Living Clutter Free Forever - decluttering tips, professional organizing, minimalist living

Get ready for autumn! 3 End-of-summer declutter strategies for your vacation accumulation #118

• Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer - KonMari® Consultant

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Overwhelmed by all the summer clutter that’s piled up? Ready to embrace autumn with a fresh start?

Summer’s been a blast, but let’s be real—it's also left behind a ton of vacation souvenirs, beach gear, and outdoor toys that are now just clutter in your home. The shift to autumn is the perfect time to take control and clear the overwhelm.

In the latest episode of the Living Clutter Free Forever podcast, I’m sharing 3 simple but powerful decluttering strategies that’ll help you transition smoothly into the new season. Imagine a home free of leftover vacation clutter, where everything has its place, and you can truly relax as the days get shorter.

Why let summer's mess spill into fall? Want to reclaim your space and peace of mind? I’ll show you how.

Decluttering isn’t just about tidying up—it’s about making room for the new season and all the wonderful things it will bring. Whether it's organizing your summer gear or finding creative ways to display meaningful souvenirs, these strategies will help you create an organized, clutter-free home that sparks joy as we head into autumn.

Ready to declutter and refresh your space? Tune in and let’s get started!

FLASH SALE!!!! Clutter Free Collective - join us here!

Mentioned in this episode: PODCAST 74: Garden Organization Ideas! 5 Practical Tips to Keep Your Garden Organized with Sherry Rupert - Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer & Certified KonMari® Consultant (caroline-thor.com)

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Speaker 1:

Hi there, I'm Caroline Thor, professional organiser, konmari consultant, teacher and mum of three. I started off my life as a mum feeling overwhelmed, disorganised and desperately trying to carve out some time for me amongst the nappies, chaos and clutter. One day, one small book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying changed everything and I began to learn strategies for making everyday life easier. Today I have the systems in place that means life can throw almost anything at me, and I want to share them with you. If you're an overwhelmed mum struggling to keep it together, then this is the podcast for you. Grab a coffee and settle in for a quick chat with someone who gets your reality. Hello and welcome back to the Living Clutter-Free Forever podcast. If you've listened before and if you haven't, welcome. I'm so happy to have you with me. Today I am going to be talking about how to get ready for autumn. Can you believe that we are in September already? I can't. I've got one more week before my kids go back to school. We have just got back from a summer holiday in Belgium, which has been lovely, but it's really starting to feel quite autumnal outside, and today is my son's 12th birthday. So a bit of celebration going on in our house today and I thought it was a good opportunity to have a chat with you about four end of summer declutter strategies. Because I don't know about you, but things seem to sort of mount up over the summer, especially if you've got kids and they're at home all the time. The stuff just seems to accumulate. So it's a really good time to get back on top of things, back on track, especially if you've got kids that have gone back to school and you can start to feel like you're taking control of things a little bit more. A little bit more. There is also a psychological benefit to decluttering when the seasons change, because it can help us feel like we're transitioning smoothly into a new season with a clear mind, and the thing I love is having a fresh perspective on everything, and decluttering can help us let go of that past season. Maybe things weren't so great for the last month, that past season. Maybe things weren't so great for the last month. Maybe something happened and you're thinking, yes, I'm ready for a new start and by decluttering you're making space for new experiences. So I've got four strategies, four top tips for you today. So let's get started.

Speaker 1:

My first strategy is to curate your summer memories. Now, I don't know about you, but in the past I was really bad at bringing souvenirs and mementos back from my summer holidays, and I've got much, much better at that now. I tend to bring one thing back that I have truly fallen in love with when I see it. And it doesn't necessarily need to be something fallen in love with when I see it, and it doesn't necessarily need to be something that's especially typical of the area that I'm visiting, but it reminds me of that holiday anyway. And what I've brought back with me this time is a vase that I saw when we were at a market one day. I absolutely fell in love with it and so I bought it home, knowing that it was a different size and a different shape to any of the other vases I have at home already, so it definitely was going to get used.

