Seasonal decluttering is my favorite! It’s a great way to get a new perspective and renewed energy for the task. Here are five categories to pay attention to as we transition out of summer and into autumn.
1. Wardrobe
Do you have a seasonal wardrobe? If so, when you swap them out is a great time to reevaluate. Here are a few questions to ask:
- Does this piece still fit my style and preference?
- Does this piece still fit my body?
- Am I excited to wear this?
- For summer items: Did I wear this in the past season?
Bonus tip: Try the classic backwards hanger trick for your fall and winter items! Hang them all up backwards, then rehang them up the right way after they’ve been worn and washed. When it’s time to swap out for springtime, you’ll know exactly which pieces you actually wore.
2. Baking supplies
Baking supplies are some of the clunkiest space eaters in the kitchen. Since you’re probably looking forward to pies and cookies and holiday treats, let’s go ahead and clear some of the unnecessary stuff out of the way so we have more room for fun and tasty things!
Go through your:
- Cooking and baking books
- Cookie sheets
- Muffin tins
- Springform pans
- Mixers and accessories
- Blenders and accessories
- Parchment paper (I haven’t bought parchment paper in a decade because I have silicone baking mats)
- Piping and icing tools
- Rubber spatulas
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Scales
- Bench scrapers
- Rolling pins
- Oven mits and potholders
- Aprons
- Cooling racks
- Cake and cupcake storage containers
- Whisks
- Cookie scoops
- Sprinkles
Pay attention to duplicates here! Collect all of your tools in one place so you can see what you have. If you have 5 of one tool, choose the best one and let go of the rest.
3. Wrapping paper
This is a good task for getting ahead of the game before the holidays. Collect your wrapping papers, bags, bows, scissors, and tapes to evaluate your whole collection.
I know some people are QUITE passionate about wrapping gifts. If this is a fun and engaging hobby for you and you genuinely enjoy it, honor that!
But if you’re like me… I have ONE thick roll of wrapping paper with kind of ambiguous colors and a pattern that can work for any person and any occasion (and I’ve been using the same roll for literally years), plus a few reusable ribbons (that I will snatch and shove into my pocket after they’ve opened the gift :P).
Consider how much fun it is for you to wrap gifts, then declutter accordingly. If you’re passionate about a different color for every occasion, YOLO.
For tools like scissors, keep the best and ditch the rest. Most of us tend to have that one pair that we always reach for, anyway. And it’s easier to keep track of when there’s only one!
I remember my dad used to buy mega packs of two dozen scissors at a time, and he’d STILL be stomping and grumbling, opening and slamming drawers looking for a SINGLE pair. When there’s only one pair, everyone is more cognizant of it and they put it back where it belongs. It’s a wild phenomenon, but it’s true! Less is more!
4. Candles and decor
The change of season is also a great time to evaluate your seasonal decor. For autumn and winter, candles in particular are a common item that most households have far too many of.
For candles, consider:
- Does it look nice?
- Does it smell nice?
- Do you like to look at it?
- Does it have enough space around it for you to appreciate it, or is it just cluttering up the area and collecting dust?
I keep one plastic bin of seasonal decor. It fits everything I like to display, minus whatever the current season is. I pull out one box, remove the pieces I want, replace the pieces from the previous season, and put it back in the closet.
If you get a lot of joy from decorating, and you don’t feel bitter about having to pick it all back up again, you might keep lots more than me!
But if you find that you feel bitter having to dig it out of storage and put it up again, maybe you don’t actually want to have so much seasonal decor. And that’s okay!
Use this time to consider which pieces of decor truly bring you joy. Then give yourself permission to let go of the rest.
5. Pantry
I love to do the Pantry Challenge once each season. This keeps my food waste down, makes me more intentional with shopping, more creative with meal planning, and honestly I enjoy the challenge of it.
This also means that there are 2-4 months out of the year where I spend $0 on groceries! Of course, this isn’t possible for everyone—I tend to grow, preserve, and stock up on food, so this challenge is perfect for me, and I can do it frequently.
If you’re someone with a ton of people in the house, or maybe you shop week by week and don’t have any sort of food storage, then doing several pantry challenges per year probably isn’t reasonable.
BUT, autumn is a great time for a general pantry declutter. Clear out items you’re not using and make a stack of Use Next items. Soup/stew/chili season is PERFECT for the Use Next pile, because you can put nearly anything in a pot and serve it with bread to have a good time.
Speedy Holiday Decluttering
Here’s a free 7-day holiday declutter guide that you can use for last-minute chaos quelling before the busiest season:
