Did you know that Fall is a perfect time to clean and declutter around the house? Most people think of cleaning out their homes during the Spring or decluttering at the start of the new year, but Fall should definitely be added to the list as a time to clear things out.
Why might you ask? It is a great time to get organized before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begins. Fall brings lots of change for many people and offers a chance to purge the old before you add all sorts of new items to the mix.
But where should you start? Keep reading for my tips!
1.) Designate an area or a room as your “get rid of space.”
When I get in a decluttering mood, I can sometimes get pretty serious, which means I get rid of a lot of stuff. Therefore I need an area to store all of the stuff until I can get it out of my house. I usually grab some big boxes and place them in our guest room, and anytime I find an item that I no longer want, I will put it there. Find an area that works for you: dining room, mudroom, etc., just somewhere that you can store stuff temporarily while you gather everything you no longer need. The important thing to remember is to get rid of the items that you no longer want and make sure they leave your house.
2.) Pull out all of your Fall decor and decide what you will keep and what needs to go.
I’m sure you are just like me and bought plenty of decor thinking it was “cute” but haven’t found the right place for it. So year after year, it sits in your Fall decor box and never gets put on display. If that is the case - get rid of it. If you haven’t used a Fall decor item in recent years, don’t hang on to it and let it take up precious storage space. Also, your tastes might have changed over the years, so if you find items that no longer speak to you, it is also time to get rid of them. Consider donating your items to a local thrift store or even sell them on Facebook marketplace.
3.) Go room by room in your house, clearing out what you no longer need.
If you have time, go through your house a room at a time to determine what you can clear out and get rid of. Go through everything: dressers, cabinets, nightstands, closets, etc. IF you don’t have a ton of time to go through every room, concentrate on your children’s rooms and your guest room. With the holidays approaching, you want to make sure that your guest room is decluttered so you can welcome guests into your house comfortably. Also, children will get a ton of stuff between Fall and the New Year, so clearing out their rooms will be beneficial.
4.) Purge toys.
I do recommend that you get your children involved in this activity to save yourself any tears in the end. Gather the toy bins, the boxes, the crates, the stuffed animals, everything into one place so you can see what you are working with. Have your children go through and select their absolute favorite toys to keep. This will help your children relax, knowing that their favorite toys are safe. Next, go through the toys one by one. If anything is broken beyond repair (or might take too long to fix, making it a hassle), it must be trashed. As you go through each item, have your child tell you the last time they played with the item. Then ask them if they want to keep it or give it away. You do have veto power, but it is a good idea to let your child make some decisions with their belongings. Children are likely to get a bunch of new toys during the holidays, so cleaning out what they already have now is a GREAT idea.
5.) Clear out the school art work and other paper items like magazines and catalogs.
Here is another place where your children can help. Have them go through any artwork they have already brought home from school and have them pick out their absolute favorite pieces to keep. The rest needs to go! A helpful tip if you have very sentimental children is to take pictures of each artwork piece and create a photo book for them to keep.
I'm sure you've got a pile of mail or magazines that need to find their way to a different home or the trash can. Flip through your magazines and tear out the pages that really interest you, then throw the magazines away or recycle them. If you need to keep magazines, only keep the three most recent issues. Go through your mail, throw out the junk and assign a home to everything else.
6.) Don’t forget your front porch.
Give your front porch the Fall cleaning treatment. Sweep or blow away any bugs, leaves, sticks, etc., that have accumulated. Check your front door, lights, windows, and shutters for cobwebs and give them a good wipe down. This is a great time to take inventory of what you currently have on your front porch. If any decor is old or extremely dirty, get rid of it. If you need new cushions or pillows, there are always plenty of terrific Fall and holiday-themed options to purchase.
7.) Get your pantry ready for all of the Fall cooking and baking you will do.
When looking through your pantry, first throw out anything that is expired or that your family does not eat. If you have unopened items that your family won't use, consider donating it to a local food bank. Pair items together (pastas, canned goods, cereals, beverages, baking supplies, etc.) and arrange them back in your pantry. I personally like to have all labels facing forward to clearly see everything when I open my pantry door. I also like to store the snack items on a lower shelf so my children can easily reach them.
I hope these tips help you get your house ready for all the fun that Fall brings. The above list doesn’t need to be done in a day. Allow yourself time to clean and declutter, but also enjoy all of the Fall festivities.