Speaker 1:

But if you're someone who has got sucked into buying local souvenirs or thinking, oh yeah, that would be really great to have, or you've had family members and friends come back and they have bought you something from their summer vacation, it's a good time to go through them. Do they really, now you're home in the cold light of day, spark joy for you. Are they something that you would have out on display or use regularly? If not, it might be something that would be worth donating, because otherwise it's just going to form clutter in your home. And if you have brought back lots of things like some people collect shells, pick up postcards when they're out or they pick up up you know, these pamphlets you can get or little booklets that tell you about the places you visit If you really feel the need to keep some of these meaningful items, then perhaps find a creative way of displaying them so you could get a shadow box and put them in and create like a memory picture that you can hang up of your holiday. Or you could have a scrapbook that's ongoing, that when you come home from a holiday, you put two or three really meaningful items in there and over the years you've got a beautiful scrapbook as a memory of all the holidays you've been on.

Speaker 1:

Now my other top tip within this particular category is digital decluttering. I don't know about you, but something that really collects when I go on holiday is digital photos and videos. So it's a good time to go through them now. While the memories are still fresh, you can look back through and think, ok, what really are my favourite pictures from this holiday? What really are my favourite pictures from this holiday? Which ones do my family look amazing, in which ones really spark the most joy and bring up the most memories? And then you could create like a highlights reel or a digital photo album with the best moments and back up the digital files and consider printing out a few of the photos to display in your home and for those items and photos that don't make the cut, practice gratitude for the memories they represent. And then let them go.

Speaker 1:

Consider donating or repurposing items or simply recycle what you can. So that is curating your summer memories. That is my first strategy to help you do a declutter as the season changes Now. My second top tip is to declutter your summer gear. It's the perfect time, as you're perhaps starting to put things away because they're not going to be used in the autumn, winter season, if you live in a country where you have definite seasons and you can start off by perhaps decluttering outdoor and vacation gear, so perhaps sort things like beach chairs, umbrellas, camping gear, really assess whether each item was actually used this season and, if it wasn't, consider donating or selling it, and then look at the items you're keeping and store them in a designated place. So perhaps you've got a garage or a storage shed or somewhere in the cellar keeping them accessible, but out of the way.

Speaker 1:

If you do this sort through now, it means that next summer, when the season comes and you want to be using these things, you are going to know that everything is stuff you use and it's all working. There is no point putting away a beach inflatable the giant flamingo inflatable that your kids have been bouncing around in the pool or in the sea on for the whole summer, when actually it's got a hole in. You've tried repairing it before and it just hasn't worked and you're sort of hoping that if you get it out next year and try to repair it again, it'll be okay. Let's be realistic here. It probably isn't. It might be a good time to let that go now.

Speaker 1:

And another thing you can organize at this time is your kids outdoor toys. If you have kids, go through their outdoor toys and games, check for things that have got broken, because if your kids are anything like mine used to be, the stuff that was played with outside very often would get broken because it was getting bashed against things or used for something other than it was intended, or maybe they've just outgrown items. Encourage your kids to be part of the process. Ask them to help you look through and see if there's anything that's broken or if there's anything they notice that they haven't played with this summer, and ask them if they would like to see if any of the toys are now appropriate for donation and then store the remaining toys in weatherproof bins or a storage bench or wherever you have a space ready for next summer. But try really hard to keep them stored together so that when the first warm day is where your kids can be playing outside perhaps in spring you can just go and get a bin or the box or whatever it is, you put them in and bring it outside and your kids will be able to get started with playing straight away.

Speaker 1:

Now, all these tips are the sort of thing that I am helping my members with all the time in Clutterfree Collective. You may have heard at the beginning of this episode that I'm having a two-day flash sale for my membership and we are going to be looking in September and October at getting ourselves ready for the autumn winter season moving towards Christmas, so that we are feeling organised and in control, and we're also doing a really deep dive all the time on the decluttering and organising process. On the decluttering and organizing process. So if you know that you would really benefit from having regular and by regular I mean daily here support, then I would love for you to take advantage of this two-day flash sale and come and join us. We have a private Facebook group, we have an online membership platform, we have monthly meetups online where we do some coaching and then I answer anyone's questions, and we also have regular guest spots. So we've actually got someone coming to talk to us in September and do some training with us on sleep hygiene. So check it out once you finish listening to this episode the link is in the show notes below and in October the price of the membership is going up, but if you get in now, you're going to get locked in at the current rate of 25 euros a month, so I would love to see you there, okay?

