It’s October, which means the summer is officially over and the kids are all back in school. For many, this is a joyous time of pretty foliage, pumpkin spice, and crisp fall mornings.
It’s also a reprieve before the next busy period starts: holiday festivity! In just a few weeks, homes will start filling up with family and friends – some of whom will stay overnight. Schedules get busier, gifts start flowing, and soon houses are overwhelmed by a mix of seasonal decor, presents, and general clutter.
Why not get a headstart on holiday mayhem by choosing a few key areas to declutter?
On the one hand, decluttering is a practice that you can undertake year-round. Many experts even recommend doing a daily dose of tidying up, to keep things from piling up.
But try as we might, sometimes things accumulate. Especially after months of summer fun and then back-to-school stressing, it’s normal for a few things to be out of place by the time October rolls around. Fortunately, this is the ideal time to get decluttering.
Why October is the perfect time to declutter
“We’re leaving the warmth of the summer months behind and starting to spend more time indoors – and that means clutter becomes more apparent and annoying,” warned Marty Stevens-Heebner, founder and CEO of Clear Home Solutions and AgeWise Alliance.
Since the weather is transitioning from long, sunny days to shorter, cooler ones, let this prompt you to sort through seasonal gear before it gets put away in storage. This also works for the winter gear that you’ll be using for the first time in months: You’ll be pulling out the layers anyway; why not take an extra few minutes to sort through what really fits, and what should be donated?
“We’re leaving the warmth of the summer months behind and starting to spend more time indoors – and that means clutter becomes more apparent and annoying”
Marty Stevens-Heebner, founder and CEO of Clear Home Solutions
For holiday hosts, October is the perfect time to start preparing in a low-key way, when there is still time to assess, organize and replace items as needed. Once November hits, it can feel like a race to the end of the year – which is why it’s important to make the most of these October days.
“Do you really know where everything is to make the holidays enjoyable?” asked Laurie Hise, founder of Passionate Penny Pincher. “Before Thanksgiving and Christmas sneak up on you, make sure your holiday decor and entertaining supplies are in order. If not, stress can set in and you’ll end up spending a ton on things you may already have. If you do need to replace anything, get it now before prices go up and while plenty is in stock.”
Knowing that they’ve done the prep work ahead of time frees people up to focus on the excitement of the holiday season, rather than the stresses. Even the process of decluttering can help build up holiday cheer; you may be looking at seasonal items for the first time since last Christmas. By taking some time now to get organized, you’re really investing in making the most of the last months of 2025.
7 focus areas for decluttering
1. Summer gear
“Summer gear use is winding down, and fall and winter essentials like rakes, snow shovels, salt, and holiday decorations are moving in,” explained Alan Bernau Jr., owner and garage expert at Alan’s Factory Outlet. “A pre-winter clear-out means you’re not tripping over bikes and pool floats when you’re trying to pull the car in out of the frost.”
The specific items will depend on you, your family, and your activities of choice, but common examples will be pool toys, camping gear, summer sports equipment, even gardening and lawn care tools.
October is the perfect time to survey these items and check what has survived the summer – and what should live to see summer 2026. Removing the older and broken products now ensures that you only use storage space on useful items and will be ready to leap into the summer fun next year.
2. The pantry
Both Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays that revolve around cooking and eating, as do many other cultural festivities that occur around the end of the year. Set yourself up for success by using October to go through the pantry and remove any expired or damaged supplies.
Make a note of what’s running low or missing entirely; no one wants to find out at the last minute that they actually don’t have the flour, cinnamon, or baking soda they need for a holiday dessert, so check now and restock as needed.
“Getting rid of excess items creates the breathing room you’ll need for seasonal staples like canned pumpkin, stuffing, and cranberry sauce,” said Jenny Dietsch, chief executive organizer at Getting it Done Organizing. “This is also why my team recommends not filling every shelf to the brim. Leave some open space – it makes it easier to accommodate those once-a-year ingredients without disrupting your pantry system.”
3. Kids toys
Parents will tell you that kids’ toys just seem to accumulate no matter the time of year, but there’s no question that Christmas (and Black Friday sales) signal a rush of new toys and games.
To get ahead of these prospective gifts, take a few moments to go through existing toy supplies and remove any that are no longer getting much use. By decluttering and donating these toys in October, you also may be helping other people to find affordable gifts for children in their lives this holiday season.
4. Gifting supplies
No matter whether you are buying gifts for an extended network or just a beloved few, gift wrap supplies are never more needed than around the winter holidays. During the hectic days of December, it can be tricky to note how much paper is left on the gift wrap roll and whether you’re running low on labels, so your stock may be quite depleted.
“Toss any torn or worn-out paper, bags, or ribbon, and keep only what’s in good shape,” recommended Dietsch. “Take stock of the essentials, like labels, tape, scissors, wrapping paper, so you’re not caught scrambling mid-December. If you find yourself with enough gift bags to stock an entire PTA fundraiser, it’s time to pare down and keep only the best.”
5. Your guest room
November and December are prime months for visitors and houseguests, which makes October the perfect month to reorganize the guest room.
Go through the various supplies you’ve laid out, such as guest toiletries, tissues, candles, or reading material, and refresh these with new versions – perhaps of a seasonal variety.
Assess guest linens to see if they need replacing or washing, then double check that random clutter hasn’t filled up the drawers or nightstands that your guests will be using. Depending on how often you host others, this may be a more intensive task than others; the priority is just to make sure everything is clean and welcoming.
6. Winter clothing
While the weather is still on the warmer side in October, it’s the perfect time to assess which pieces of outerwear still fit and are in good condition. If you have kids, you may find they’ve outgrown last year’s coat, so it’s better to find that out now then on the first surprise snow day!
“I will inventory both kids’ closets, trash any items with significant stains or holes, donate anything that’s in good shape but too small, and then make a list of anything we will need for winter, i.e., a new coat, ski pants, more leggings, new boots, etc.,” said Katie Foley, area general manager at More Space Place.
“I will also donate or discard anything that I didn’t pull out from the season one year ago; if a specific sweater sat in my closet all fall and winter last year without being worn, I’m probably not going to wear it this fall/winter either.”
7. Your entryway
The home’s entryway is always going to attract a mish-mash of stuff, as it’s the most convenient dumping ground when someone arrives home. Still, this problem gets exacerbated during the colder months, when people are tracking in snowy or muddy boots and pulling off bulkier jackets.
Take some time to pare down this area and remove anything that’s not providing functional or aesthetic value, to free up more space for gear. Now is also a good time to establish zones for shoes, coats, purses etc., so that you can go into the colder months with something of a system.
