The weather is hot, kids are out of school, and life feels like its finally slowing down a little. That means summer is the perfect time to tackle some organizing projects.
Now you might be wondering how that can be since summer is typically a time to be spontaneous, unplanned, and generally more relaxed. After all, organization can often be associated with strict schedules and rigidity.
However, I think there can be a happy medium between the two that will allow you to have fun while also getting organized to create less stress in your home and prep for the upcoming school year.
Here are 5 things to organize this summer.
5 Things to Organize This Summer
Clothes
Children never seem to stop growing and that often means clothing that used to fit last school year, won’t the following year. Going through their items during the summer can take a lot of stress out of prepping for the new school year which is approaching faster than we would like to admit.
Since it is summer, we should make it fun and easy. If age-appropriate, have your children help. Go through a few drawers at a time and remove what doesn’t fit or isn’t the right style for them any longer. This is also a great time to make a list of needed items that they have outgrown.
Here’s a tip! Don’t feel like you have to tackle all of the clothing in one go. This is probably the biggest pitfall I see when clients organize on their own – trying to do it all in one day. This usually only ends up causing frustration, and the feeling that you’ll never get done.
Start with shirts one day, pants on another day. And most importantly get your kids involved! Get them excited about donating their clothing that no longer fits to help others in need.
If you aren’t sure where to donate gently used clothing in OKC, check out this post here for our top recommendations.
Garage
Garages can tend to be a drop-all zone and oftentimes become so cluttered that you no longer can get your car inside.
Start early in the morning before it gets hot and organize your garage in sections. Remember, slow progress is better than no progress so if you need to organize over a few days that’s ok.
The best way I’ve found to organize and sort a garage is to create sections. Create zones for things like family needs such as sports equipment, gardening, automotive, and toys. This way each area of the garage serves a dedicated need and the family will quickly be able to learn where everything goes.
When organizing your garage, be ruthless. Often the garage is filled with clutter simply because of delayed decisions. Decide what items you absolutely need and want to keep and then donate or toss the rest.
Bathroom
What does organizing your bathroom have to do with summer? Well, it doesn’t have to be your bathroom; it could be your laundry room or kitchen cabinet, but it is the place where you personally store things like sunblock, bandaids, and bug spray.
Summer means being more active outside so it’s important to be sure you are prepared for cuts and scrapes, bug bites, and sun protection. Be sure to go through what you already have and toss anything that is expired and replace it.
Playroom
Not all summer days are filled with sun. Sometimes there is an occasional rain shower and kids will be inside playing.
Toy storage is the key to keeping a playroom neat and tidy. If clean-up is easy, kids will be more motivated to put things away when they are done playing. My favorite toy storage item is cube shelving. Add some storage cubes in fun colors, attach a label to the front, and you can easily create categories for different toys. Puzzles in one cube, legos in another, etc.
Grab our free kid’s labels here to help keep your children’s playroom organized.
Pantry
Summer means the family will be around more often and snacking will be a regular part of the day. Organizing your pantry will make it easier for everyone to grab what they are looking for quickly, and also ensure you can easily tell when you are running out of something. This is also a great way to prevent buying duplicates of items and having food go bad.
Large bins are great for snacks because you take items out of their packaging and toss them into the bin. A label on the front to help children identify what is inside is a great way to keep things neat and tidy. As an added bonus, putting away groceries will be even easier since everything will have a home and a label.
Not sure where to start when organizing your pantry. Read this post for helpful tips and tricks.
Outsource Summer Organization
While organizing can be fun for some, for others it’s a chore. But that’s ok. Some things that you hate doing, someone else loves.
Here is your permission slip to ask for help. If you want to spend your summer traveling, playing with your kids, and relaxing but also still come home to an organized home, we can help!
In fact, we have organized for many families while they are away so they can come home and enjoy a calm, peaceful space.
Book a free consultation here and we’ll be happy to help!