Speaker 1:

So one thing I'm going to be talking about in the membership is my third strategy, and that's tidying up and prepping your garden or outdoor space. Now, I'm very well aware that not everyone has a garden, but many people do have a balcony. I have got a wonderful lady in my membership, helene, and she has the most beautiful balcony. It's small but it beautiful, and she's been working on decluttering and organizing that and this summer it has looked absolutely incredible. We've been seeing the photos in the Facebook group.

Speaker 1:

So autumn is the perfect time to refresh your outdoor space. You're preparing it for cooling weather and you're going to maybe be able to make it into a bit of a cozy retreat. So here are my top tips for decluttering and preparing your outdoor space and garden so, for example, you can remove summer specific decorations. I, for example, have got some lights that are hanging up in the garden at the moment that are very summer based, so I'm going to be taking those down. Maybe you've got ornaments that are out in the garden or brightly colored cushions that you wouldn't necessarily have out in the garden in autumn and winter.

Speaker 1:

And then make sure that you store any of your outdoor furniture properly Clean it first, cover it and store those items that won't be used during the colder months. So we have got a terrace outside and we've got an outdoor table that can stand there the whole winter because it's not made of anything that's going to be damaged, but our chairs? They would be damaged if we left them out. So we always give them a clean, then we stack them in a shed area that we have and put a cover over them so that they stay clean and dry over the winter months. If you have got plants, then maybe you need to do a pruning. You might need to trim back overgrown plants, you might need to remove dead flowers. If you have got a garden that has got beds in it, you might need to tidy those up a bit. You could consider composting your leaves and your garden waste to enrich your soil later. And you can also clean and store your gardening tools, whether you've got a balcony or a garden, so that you're sure that they're ready to use next spring and they haven't gone rusty and ucky over the winter months.

Speaker 1:

I had an amazing episode a while ago in fact I think it was this time last year where I spoke to Sherry Rupert, who is an amazing gardener, about how to get your garden ready. So I suggest you go and listen to that. I will put the link to that episode in the show notes. And then, finally, we've already talked about toys, but the same applies to your tools. Try to create a storage system for your garden tools. You maybe have got hanging racks or bins that they're in. Make sure you're storing hoses and sprinklers and any other summer garden tools in a dry space to prevent damage during the winter.

Speaker 1:

And this is going to give your garden an amazing refresh, ready for the autumn. If you really want to give it a good refresh, you could plant autumn friendly plants and you could add mulch to your garden beds to protect the plants from frost and retain moisture. And then, if you have got an outside space like we do, where perhaps for a little bit longer you can sit outside, you might like to add some warm touches like outdoor blankets. Or, if you have the space for a fire pit, I use a lot of lanterns to try and create a cosy atmosphere if we're sitting outside and it's starting to get dark earlier, and you could maybe switch out your summer furniture cushions for more autumn colors and textures. That is personally not something that I do, because I just don't have the space to be storing all different sorts of cushions for different types of seasons, but if you have got the space, that's something you could think about. And then you could think about setting up a bird feeder or a small water feature to attract wildlife, and that will add a bit of life to your garden, even in the cooler months.

Speaker 1:

Okay and on to my fourth strategy, and that is to streamline and refresh your living space. So it's always nice, I think, to acknowledge indoors that the season is changing as well. So if you have got seasonal decor you could swap it out. You could replace summer themed decor with autumn things. I tend to get a lot of candles out around the autumn time. I love in the evening having candles lit. When it's starting to get darker. Earlier in the evenings I get out my throw blankets and you can also add some natural elements of decoration. So perhaps pine cones or pumpkins or branches to bring a touch of autumn indoors.

