15 Things to Purge This Fall (The Coming Season Will Thank You!)

From Summer

1. The car — If you’re anything like me, summer leaves my car needing a good clean-out for more reasons that one. Towels and toys from the pool, random purchases/returns that still haven’t made it to their ultimate destination, trash and crumbs from road trips and running around… it’s all there. The car seat is gross and the console has inevitably collected things that seemed important at the time, but now are insignificant.

When I do major car clean-outs, I cap it off with a trip to the carwash and get a full clean. That way, not only is it a reward for tackling the chore, but it’s also a motivator to keep the car clean and free of debris. Those Starbucks fall drinks taste so much better in a clean car — promise 😉

Try a fold-up style trunk organizer like THIS one to corral some of those loose essentials. It has non-slip velcro strips on the bottom to help secure it in place, too.

THIS car vacuum charges USB and is awesome for quick clean-ups. As a bonus, it’s so small, it’s designed to fit in a cupholder!

2. Summer activities — We have a constantly growing stash of all things summer — bubbles, sand buckets, balls, pool toys and floats. But, by the end of summer, we also have a constantly growing stash of near-empty bubble bottles, inflatables with holes, plastic toys with cracks, broken sidewalk chalk… well, you get the point. Not only is it time to purge anything that isn’t in great shape, but it’s time to visit each station (for us, that’s the outside deck box, garage, and basement) and consolidate everything to one home. Next spring will be thankful this is handled now!

In the Kitchen

3. Spices — Contrary to popular belief (or at least popular practice), spices do expire. This is such a quick purge, it’s virtually painless. But, it’s important now, more than any other time of year, because fall is when we start to hibernate and use our kitchens more. We tend to use more spices during soup season and therefore, not only is it advantageous to purge the old and start fresh, but make sure to add the staples back to your grocery list so you can be prepared when you’re ready to make that pot of chili. It’s also refreshing to get rid of jars of spices that you used one time for one specific recipe that you haven’t made in years.

We store our spices in a cabinet and I still swear by THIS inexpensive expandable spice shelf.

4. Fridge — Granted, this is something that should be done fairly regularly, but like the spices, take the time to look at your marinades, condiments, and all the seemingly permanent items on your kitchen doors. And just as you did with spices, open your grocery list and add items back alongside your effort. Not everything will need to be replaced. If there’s something you only use occasionally, wait until you actually need it to re-purchase it.

Also, those fast food packets? Unless it’s something you use literally all the time… toss them. I can’t even see your refrigerator collection but can say with 99% certainty — it’s time.

Narrow Bin (set of two)

5. Old food storage containers — Earlier this year, I invested in THESE glass storage containers and I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner. There’s only so long you can use stained, cruddy plastic storage, but THESE glass food storage containers don’t stain, don’t smell, can be frozen, microwaved, or baked. So, why now? As mentioned above, we are heading into food season. During the fall and into winter, I batch/freeze food more often and store more food in general.

If you’re wary about tossing the plastic pieces that aren’t totaled, here’s my suggestion. Gather the acceptable pieces and put them in a storage bin so you can send leftovers home with family/friends at upcoming gatherings (like Thanksgiving). Up-cycle. Get rid of the rest and start fresh, investing in quality storage containers.

6. Pantry — This is something I try to stay on top of at least a couple times a year, but every time I clean it out, I amass a surprising amount of expired goods. No matter how diligent I am at working from our pantry to create meals, there’s plenty of food that will never be eaten that’s taking up valuable real estate. We rely on canned goods a lot more during the cooler months for soups and such and need to max out our space.

A couple recommendations — any non-perishables that aren’t expired that you don’t like, go ahead and batch those together to donate to a local food pantry. Toss the expired, stale, and bags of crumbs you didn’t want to waste three months ago. Also, make note of anything that’s coming up on its expiration — you can challenge yourself to create dinners based on those ingredients in the coming weeks.

The same line as the spice cabinet expandable shelf, I use two of THESE expandable shelves intended specifically for canned goods.

7. Plastic cups — I don’t mean sets of cups but it seems like summer is when random plastic cups are collected from events, theme parks, festivals, etc. Go ahead and purge before they take over your cabinet and become a bigger space stealer.

Around the House

8. Candles — I have a more-than-healthy candle collection — it’s actually verging on ridiculous and hovering just above embarrassing. But, it’s also my favorite way to intentionally start living in the coming season. I’m fine with the addiction. But, I also have some seasonal candles that didn’t smell like I had hoped and have been sitting in a drawer, partially burned for a few years. And candles that I’ve held on to for “desperate times” — just in case. Just, no.

In additional to scented candles, I have lots of mostly melted pillar candles or tapers (basically stubs) that I couldn’t part with. In preparation of fall, I’m saving all the summer candles that will be good for next year but I’m getting rid of the “just in case” stuff that’s been reserved for a hypothetical that will likely not happen.

9. Medicine cabinet — This is also something I try to revisit from time to time but I think this time of year is the most important time to take inventory, discard expired bottles, and then, take it a step further and restock the regulars you always like to have on hand. At the onset of cold and flu season, you don’t want to be caught off guard. For sensitive things like prescriptions, there should be lock boxes within your community but my dad’s hospice nurse actually had me put the meds in coffee grounds and fill the jar with water. Basically, ruin them, seal them, then toss them. You can research regulations and guidelines further for your own disposal.

