10 Ideas to Organize Your Home for Summer

Photo by Peter Idowu on Unsplash

Photo by Peter Idowu on Unsplash

Summer is my favorite season. When I lived in Chicago, I spent 9 months looking forward to the days when I could swap out my jackets and boots for shorts and sandals. With the onset of summer comes a transition, not just of the weather, but of activities and daily rituals as well. School is out, camp starts, schedules relax, travel happens, popsicles replace hot cocoa, and longer days allow us to enjoy the sunshine even more. With a seasonal transition comes a need to re-organize. Here are my best ideas for getting your family ready for summer:

Entryway

Whether you have a coat closet or just a console, the entryway is a perfect place to start your summer organizing project. If you haven’t done it yet, now is the perfect time to swap out gloves and scarves for sunscreen and bubbles. An over the door organizer or elfa over the door rack can help you use the door as storage space.

Keep a pool bag at the ready throughout the summer months. Mine has towels, sunscreen, hats, small pool toys, goggles, and extra sunglasses in it, Don’t forget a plastic bag for wet bathing suits!

Kids Clothes

No doubt your children have grown since the last time they wore their shorts and tank tops. Keep track of the clothes you put in the donate bag by writing down what needs replacing, or taking a picture of what you set aside, so you know exactly what you need to buy in a larger size.

Use drawer dividers to keep their clothing drawers organized. I prefer bamboo or wood dividers over the plastic ones as they seem to stay in place better. Make sure to measure the width of your drawers before you place the order.

I find name labels from Mabel’s Labels help my kids keep track of their stuff. They are easy to spot, stick to anything, and hold up through many washes. They even have camp pack, which I think is brilliant.

picture labels dinosaurs.jpg
Labels.jpg

Toys

School out means more time at home. Keep toys organized by adding labels to all of the toy bins and baskets. I am obsessed with creating picture labels for pre-readers. Help them help you keep everything neat and tidy. Your pictures don’t need to be perfect — they just need to convey a bit about what sort of thing is contained within. You can use drawings, stickers or printed out photos.

If you find that the playroom is always a mess, no matter how many times you seem to reorganize it, it is time to create a toy rotation system. Select a few categories of less-used toys or duplicate toys. Place them in a large, lidded plastic bin. I prefer 55 to 65 quart. Store the bin at the top of a closet or out-of-reach place.

Rather than feeling like they are missing out, your kids will spend more time playing with the toys they can easily access. (I promise!)

When you feel like they are getting bored of the toys you have set out for them, swap out the selection for toys in the bin. It will feel like Christmas in July! (Important: Prevent a re-accumulation of the mess by making sure to put the same amount of toys you took out back into the rotation bin.)

Kitchen

Summer entertaining is around the corner. Keep grilling tools in an area of your kitchen that is as close to the grill as possible. Make room for plates and cups that are deck and pool friendly by moving specialty holiday dishes to the uppermost cabinets or even the garage.

Create accessible snack and lunch prep stations in a lower cabinet or drawer so your kids can help themselves. Encourage them to help you set the table by putting their plates and eating utensils in a lower drawer as well.

These few tweaks will help keep your family organized, this summer and beyond. For more ideas and tips, make sure to check outMy Must-Have Summer Organizing Tool,” “Packing for Sleepaway Camp: Our Best Tips,” and “Get Your Pantry Summer Ready.”


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