Mid-Year Declutter: Making Space for Summer

So here's how to approach this mid-year decluttering without exhausting yourself and without feeling overwhelmed before you even start!

Start with particularly cluttered spaces

Some areas of the house accumulate items faster than others, so make sure to target them first; the impact will be immediate and visible:

• 🚪 The entrance: coats from all seasons, mismatched shoes, forgotten bags
• 🍽️ The kitchen: junk drawers, lidless containers, unused gadgets
• 🛏️ Children's bedrooms: neglected toys, clothes that no longer fit, read and forgotten books
• 📚 Work or homework area: accumulated papers, depleted supplies, year-end work

Resist the urge to do everything in one exhausting day. One space per session is enough and much more sustainable: an hour for the entrance on a Saturday morning, the bedrooms the following weekend, etc. Progress accumulates this way without the exercise becoming a discouraging chore.

School supplies: sort before storing

June is the ideal time to go through the accumulation of the school year. Here's what to do with each category:

• 🎨 Creations and work: keep those with true emotional value, and guilt-free recycle the rest
• ✏️ School supplies: check the condition of each item, keep what is still usable, and discard what is damaged or unnecessary
• 📋 Papers and documents: file what is important and recycle everything else
• 🎒 School bags: empty, wash, and store for the summer

Make a list of what you need to buy for the new school year now, so you don't have to think about it again until August!

Clothes: the seasonal transition

If you haven't yet made the spring-summer clothing transition, now is the time! Divide everything into four piles:

• ✅ To keep: summer clothes in good condition that still fit
• 📦 To store: warm clothes to store in a labeled bin for autumn
• 🎁 To donate, sell, or exchange: clothes in good condition that no longer fit
• 🗑️ To recycle or discard: clothes too worn to be donated

While you're at it, note down each child's current sizes, information that will save you time when shopping during the summer.

Toys: a mid-year review

As children's interests evolve quickly, it can be useful to sort through toys a few times during the year. Involve them according to their age with these simple questions:

• "Do you still play with this toy?"
• "Would you miss it if this toy wasn't here anymore?"
• "Is there a friend who would be happy with this?"

Some concrete actions to take:

• Remove broken or incomplete toys that have been lying around for too long
• Identify what could be donated, sold, or exchanged
• Implement or renew a toy rotation for the summer: put some toys out of reach, and they'll reappear like new when school starts again!

Mental space: decluttering beyond objects

Physical decluttering has a direct effect on mental space: fewer things to manage, organize, and find means less noise in your head daily. But June is also a great opportunity to take stock of what occupies your time and energy:

• Are there commitments not to renew next year?
• Activities that drained more energy than they provided?
• Habits or routines that no longer serve you?
• Relationships or obligations that take up space without being worth it?

Taking a few minutes to think about what you want to make room for (not just in your drawers, but in your life) can transform the upcoming summer.

Summer starts with space

A decluttered space is a space that invites lightness. Fewer objects to manage means more time and energy to enjoy what summer has to offer: spontaneous outings, unscheduled days, and improvised moments that often become the best memories. Make room for them! ☀️