Fall Decluttering Checklist: What to Get Rid of Before the Holidays

Fall always feels like a fresh start.

School is back in session. Summer activities are winding down. The weather is getting cooler, and suddenly we’re spending a lot more time at home.

Then you realize something else.

The holidays are coming.

And with them come decorations, gifts, winter gear, guests, baking supplies, packages arriving at the door, and approximately 47 new things that somehow need a place to live.

That’s why fall is one of my favorite times to declutter.

Instead of waiting until January to deal with everything, use the weeks before the holidays to clear out what your family no longer needs.

You don’t need to empty every closet and organize your entire house in one weekend.

Grab a few boxes or bags, work through one area at a time, and use this fall decluttering checklist to create a little breathing room before the busiest season of the year begins.

Start With Four Decluttering Categories

Before you start, grab four containers, boxes, or bags.

Label them:

Keep: Things you use, need, or genuinely love.

Donate: Items that are still in good condition but aren’t being used.

Sell: Higher-value items that are realistically worth your time to sell.

Trash or Recycle: Broken, expired, damaged, or unusable items.

Be realistic about the “sell” pile.

If something has been sitting in a box waiting to be listed online for the past two years, you may be happier donating it and getting the space back.

The goal is to get things out of your house—not move clutter from one room to another.

1. Declutter the Entryway

Start with one of the smallest spaces in the house.

The entryway is about to become home to coats, boots, hats, gloves, backpacks, packages, and everything else that comes through your front door.

Remove anything that doesn’t need to be there.

Go through:

• Shoes
• Jackets
• Bags
• Umbrellas
• Reusable shopping bags
• Sports equipment
• Outgrown kids’ items
• Mail
• Random things sitting on tables or benches

Then make room for the things you’ll actually use this fall and winter.

If you live somewhere with snowy winters, leave space for boots and heavy coats before you need them.

2. Go Through the Coat Closet

Pull everything out of your coat closet.

Yes, everything.

You’ll probably discover coats nobody wears, gloves without partners, broken umbrellas, and at least one completely mysterious object that hasn’t seen daylight in years.

Have everyone try on their winter gear.

Check coats, snow pants, boots, gloves, hats, and scarves.

Donate anything that’s been outgrown while it’s still early enough in the season for someone else to use it.

Then make a list of anything your household needs before winter.

3. Declutter Your Clothes

The seasonal wardrobe switch is the perfect time to declutter clothing.

As you’re putting summer clothes away, ask yourself:

Did I wear this at all this summer?

If the answer is no, think carefully before storing it for another year.

Obviously, there are exceptions. You probably don’t need to get rid of the dress you only wear to weddings because nobody happened to get married this summer.

But that tank top you haven’t worn since 2019?

You can probably let it go.

Look for:

• Clothes that don’t fit
• Clothes you don’t like wearing
• Damaged clothing
• Uncomfortable clothes
• Duplicate items
• Things you haven’t worn in years

Donate anything that’s still in wearable condition.

4. Tackle the Kids’ Closets

Kids and teens can grow incredibly fast.

Fall is a good time to check whether everything still fits before buying new clothes for the colder months.

Go through:

• Jeans
• Leggings
• Sweatshirts
• Pajamas
• Jackets
• Dresses
• School clothes
• Shoes
• Boots
• Winter gear

Don’t forget drawers.

There are probably socks, underwear, pajamas, and random shirts hiding in there that haven’t fit in quite some time.

5. Declutter Shoes

Shoes can quietly take over an entryway or closet.

Gather everyone’s shoes and look at them realistically.

Get rid of shoes that are:

• Too small
• Painful
• Worn out
• Damaged beyond repair
• Never worn

Then organize what’s left by season.

Summer sandals don’t need prime entryway real estate when snow boots are about to become everyday footwear.

6. Go Through the Pantry

The holidays mean baking, cooking, entertaining, and bringing a lot more food into the house.

Make room now.

Pull everything out one shelf at a time and check expiration and best-by dates as appropriate.

Look for food your family simply isn’t going to eat.

If unopened, unexpired items meet your local food shelf’s donation requirements, consider donating them rather than letting them sit in your pantry for another year.

Then group similar items together so you can actually see what you have.

You may discover you already own four cans of pumpkin and don’t need another one.

7. Declutter the Refrigerator and Freezer

Do the same thing with your refrigerator and freezer.

Throw away spoiled food and anything that is no longer safe to eat.

Look through freezer items and identify foods that should be used soon.

Then make a point of incorporating them into upcoming meals.

Creating freezer space before the holidays can be incredibly useful when you start storing baked goods, leftovers, holiday meals, and make-ahead dishes.

