15 Top Tips To Declutter Your Home For Back To School Success

Are you looking for tips to help you declutter your home for back to school success? I’ve got you covered. Whether your child is going to a physical school building this year, doing home school or virtual learning, the school year will be much easier if your home is clutter free. Believe me. Having too much stuff in your home is like having an annoying gnat fly around your head in circles. Getting adjusted to back to school is hard enough. Your kids go from having a more relaxed schedule, sleeping late, watching TV and having a bunch of fun to a tight schedule. And you go from having a laid-back summer to being a taxi driver. Having a junky home just adds to the chaos of adjusting to the back to school blues. But there’s no need to feel like that. Which is why I’m going to break down 15 steps to help you declutter just in time for back to school. But before we get started, if you’d like more step by step help, be sure to join my FREE Take Back My Space Decluttering Challenge. Now let’s get started.

15 Steps To Declutter Your Home For Back To School Success

Restore order to your kitchen – if your kitchen is anything like mine, it’s been a real struggle to keep it looking good this summer. With everyone home, we’ve got 5 people in the house and so much stuff laying everywhere. It’s really driving me crazy. Now’s a good time to get rid of old storage containers, especially ones with missing or broken tops. And trash or store the miscellaneous papers, cups, plates and other items laying around.
Clear out the pantry – since your kids probably don’t put much back where it belongs, you might be surprised that what they did put up was actually a bag of crumbs. Yep! Last week I opened a cabinet and found a box of completely empty Ritz crackers. Now’s the time to check for things like that, and time to toss any expired snacks.
Declutter your kids’ closets – get rid of last year’s clothes that don’t fit. And no need to keep the clothes that are no longer in style or your kids never wore. Go ahead and donate them to someone who’ll use them.
Declutter school papers – any old report card, teach assignments, syllabus or back to school paper or forms from last year should go in the trash or recycle bin. If you want to keep certain homework assignments and artwork as a keepsake, add them to the storage bin.
Clear the fridge – get rid of the clutter and clear both the inside and outside of your fridge. If you have papers or artwork hanging on your fridge door, it may be time to say goodbye. It’s OK to discreetly toss them in the trash (so your kids don’t get offended). I promise not to judge. Or store them away as part of your keepsake items.
Clear out the garage or mudroom area– and while you’re at it, donate old sports equipment. Whether your kids have outgrown their old bike helmets or have decided they’re no longer playing soccer, I’m sure you’ll find a few items that you can sell, donate or trash.
Donate or reuse school supplies – I suggest you check all you’re your house for extra school supplies, especially pens, markets and paper. Let’s be honest, you’ll probably find these school supplies anywhere. Even if you have a designate spot like I suggest in tip#12. Check the homework zone, home office, playroom and your kid’s bedroom. Heck, you might even want to check the bathroom by the tub. Don’t ask.
Toss or donate old toys – this is a good time to transition your kids from toys that you find they’re not really playing with. As your kids get older, and progress another year, you’ll find their taste in toys changes. So, whether your child is in preschool or they’re about to hit high school, there’s an old toy, or electronic device or gaming system that’s “old’ to them. Try to donate or sell these items and bring joy to another child.
Store summer toys – if you’re in a warmer climate, you might have a few more months of warm weather to be able to enjoy your bathing suits, water inflatable pool toys and water guns. But you know your family – if the weather will get cool soon, or you just won’t have the time (or desire) to use them, then go ahead now and donate or store your summer gear.
Donate old books – each year your child will improve their reading level. So, there’s no need to keep books that your child no longer reads. If you have a younger child that wants a particular book or you want to keep it as a keepsake for your child, then go ahead and store it. Otherwise, add these to your donation pile.
Remove workspace clutter – it’s time to clear the clutter in your home’s designated homework zone. If your kids (or you) will spend more time in your home office this year, go ahead and straighten that space up, too.
Create a supplies store – we have what I like to call our “family store”. It’s basically an extra cabinet in our kitchen that has extra school supplies. I’m not the mom that likes to make a run to Target in the middle of the week at 9pm to pick up a notebook for my child. So, when sales are good, I tend to purchase extra pencils, pens, markers and notebook paper. Having this designated cabinet makes my life so much easier. But, every once and awhile you have to clean this cabinet because markers dry out and pencils get broken. Take a few minutes to toss or donate what you no longer use or need.
Declutter the living room or playroom – let’s keep it real, you may need to declutter the living room and I have my teens clear out the TV room several times a week. It amazes me how much clutter, empty snack bags and water bottles accumulate in that little space! If your kids are younger, you might find broken toys or games with missing pieces or extra game controllers laying around. Toss, donate or store what you don’t need and reclaim your space.
Remove the clutter from the bedroom – Old clothes, old games, puzzle pieces, empty boxes and books…these are just some of the items you might find on your kids’ floor (or under the bed). If you haven’t already, you’ll want to take a few minutes to grab a trash bag, a donation box and even designate boxes for storage so you can quickly go through these items and get your home clutter-free.
Get rid of bathroom clutter – clearing out the clutter in your kid’s bathroom may seem like an odd thing to do when it’s time to go back to school, but here me out. Today alone, I handed one kid extra toilet paper and the other more soap. They’re teens, so I’ll have them do their own decluttering, but when they don’t have to look through, or move around endless mounds of clutter (think, trash and old toiletry bottles) then it’s easier to see what they have and don’t have available to them. Having your kids yell down the hall at 7 o’clock on a school morning because they need another bar of soap will have you quickly seeing the value in decluttering the bathroom. You can thank me later.

15 Steps To Declutter Your Home For Back To School Success

We just covered 15 steps to help you declutter your home before your kids head back to school. It’s a great way to set your family up for back to school success! I’m sure you see that having a clutter free home will save you a lot of the frustration this school year. It’s totally worth the 15 minutes a day to declutter and get your life right. With that said, if you’d like some more help, tips and pointers, be sure to join my FREE Take Back my Space Decluttering Challenge today.

And please, take a few minutes and leave a comment below and let me know how these tips have helped you.