9 Things To Get Rid Of Now Summer Is Over

We’re blessed to enjoy four distinct seasons here in our mountain valley, and the changing of the seasons always seems to inspire me to clear out the old to make room for the new. So I thought I’d channel that desire into this post by offering a few post-summer decluttering tips!

After all, there’s no sense in putting away summer items you don’t need anymore, so this is the perfect time to get rid of what you don’t need or want to keep. I believe the 9 items below will fall under those headers, so use this list as a jumping off point for your end-of-summer, start-of-fall organization efforts!

9 Things To Get Rid Of In The Fall

1. Summer Makeup

If you switch to a different shade or formula of foundation during the summer months, it may be smarter to ditch it before winter arrives. If it’s not quite empty yet, it can be tempting to hold onto it until summer comes back around, but that’s more than enough time for makeup to become a breeding ground for bacteria. (I’d rather be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to germs!)

2. Swimwear

Fall is also a great time to evaluate the state of your swimwear collection (especially since I seem to add swimsuits and cover-ups to my closet shelves without ever getting rid of any.) If there’s anything you know you won’t wear next summer, there’s no point it keeping it around over the winter.

3. Summer Clothes

This may seem like an obvious category, but it’s worth emphasizing, especially if you have “summer clothes” in your closet that didn’t leave their hangers once this summer. Put those in a bag to donate so you can reclaim some valuable closet space.

Feel free to make exceptions for special occasion items or classic pieces that you do wear from time to time. But for the most part, if there are items among your summer clothes that you haven’t worn in recent memory, you’re better off making room for clothes you’ll actually wear.

4. Summer Shoes

I don’t know if this is the case at your house, but sandals seem to multiply like rabbits around here! To make sense of it all, gather all summer footwear together in one area, including flip-flops, water shoes, sandals, etc.

Toss the ones that are too worn (or broken) to do anyone any good, and if you have any that weren’t worn this summer (or were outgrown) but are in decent condition, set those aside to donate. For summer shoes you decide to keep, make a plan to clean them up before storing them away for the season.

5. Sunscreen

While summer isn’t the only season when we need sunscreen, most people do tend to use more of it during the summer, so fall is a good time to evaluate your supply. Start by checking the expiration dates on any sunscreen products you have around the house.

If it’s expired, get rid of it. If the expiration date is coming up, but there’s not too much left in the bottle, keep it and use it up. If you have any full or nearly full bottles of sunscreen that are close to expiring, you’re better off tossing those and replacing them with fresh sunscreen when the time comes.

6. Beach Items

If you have any really nice beach gear, clean it up and store it away for next summer. But for gear or toys that are flimsy, worn out, or visibly broken, you’re better off getting rid of them.

(If you’ll be paring down your collection of beach towels too, consider donating the ones you don’t want to keep to a nearby animal shelter. Shelters often use towels for bedding, grooming, and more.)

7. Formal Wear

Summer is the most popular time of year for weddings, and now that it’s over, it’s a good time to evaluate your array of formal occasion outfits. This is the ideal time to get rid of dresses, jackets, and slacks you haven’t worn in years or that no longer fit.

As for those bridesmaid dresses you wore once and will never wear again, consider donating them (or you might be able to find an interested buyer online!)

8. Spices & Seasonings

With all the grilling we’ve been doing and the baking we will be doing soon, now is a good time to clear out, examine, and reorganize your spices and seasonings. I’m not usually overly concerned with expiration dates for dry herbs and spices, but I do know that they lose their potency over time, so I do make an effort to get rid of anything that’s more than a couple of years old.

If there are nearly empty bottles of seasonings that you only use during grilling season, you may prefer to get rid of those to free up some room in your cabinet. And take this opportunity to think ahead to what you’ll be baking this fall and winter—heaven forbid you don’t have the spices you need to make your favorite treats later on!

9. Gardening Tools & Supplies

This is the perfect time to clean, maintain, and properly store your gardening tools so they’ll be in good shape when you pull them back out in the spring. If there’s anything that needs to be replaced, consider doing so sooner rather than later—your future self will thank you!

What’s your favorite thing about fall?