Speaker 1:

I am slightly obsessed with decorating with pumpkins. I think they're amazing and they last for so long For the whole of autumn. We've got beautiful colours and decoration in our home and also our front doorstep. I always try to find a really amazing looking pumpkin to have on our front doorstep because I just think next to my lantern that I have there it looks absolutely beautiful and then you could declutter surfaces, so clear away summer clutter from countertops and coffee tables and shelves. Maybe you've got into the habit of leaving sun cream standing around, because your kids need to get sun cream put on quickly before they go out. So have a look and see if there's any things from the summer season that you've got into the bad habit of leaving them lying around. Collect them up and see if you can make sure that that category of thing have got a place that they go back to, so that next summer when you need them you'll know where to find them.

Speaker 1:

Just be careful, if you're putting up autumn decorations, that it's visually pleasing but not too overwhelming, because if you start to put too much decoration up all over the place, that's when things start to look cluttered. So things you could do to cozy up your living area is you could add some throws. Some people actually change their curtains out at the change of season and put heavier curtains up. Some people add a rug that hasn't been there over the summer months to create a warm, inviting environment. You might even consider rearranging furniture to create a bit of a more intimate setting for the colder months, and what might have started to pile up is those vacation souvenirs that are creating leftover vacation related clutter, and by that I mean things like maps, brochures, receipts oh my goodness, I'm always finding receipts when we get back from holiday. The bottom of my backpack and my handbag are just always full of receipts from when we've been out for meals when we've been away. So only keep what's truly necessary and meaningful and recycle the rest.

Speaker 1:

And this is also a really good time to streamline your travel items. You could sort through your toiletries that you take away with you and your luggage, tags and any other travel gear, discard anything that's expired or items that actually have been unnecessary, and organise what's left either in a designated travel drawer or bin. Or what I very often recommend to my clients is, if you have got these travel cubes or even a ziplock bag, collect them together, put them in there and store them in your suitcase, because next time you go away, you're going to be getting your suitcase out. So why not store all your necessary travel items in the suitcase rather than them taking up space in drawers in your living space? And I highly recommend that.

Speaker 1:

It's a good idea to have a post-vacation routine, so developing a bit of a habit of coming home, unpacking and dealing with vacation items as soon as you get back is really good because this might include things like doing laundry immediately, sorting through your souvenirs, clearing out any unnecessary clutter, and I love doing this because it makes me feel like I'm having a really fresh start. I love that we've been on holiday, but I've come back on Saturday. I've already done the washing and put it all away. The suitcases everything is unpacked. The suitcases everything is unpacked. Everything is back where it should be, with the category it came from. Any holiday specific items are back in the suitcases and the suitcases are stored away, and I love it. It makes me feel like I'm having a fresh start, and I know some people find it really hard, and this used to be me.

Speaker 1:

Before I applied the KonMari method, my suitcase would be lying on my bedroom floor open for I'm embarrassed to say weeks, like literally weeks, and I would. If I couldn't find something, I'd go rummaging through the suitcase to try and find it. The only thing I was really good about was getting the dirty laundry done, because that I don't like leaving lying around, but actually getting the final bits out of my suitcase and putting them back where they should be, because at that time I didn't actually have a specific place where things should be and getting the suitcases put away. I just never seemed to get around to it. So I love now that, within a day of being home, it's all back where it should be, the suitcases are away, and it gives me like a fresh start, feeling at home. So I really hope that these tips have been useful for you.

Speaker 1:

To do a bit of a get ready for autumn. Let's declutter the summer. There is a huge emotional and mental benefit to doing this and preparing your home and garden for autumn. It's going to help you embrace this seasonal transition and it will be an opportunity to create a space that feels fresh and inviting and that you really love. Now don't forget if you would like some support doing all of this. You have got today and tomorrow, if you're listening to this, when this episode comes out to take action and join Clutter-Free Collective my online membership and there you will get all the support you need to embark on your decluttering journey.

Speaker 1:

Okay, next time, how to stop doing all that panicking and tidying up if you know people are coming round? That's what is going to be in the next episode. So until next time, if you've enjoyed this episode, please send the link to a friend you know would appreciate it subscribe and leave a review. I look forward to bringing you more organizing tips next time, but if you can't wait until then, you can go to my website or find me on instagram, at carothor, or on facebook at caroline organizer. Thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter free ever after.