We still have some time in left in summer, but I’m already thinking ahead to the beginning of fall and the decluttering and cleaning I want to do to usher in the new season. A new round of minimizing and cleaning has been on my radar for weeks now, but the busy summer has so far kept me from making much progress. I have started on some of my to-do tasks, though, like sorting through old paperwork and donating clothes that my toddler no longer fits into and toys she never plays with.
I’m sharing my list in hopes of giving you ideas on what to clean and items to consider decluttering.
- Clean baseboards.
- Dust windowsills.
- Dust above cabinets and shelves.
- Sort through clothes, sell and donate.
- Go through toys and donate or discard.
- Go through old race shirts and decide what to do with them.
- Donate DVDs and books.
- Sort through sports memorabilia and donate, sell or store.
- Declutter souvenir cups and freebies.
- Donate old coffee maker/appliances.
- Declutter unwanted or unused accessories.
- Sort through clutter tray/drawer.
- Declutter/sort old paperwork and bills.
- Discard or donate old cords and electronics.
- Discard or donate unused canned or boxed foods.
- Check contents of refrigerator for expired items.
- Clean inside of refrigerator.
- Declutter old dog toys and other items.
- Get rid of old stroller and other baby items.
- Sell unused furniture. (For us it’s a rocking chair.)
- Store air-conditioning units (when weather eventually changes) and clean off heaters.
- Check for kitchenware that needs to be replaced.
- Donate extra umbrellas.
- Give away or donate unworn hats.
- Declutter/donate/give away extra toiletries.
- Take any plastic bags to store for recycling.
I also want to do some financial/blog decluttering:
- Analyze my expenses and cut out unnecessary shopping/spending.
- Organize my blogging business receipts.
- Delete “bad” photos on my memory cards and computer.
- Sort through bookmarks and delete unnecessary ones.
- Delete apps and photos on my personal phone that are taking up space.
- Free up space on my Google accounts.
I hope that seeing my list has given you ideas and inspired you to analyze which areas of your life could use some simplification. Is there anything you’d like to declutter?
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.