8. Declutter Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are notorious for accumulating things we don’t use.

Go through:

• Mugs
• Water bottles
• Food storage containers
• Travel cups
• Plates
• Bowls
• Serving dishes
• Baking supplies
• Small appliances
• Kitchen gadgets

Do you really need 37 reusable water bottles?

Probably not.

Keep your favorites and donate the extras.

9. Match Your Food Storage Containers

This deserves its own category.

Pull out every food storage container and every lid.

Match them.

If a container doesn’t have a lid, you probably don’t need it.

If a lid doesn’t have a container, you probably don’t need that either.

Throw away or recycle damaged containers according to local guidelines.

Then stack or organize what’s left.

It is ridiculously satisfying.

10. Declutter Your Junk Drawer

We all have one.

Maybe you have three.

Take everything out.

Throw away dried-up pens, expired coupons, old receipts you don’t need, mystery keys you’ve already identified as useless, broken items, empty tape dispensers, and whatever else has migrated into the drawer.

Put away things that actually belong somewhere else.

Then return only the useful items.

Congratulations.

You can open the drawer again.

11. Go Through the Bathroom

Bathrooms accumulate clutter incredibly quickly.

Pull everything out of drawers, cabinets, and baskets.

Check:

• Makeup
• Skincare
• Hair products
• Toiletries
• Hair tools
• Towels
• First-aid supplies

Dispose of expired or unusable products appropriately.

Get rid of empty bottles and products you tried but know you’ll never use again.

Then group similar products together so you stop buying duplicates because you couldn’t find the three bottles you already owned.

12. Clean Out the Linen Closet

Take a look at your towels, sheets, blankets, and other linens.

You probably don’t need every towel you’ve owned since 2008.

Look for:

• Torn towels
• Stained linens
• Sheets that don’t fit any bed
• Unused blankets
• Old pillows
• Excess bedding

Some animal shelters accept used towels and blankets, so check with organizations in your area before throwing usable textiles away.

Then organize what remains by room or bed size.

13. Declutter the Living Room

The living room is about to become prime holiday territory.

Decorations will appear.

Presents may start collecting under the tree.

Family members will be watching movies, playing games, and spending more time indoors.

Create some space first.

Go through:

• Books
• Magazines
• DVDs
• Video games
• Electronics
• Throw pillows
• Blankets
• Decor
• Baskets
• Toys
• Board games

Remove anything that isn’t being used or doesn’t belong in the room.

14. Go Through Books

If your bookshelves are overflowing, fall is a great time to thin them out.

Keep books you love, plan to read, reference regularly, or genuinely want in your collection.

Donate books you’ve finished and know you’ll never read again.

This is especially helpful with children’s books that your kids have outgrown.

And yes, you are absolutely allowed to keep books simply because having them makes you happy.

Decluttering isn’t supposed to remove everything you love.

15. Declutter Toys Before Holiday Gifts Arrive

If you have younger kids, do this before December.

Trust me.

Holiday gifts are going to need somewhere to go.

Have kids help decide what they’ve outgrown or no longer play with.

Look for:

• Broken toys
• Missing pieces
• Outgrown toys
• Duplicate toys
• Toys that haven’t been touched in months

Donate usable items while other families may be looking for affordable holiday gifts.

You don’t have to get rid of everything.

The goal is simply to make room for what your kids actually enjoy.

16. Go Through Teen Clutter

Teen rooms come with their own special categories of stuff.

Think:

• Beauty products
• Empty product containers
• Clothes
• Shoes
• School papers
• Phone accessories
• Jewelry
• Bags
• Water bottles
• Craft supplies
• Collectibles

Let your teen have a say in what stays.

Something that looks like clutter to you might actually be important to them.

Focus more on removing trash, broken items, outgrown clothing, and things they genuinely don’t want anymore.

17. Declutter Board Games and Puzzles

Fall and winter are prime board-game season.

Go through your collection before adding anything new.

Check whether games still have all their important pieces.

Donate games nobody plays anymore.

Throw away games that are too damaged or incomplete to reasonably use.

Then put your favorites somewhere easy to reach for cozy family nights.

18. Clean Out the Home Office

Paper clutter can multiply faster than almost anything else.

Go through:

• Mail
• Old paperwork
• School papers
• Receipts
• Manuals
• Notebooks
• Office supplies
• Cords
• Old electronics

Shred sensitive paperwork you no longer need and recycle what you can.

Keep important documents according to appropriate record-retention requirements.

Then create a system for incoming mail so the pile doesn’t immediately return.

19. Deal With the Cord Drawer

You know the drawer.

It contains 14 cords.

You know what approximately three of them belong to.

Take them out and identify what you can.

Keep chargers and cables that work with devices you still own.

Responsibly recycle obsolete or damaged electronics and cords according to local e-waste guidelines.

And label the cords you keep.

Future you will be grateful.

