The "Throw It Out Now" Declutter List Everyone's Quietly Doing Before October Hits

The "Throw It Out Now" Declutter List Everyone's Quietly Doing Before October Hits

There's something about the calendar flipping toward fall that makes me want to open every closet and junk drawer in the house at once. I'm not the only one — professional organizers are all publishing some version of "here's what to toss before the season turns" right now, and after falling down that rabbit hole this week, I pulled together the three finds that actually made me get up off the couch and do something about it.

First up, this roundup of 12 things professional organizers say to throw out ASAP in September is the one that finally got me to deal with my sunscreen graveyard under the bathroom sink. The list covers the obvious culprits — expired sunblock, sad leftover school supplies, swimsuits that never got worn — but the line that stuck with me was from organizer Lisa Zaslow, who points out that September's "fresh-start energy" is exactly why this is the moment to clear it out, not January. With the days getting shorter, she argues, you want your fall essentials front and center instead of buried behind summer stuff you're done with. I also loved the reminder that old beach towels don't have to go in the trash; a lot of animal shelters take them for bedding, which made my decluttering feel a little less wasteful and a little more useful.

The second piece, on seven things you should declutter before October, picks up almost exactly where the first one leaves off, but with a Halloween-shaped twist I hadn't thought about: last year's candy, cracked jack-o'-lanterns, and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg that have gone stale from a full year of holiday baking. The tip that's actually going to change how I decorate going forward is embarrassingly simple — organizers Courtney Cummings and Christina Lee suggest taking a few photos right after you put up your fall or Halloween decor, so next year you're not standing in the garage trying to remember what went where. I've already got a "decor 2026" album started on my phone, and future me is going to be grateful.

The last one isn't an article at all — it's Dana K. White's most recent live decluttering Q&A, and if you've never watched one, it's basically a free therapy session for anyone who's ever felt ashamed of their junk drawer. People call or write in with real, specific, sometimes embarrassing decluttering dilemmas, and she answers on the spot with zero judgment and a lot of practical common sense — no aesthetic Pinterest bins required. What I appreciate about her approach, which shows up in every one of these sessions, is that she treats decluttering as a skill you build through repetition, not a personality trait you either have or don't. Watching one is a good reminder that the goal isn't a magazine-perfect house, it's a house that functions for the actual people living in it.

Put together, these three are basically permission to stop overthinking it: pick one drawer, one shelf, one bin of decorations, and just start. Save this post so you've got the list handy next time you've got fifteen free minutes, and try knocking out just one category this week — you really don't need a whole weekend to make a dent.

Filed under: Home & Organization · The Little Things