10. Shoes in your entry/mudroom — During the summer, the collection of “yard shoes” grows and grows. By this time, your mudroom/entry/garage shelf may be bursting at the seams. Any that should be moved back to your closet, do it. Any that are beyond “yard shoes” at this point, discard. For some reason, whenever I retire from wearing a pair of sneakers regularly, I tend to hold onto them and say “well, I can wear these to work in outside.” Um, I wear flip flops almost exclusively and to this day, no matter how many pairs of shoes I’ve held onto for a greater purpose, I don’t think I’ve ever worn a single pair again.

11. Paper — One of the most daunting tasks (for me), you may have multiple stashes, piles, and bins of paper that need to be investigated. Takeout menus, manuals, magazines, coupons, unimportant art… My guess though — most of it can likely be tossed. To-go menus can likely be found online. Are you really going to read those old magazines again? Purging expired coupons will remind you of other, more valuable coupons you have that you may have forgotten about. Product manuals, well, if it’s incredibly important and you’re set on keeping it, fine. But, be selective. I have yet to need a product manual that isn’t listed online or that I haven’t opted for a YouTube video in lieu of the paper “how to”.

With school only recently in session, your art and projects from last year/previous years may be bulging at the seams. If you’re strong enough and practical enough to be on the train of taking photos/making books of art and tossing the original, you’re my hero. If you’re not there just yet, you can still go through the bins and whittle down the keepers substantially. That scribble Eliza did on a piece of paper with no more than two seconds of effort and called a “dinosaur”… I probably don’t need it.

THIS is my favorite organizer for receipts and I rely heavily on THIS acrylic collator on my desk for notebooks, bills, files, etc. Note — others are not created equal as this is way stronger than any similar ones I’ve seen and unmoved with rubber feet. THESE are the bins I currently use to toss Eliza’s artwork into until I’m ready to evaluate and sort it.

Acrylic Collator

In the Closet

12. Clothing — This one could be bulleted as several categories on its own, but, you already know what to do. Maybe you haven’t considered the value in using this as the time to do it, though. Thick cool weather clothes take up way more room than thin summer clothes, which makes making room for your fall/winter wardrobe especially important. If it’s easier, you can likely get going more quickly by taking a look at summer clothes you never wore this year. Did you wear them last year? Are they no longer in style? If there’s a reason other than you just couldn’t see it in your closet, break out the donation bag and start loading it up. This will also give you a head start in the spring when you’re considering what new pieces you may need.

But, back to the cool weather stuff — it’s great if you can be as thorough as possible (which may require some try-ons), but even if you aren’t up to dedicating that much time to your closet right now, you can probably make a quick pass-through and pull out pieces you know you will have no interest in wearing this year. This is one of the most difficult places for me to de-cluter, but when it’s over, it’s also one of the most rewarding.

For your drawers, you may have some articles you can treat the same but at a minimum, evaluate socks (toss any mis-matched or with holes or weird kitschy socks you received as a gift you’ll never wear). If there’s undies you’re hanging onto that best served you during your (long ago) college years that don’t seem practical anymore but you’re keeping around to remind you of a time when comfort and support wasn’t as important, ditch them. And when you finish, give your kid(s) closet(s) the same treatment.

I will preach the value of THESE slim velvet hangers until I’m blue in the face — not just for making your closet “look nice”, but they take up WAY less space, cling your clothes in place, and make everything the same height, allowing you to see everything at a glance. THIS is the child version I use for Eliza’s closet.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of using drawer dividers to section off categories within a single drawer. THESE expandable, spring loaded dividers are some of my favorites and they come in four different color wood tones.

See the full nursery closet organization post with all the details HERE.

Kids

13. Toys — Ideally, this is something that can be attended to on a more frequent basis (isn’t that true of everything?), but now is the time to start culling those unused/broken/aged out toys to make room from the inevitable holiday gifts. Not only is it a lot easier finding homes for new things when they aren’t competing for space with old, but it also gives you ideas on Christmas gifts. If you wait until after the holidays, chances are, you’ll duplicate something(s) and/or it will be twice as overwhelming determining what should be passed on and donated.

Tufted Storage Bench

Miscellaneous

14. Purse — AKA my “black hole”, my purse needs have shifted and curbed dramatically, depending on the season of life I’m in. I don’t need as much as I did when Eliza was a baby, and because I’m home so often, I also don’t need to “live” out of my bag as I once did. Cleaning this personal item out — pull up a trash can, sort the contents into piles, and find permanent homes (don’t put it all back in the purse!) — can do a number on improving your headspace. Make it an extra productive and quick chore by using it as an opportunity to switch to a new bag for the season!

For the past several seasons, I’ve just switched back and forth between the black and brown version of THIS carry-all bag. But, I just got THIS bag that I’m excited to switch to for a little something different for the foreseeable future.

15. Dog toys — This may not apply to everyone but somehow, we end up with gross dog toys that are damaged/stained/spent too much time outdoors. This doesn’t even have to be a concentrated effort — just as you see them floating around, go ahead and give yourself permission now to part with any pet toys that don’t seem hygienic enough to be living inside your house.

Are you going to tackle any of your spaces and de-clutter for the fall? Have anything else you prefer to purge specifically in the fall? Share in the comments below!

Pin for Later

Other Posts You May Be Interested In

• Five 50-Minute Drawer Organization Ideas
• Six Office Organization Ideas
• Door Storage Solution Ideas
• Five Favorite Lazy Organizers

*See the full organization gallery with ideas for all the rooms and spaces HERE.