But where should you start? Keep reading for my tips!
1.) Designate an area or a room as your “get rid of space.”
When I get in a decluttering mood, I can sometimes get pretty serious, which means I get rid of a lot of stuff. Therefore I need an area to store all of the stuff until I can get it out of my house. I usually grab some big boxes and place them in our guest room, and anytime I find an item that I no longer want, I will put it there. Find an area that works for you: dining room, mudroom, etc., just somewhere that you can store stuff temporarily while you gather everything you no longer need. The important thing to remember is to get rid of the items that you no longer want and make sure they leave your house.
2.) Pull out all of your Fall decor and decide what you will keep and what needs to go.
I’m sure you are just like me and bought plenty of decor thinking it was “cute” but haven’t found the right place for it. So year after year, it sits in your Fall decor box and never gets put on display. If that is the case - get rid of it. If you haven’t used a Fall decor item in recent years, don’t hang on to it and let it take up precious storage space. Also, your tastes might have changed over the years, so if you find items that no longer speak to you, it is also time to get rid of them. Consider donating your items to a local thrift store or even sell them on Facebook marketplace.
3.) Go room by room in your house, clearing out what you no longer need.
If you have time, go through your house a room at a time to determine what you can clear out and get rid of. Go through everything: dressers, cabinets, nightstands, closets, etc. IF you don’t have a ton of time to go through every room, concentrate on your children’s rooms and your guest room. With the holidays approaching, you want to make sure that your guest room is decluttered so you can welcome guests into your house comfortably. Also, children will get a ton of stuff between Fall and the New Year, so clearing out their rooms will be beneficial.
4.) Purge toys.
I do recommend that you get your children involved in this activity to save yourself any tears in the end. Gather the toy bins, the boxes, the crates, the stuffed animals, everything into one place so you can see what you are working with. Have your children go through and select their absolute favorite toys to keep. This will help your children relax, knowing that their favorite toys are safe. Next, go through the toys one by one. If anything is broken beyond repair (or might take too long to fix, making it a hassle), it must be trashed. As you go through each item, have your child tell you the last time they played with the item. Then ask them if they want to keep it or give it away. You do have veto power, but it is a good idea to let your child make some decisions with their belongings. Children are likely to get a bunch of new toys during the holidays, so cleaning out what they already have now is a GREAT idea.
5.) Clear out the school art work and other paper items like magazines and catalogs.
Here is another place where your children can help. Have them go through any artwork they have already brought home from school and have them pick out their absolute favorite pieces to keep. The rest needs to go! A helpful tip if you have very sentimental children is to take pictures of each artwork piece and create a photo book for them to keep.
I'm sure you've got a pile of mail or magazines that need to find their way to a different home or the trash can. Flip through your magazines and tear out the pages that really interest you, then throw the magazines away or recycle them. If you need to keep magazines, only keep the three most recent issues. Go through your mail, throw out the junk and assign a home to everything else.
6.) Don’t forget your front porch.
Give your front porch the Fall cleaning treatment. Sweep or blow away any bugs, leaves, sticks, etc., that have accumulated. Check your front door, lights, windows, and shutters for cobwebs and give them a good wipe down. This is a great time to take inventory of what you currently have on your front porch. If any decor is old or extremely dirty, get rid of it. If you need new cushions or pillows, there are always plenty of terrific Fall and holiday-themed options to purchase.
7.) Get your pantry ready for all of the Fall cooking and baking you will do.
When looking through your pantry, first throw out anything that is expired or that your family does not eat. If you have unopened items that your family won't use, consider donating it to a local food bank. Pair items together (pastas, canned goods, cereals, beverages, baking supplies, etc.) and arrange them back in your pantry. I personally like to have all labels facing forward to clearly see everything when I open my pantry door. I also like to store the snack items on a lower shelf so my children can easily reach them.
I hope these tips help you get your house ready for all the fun that Fall brings. The above list doesn’t need to be done in a day. Allow yourself time to clean and declutter, but also enjoy all of the Fall festivities.
I originally wrote this blog post for the Decocrated blog. Decocrated is home decor delivered straight to your door each season. I'm a huge fan of theirs and recommend a subscription to anyone I know who is interested in home decor. To get started on a subscription, click here. Use code LINDSAY15 to save $15!
Comments
Thanks for stopping by! I love hearing from you.