter. Go through your garage and let go of any items you haven’t used in a while. This will open up space for your needs and will prevent you from adding more things to your home that you don’t need.
Create a Donation Area
Designate a space in your home for donation items. This will prevent you from creating separate piles throughout your home that end up feeling like clutter. If you have one space, it is easier to put things in that area for donation.
Consider putting a box by your front door for donation items. When the box is full, then you can take it to your local donation center. Make this a whole family project that kids can get involved with as well.
Clean Out the Fridge and Pantry
With kids home from school during the summer, the fridge and pantry are going to be packed with snacks and things for them to eat while they are home. Organize your home for the summer by cleaning out the fridge and pantry before adding more items to them. This will keep all items fresh and unexpired, meaning your kids can dig through as much as they want without the risk of eating spoiled or expired food items.
Declutter the Toys
Clean out your kids’ toys before bringing in the summer collection of toys. With the old toys out, bringing in new toys won’t become so cluttering when there is space for them. Toys become part of the clutter in no time at all.
Be purposeful with the toys that you keep in the home and make way for toys that serve a purpose instead of those small, happy meal toys that get lost under beds or shoved into couch cushions.
Incorporate a Summer Maintenance System
A maintenance system includes throwing out old welcome mats, changing out air filters, changing out batteries in smoke detectors, replacing garden hoses, and replacing other needed items in your home. This will help maximize your summer and keeps your home secure. Dedicate some time this summer to checking everything off of your summer maintenance system list.
Summer Home Organization Doesn’t Have to Be Overwhelming
If you can prepare ahead of time, you can organize your home for summer without inviting the overwhelm into your home. Write out your calendar, prepare a to-do list, and incorporate activities that others in your home can help you tackle. Summer is a time for fun, but it can also be a time for collecting too much clutter if you aren’t careful.
Enjoy the sun, water, and good food this summer knowing you have used this summer organization guide to maximize your home. Leave all of the trouble of clutters and messes out of your home when you plan ahead to organize your home for summer.
If you feel that summer organization is too overwhelming, consider hiring a professional organizer like me to take care of it for you. Simply book a complimentary consultation to get started with your summer organization.