September is here, and even though most of us have been out of school for quite some time, it still brings with it that unmistakable back-to-school, fresh-start feeling. Personally, I find this to be one of the most productive times of year, even more so than January.
As the warm weather fades and we settle back into cooler temperatures and cosier, home-based routines, our attention naturally turns to our surroundings. That’s when we notice the clutter we’ve been ignoring all summer. And after months of scorching temperatures, busy weekends and a general lack of time and energy, it’s no surprise our homes have started to feel a little chaotic.
But September is the perfect time to reset. These simple yet highly effective decluttering jobs will help you clear the leftovers of summer, make your home feel calmer and start the new season with a clean slate.
School/work bags
Well, you can’t hypothetically go back to school without giving your hypothetical school bag a clear-out first. Whether you’ve got little ones heading back to the classroom this September or you’re simply long overdue a work bag reset yourself, now is the perfect time to empty it completely.
You may be surprised by what’s lurking at the bottom: old receipts, dried-up pens, crumpled worksheets, snack wrappers, loose change, tangled chargers and enough crumbs to suggest someone’s been secretly living in there. Remove anything that no longer belongs, return stray items to their proper homes and be ruthless with the things you’ve been carrying around ‘just in case’ for the past six months. Remember, it’s your back that bears the brunt of your clutter.
Check lunchboxes and water bottles for lingering smells, wash or wipe down the inside of the bag, and vacuum out any crumbs before putting back only what’s genuinely needed. For school bags, this is also a good opportunity to check that the zip, straps and compartments still work, while work bags may benefit from a quick sort of your cables, notebooks and emergency 3pm snacks. Starting September with a clean, organised bag will make those early mornings feel far less chaotic for all of you.
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Barbecue gear
While you may still squeeze in a barbecue or two this September, thanks to the Great British weather occasionally surprising us, now is the best time to declutter your set-up. The whole idea of barbecuing is still fresh in your mind, so you’ll actually be able to remember which tools were useful, which ones were broken and what you ended up carrying back inside after every meal.
Go through your barbecue tools, serving plates, outdoor glasses, tablecloths and storage boxes, getting rid of anything rusty, cracked, stained or duplicated. Check the barbecue itself for damaged parts and clear away old charcoal, ash and grease safely, rather than leaving it to become a more difficult job later.
It’s also worth checking your sauces, marinades and condiments. Bin anything that’s out of date, nearly empty or has been slowly turning into an unidentifiable sticky substance at the back of the cupboard. That way, if September does deliver a few more al fresco dinners, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your organisational labour in real time, rather than waiting until the first rain sends the entire barbecue season into hibernation.
Water bottles
September is the perfect time to declutter your water bottles, before they all return to daily rotation for school runs, commutes, gym sessions and packed lunches. Over the summer, bottles tend to multiply, develop mysterious smells and get shoved into bags, cars and cupboards, and with the hot hot summer we’ve just had - they've been working overtime. So it’s worth working out which ones are actually earning their space.
Empty the cupboard and keep only the bottles that are leak-proof, easy to clean and the right size for how you use them. Get rid of any with cracked lids, damaged seals, persistent smells, mouldy straws or deep scratches, as these can be difficult to clean properly. Be particularly ruthless with bottles that have missing parts or have been carried around untouched all summer.
Wash the keepers thoroughly, paying attention to the lid, straw and rubber seals, then leave every part to dry completely before reassembling. If a bottle has become too small for a child, is too heavy to carry or is constantly leaking, September is a sensible time to replace it rather than letting it take up space in your already crammed cupboards.
Forgotten summer freezer food
The freezer has probably been working overtime all summer, storing ice lollies, frozen berries, barbecue leftovers and emergency bags of chips, so September is a good time to work out what is actually still in there. Otherwise, the first cold evening will arrive and you’ll be trying to make space for autumn meals around a collection of freezer-burnt burgers and unidentified leftovers.
Take everything out and be ruthless. Bin anything that is unlabelled, freezer-burnt, covered in ice or so old you can no longer remember when it went in. Check best-before dates, combine half-empty bags where possible and use up anything that is still good but unlikely to be eaten on its own. It’s also worth getting rid of the last few ice lollies or frozen summer treats that nobody seems interested in finishing.
Give the drawers and shelves a quick wipe before putting everything back in organised groups. You’ll create useful space for batch cooking and heartier autumn food, while avoiding the annual freezer excavation that usually happens when you desperately need to find something at the back.
The travel drawer
The travel drawer has probably been quietly collecting the leftovers of every holiday, weekend away and last-minute overnight stay you’ve taken this summer. September is the perfect time to clear it out, while the contents are still fresh in your mind and before it disappears into hibernation until next year.
Empty it completely and get rid of expired medication, empty travel bottles, dried-up toiletries, broken luggage tags, tangled chargers and all those tiny hotel products you brought home with good intentions but will never use. Match up travel adapters, leads and headphones, and be honest about whether you need five different wash bags or a growing collection of miniature shampoos.
Keep only the useful essentials and group them together so they’re easy to find next time you travel. You’ll create valuable space in the drawer and save yourself from buying replacements you already own.
Summer shoes
Let’s all be honest with each other. After the record-breakingly sweaty summer we’ve just had, our summer shoes have looked better - and definitely smelt better. Flip-flops, sandals, canvas trainers and espadrilles have spent months absorbing sweat, rain, grass, dust and whatever else the season has thrown at them, so September is the time to decide which pairs are worth carrying into next year.
Be ruthless with anything that’s broken, badly scuffed, permanently stained or so uncomfortable that you avoided wearing it anyway. Check for peeling soles, stretched straps and damaged fastenings, then clean the pairs you’re keeping before putting them away. There’s no point storing dirty shoes until next summer, when they’ll have had several months to become even more unpleasant.
If you do want to hold on to a pair but their odour is making that particularly difficult, try the bicarbonate of soda trick: sprinkle some inside the shoes, leave it to sit for several hours or overnight, then brush or vacuum it out. It can help absorb lingering odours, although you should check the care instructions and spot-test delicate materials first. Good Housekeeping’s sandal-cleaning advice has more guidance.
Camping kits
From camping trips to long weekends at festivals, our tents and camping gear have been well and truly worn out this summer, so now is the time to check exactly how worn out they really are. There’s no point waiting until next June to discover that your tent has a broken zip, three missing pegs and a brand-new ventilation window.
I learnt this the hard way as a child. We went camping once a year, much to my mum’s chagrin, so all our gear was packed away immediately after the trip and only unpacked when we reached the campsite the following summer. You can probably see where this is going. Discovering that our tent had developed a DIY skylight was not the ideal start to a holiday.
Empty everything out and check tents, sleeping bags, airbeds, camping chairs, cooking equipment, lanterns and festival kit. Get rid of anything broken, mouldy, permanently stained or missing essential parts, and make a note of what needs replacing while camping equipment is still in the shops. Check tent zips, poles, seams, guy ropes and pegs, then make sure everything is completely dry before storing it away. Otherwise, you may not discover a damp, mouldy disaster until you’re standing in a field next summer with nowhere else to sleep.