20. Declutter Holiday Decorations

Before you decorate for the holidays, go through the decorations themselves.

This is easiest to do as you’re pulling each seasonal bin out of storage.

Ask yourself:

• Do I still like this?
• Did I use it last year?
• Is it broken?
• Does it still work?
• Do I have somewhere to display it?

Donate decorations that are in good condition but no longer fit your style.

Throw away or recycle broken items when appropriate.

Then you’re only storing decorations you actually want to use.

21. Go Through Gift-Wrapping Supplies

Before buying another roll of wrapping paper, find out what you already have.

Gather:

• Wrapping paper
• Gift bags
• Tissue paper
• Bows
• Ribbon
• Tape
• Gift tags
• Boxes

Throw away badly damaged supplies and organize everything else together.

You may discover you don’t need to buy nearly as much as you thought.

22. Declutter the Garage

The garage needs to transition from summer to winter too.

Put away:

• Lawn games
• Pool supplies
• Gardening tools
• Summer sports equipment
• Outdoor toys
• Patio accessories

Then declutter anything you no longer use.

Make space for snow shovels, ice melt, winter sports gear, sleds, and whatever else you’ll need during the colder months.

Most importantly, put your snow-removal equipment somewhere you can actually reach it.

23. Get Rid of Cardboard Boxes

Online shopping can quickly turn a garage or storage area into a cardboard-box warehouse.

Break down boxes you don’t need and recycle them according to local guidelines.

Keep a small number if you regularly ship items or know you’ll need boxes for holiday gifts.

You probably don’t need 43 of them.

24. Declutter Your Storage Areas

Basements, attics, and storage rooms are where decisions go to die.

“I’ll deal with it later.”

Well, it’s later.

Choose one section rather than trying to tackle the entire space.

Start with a single shelf, bin, or corner.

Ask yourself whether you actually want to continue storing each item.

If you forgot you owned something until you opened the box, that’s useful information.

25. Make a Donation Run Immediately

This may be the most important step on the entire list.

Once you’ve filled your donation bags:

Get them out of the house.

Put them in your car.

Take them to your chosen donation location as soon as possible.

Don’t let six bags sit in the garage for the next four months.

The decluttering isn’t finished until the stuff actually leaves your home.

What Should You NOT Declutter?

Fall decluttering doesn’t mean getting rid of things simply for the sake of owning less.

Keep the things that:

• You regularly use
• Make your life easier
• Have genuine sentimental value
• Bring you joy
• Support your hobbies
• You realistically expect to use
• Would be expensive or difficult to replace

Your home doesn’t need to look like nobody lives there.

The goal is to remove the things that are getting in the way of the things you actually value.

Try the 15-Minute Fall Decluttering Challenge

If you’re overwhelmed, forget the giant weekend decluttering marathon.

Set a timer for 15 minutes.

Pick one small area.

Maybe it’s:

• One drawer
• One bathroom cabinet
• One pantry shelf
• One section of a closet
• One bookshelf
• One toy bin

Work until the timer goes off.

Then stop.

Do another 15 minutes tomorrow.

Fifteen minutes a day for two weeks gives you three and a half hours of decluttering without sacrificing an entire weekend.

You can accomplish a surprising amount.

A Simple Fall Decluttering Schedule

Want to tackle the whole house before the holidays?

Spread it out over several weekends.

Weekend 1: Clothes + Closets

Declutter seasonal clothing, kids’ clothes, shoes, coats, and winter gear.

Weekend 2: Kitchen + Pantry

Clean out food, cabinets, food-storage containers, kitchen gadgets, and the junk drawer.

Weekend 3: Bedrooms + Bathrooms

Declutter bedroom surfaces, bathroom products, linens, beauty supplies, and personal items.

Weekend 4: Living Spaces

Go through books, toys, games, electronics, blankets, decor, and other living-room clutter.

Weekend 5: Garage + Storage

Deal with seasonal equipment, cardboard boxes, storage bins, and anything you’ve been avoiding.

Weekend 6: Holiday Prep

Go through holiday decorations, wrapping supplies, serving pieces, and anything else you’ll need over the next few months.

Then make one final donation run.

Give Yourself Some Breathing Room Before the Holidays

The holidays have a way of bringing more of everything into our homes.

More food.

More packages.

More decorations.

More gifts.

More coats by the door.

More people.

And usually a lot more stuff.

That’s why decluttering in the fall can make such a difference.

You’re not trying to create a perfectly organized house.

You’re simply making room.

Room for the things you use.

Room for the people you love.

Room for new memories.

And yes, room for whatever giant box someone inevitably decides to give your child for Christmas.

Start with one drawer.

Fill one donation bag.

Clear one shelf.

Then do another tomorrow.

By the time the holiday season arrives, your home will feel lighter, more organized, and much easier to enjoy.