8 Best Things to Declutter from Your Home in July 2026
Inside: Discover eight of the best things to declutter from your home in July. Enjoy less stress this summer by removing these excess items.
If you feel like your home only gets more cluttered as summer goes along, you certainly aren’t alone.
Long, sunny days often mean more time spent outside and away from home with traveling to different places, trips to local parks or beaches, and various other outdoor (or indoor) adventures.
And while there’s nothing wrong with enjoying all the joy that summer brings, it can be easy to neglect the state of our homes when we’re spending so much time outside of them, which can lead to creeping clutter that takes over every surface, drawer, and corner.
Instead of ignoring the mess and putting it off for later, July is a great time to revisit your home and make intentional decisions about what to keep and what to let go of.
Why to Declutter in July
The slower pace of summer, combined with a natural desire to feel lighter and freer, makes this month perfect for simplifying your surroundings.
Decluttering in July not only helps make your home more organized, but it also contributes to a sense of mental clarity and peace.
With kids out of school, trips on the horizon, and outdoor activities at their peak, it’s easy for stuff to accumulate quickly.
By paring down now, you can enjoy the rest of the season with a greater sense of ease and presence.
Not sure where to start? Here are eight of the best things to declutter from your home this July.
8 Best Things to Declutter from Your Home in July
Here are eight of the best things to declutter from your home in July. Anything you can get decluttered is great. Use this list to help you get started.
1 – Summer Clothing You Don’t Wear
Take an honest look at your summer wardrobe. Are there items you haven’t touched since the weather warmed up?
Maybe it’s a sundress that never fits quite right or shorts that ride up and you constantly have to tug at them. If something isn’t comfortable, flattering, or loved, it’s time to donate it. Let go of anything you haven’t worn this summer and likely won’t wear before the season ends.
Decluttering your summer clothing now, while the season is still in full swing, helps you make decisions based on current reality rather than memory or hope.
And once you’ve gotten rid of the stuff you don’t wear, you’ll find it easier to put together outfits you genuinely enjoy wearing and keep your closet organized throughout the summer months.
This is also a great time to encourage your kids to go through their outgrown clothes as well.
2 – Expired Sunscreen and Bug Spray
Go through your bathroom cabinets, beach bags, and outdoor bins for those leftover bottles of sunscreen and bug repellent.
You might be surprised to learn that sunscreens lose their effectiveness after a year or two, and using expired products can be ineffective or even harmful to your skin.
Properly dispose of any expired or half-used bottles you no longer need. If you find yourself overstocked, consider donating unopened, in-date products to local shelters or community centers.
3 – Outdoor Gear That’s Past Its Prime
Patio cushions that are ripped or stained, broken garden tools, ripped tents, and deflated pool toys all take up space and contribute to visual clutter.
These items often hide in sheds, garages, and corners of the yard until they become a forgotten mess.
Take stock of your outdoor items and be realistic about what actually gets used. Toss or recycle anything that’s broken beyond repair and donate gently used gear that someone else could enjoy.
4 – Unused Travel Accessories
Summer is travel season for most of us, which makes July a perfect time to sort through your travel gear.
Do you have neck pillows in storage that you never actually bring on flights? Worn-out luggage that makes you miserable every time you haul it through the airport? Random toiletry bags that never get used?
Keep the stuff you do use, but part ways with the items that no longer serve you.
You might be surprised to see just how much space you can free up by getting rid of a few unneeded pieces of luggage.
5 – Kids’ School Papers and Art Projects
If you have little ones at home, you know just how quickly these can pile up. By July, school has been out for a few weeks, and you’ve likely had time to go through the initial end-of-year paperwork dump.
Now is the moment to revisit the stack of art, projects, and assignments you’re still holding onto with fresh eyes.
Keep a few meaningful pieces and digitize the rest by taking photos or scanning them. You can preserve kids artwork without it cluttering your home.
Letting go of the excess helps clear both physical and emotional space while preserving the memories in a less bulky format.
6 – Fourth of July Decor You Didn’t Use
It’s easy to accumulate seasonal decor, especially for holidays like the Fourth of July.
After the celebrations are over, review your collection. Did you use everything you own? Or did some items stay in the bin again this year?
If certain decorations no longer fit your style or weren’t touched, consider donating them before they take up storage space for another year.
Decluttering right after the holiday gives you a clear memory of what you used and loved.
7 – Your Water Bottle Collection
Staying hydrated is important – especially during the summer. But holding onto an excessive number of water bottles isn’t going to help you increase your water intake during the hottest months of the year.
Take an audit of your water bottle collection. Are some bottles missing lids or straws? Are any of them cracked or leaking?
Do you find yourself gravitating toward one or two for everyday use, leaving the rest to collect dust and take up valuable space in your cabinets?
Depending on their condition, donate or toss the water bottles you don’t actually need to keep.
8 – Your Pantry
July is a great time to give your pantry a mid-year refresh. Pull everything out and check expiration dates.
Are there canned goods or boxes of pasta you meant to use months ago? What about half-used bags of chips or stale crackers, or spices that are past their prime?
Discard expired items and donate non-perishables that are still good but not likely to be used.
A clean and decluttered pantry can inspire better meal planning and reduce food waste as summer starts to wind down.
Relax This July with a Simplified Space
As you move through July, remember that decluttering isn’t about creating a picture-perfect home or checking every item off a list. It’s about making steady progress toward a space that supports the life you want to live.
Even if you only tackle a few of these areas this month, those small efforts can make a noticeable difference. Every drawer you simplify, every item you donate, and every unnecessary possession you let go of creates a little more room for peace, clarity, and ease in your daily life.
This summer, let July be a reminder that simplifying your home doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Little by little, you can create a space that’s easier to maintain, more enjoyable to live in, and filled with the things that truly add value to your life.
Which of the eight best things to declutter in July do you plan to tackle first? Leave a comment and let me know!
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Definitely my pantry & water bottles!
And travel accessories that are clogging up my garage storage space. Oh, and those sleeping bags.
Last summer, we donated our sleeping bags to a homeless shelter. They were expensive but were used only once. After ten years of taking up so much space, it felt wonderful to let them go!
I intend to start TODAY with my pantry!
WTG!
The summer clothes I don’t wear was the easiest. And a toiletry bag. The hardest sounded like pulling everything out of the pantry. Not doing as it works for me. And it was hard finding expiry dates on sunscreen/bugspray though i found some built into the tubes on top of some brands or printed on bottom. So those are gone. Thanks!
I’m in the UK – the expiration dates for skincare and SPF products is usually measured from the date of first opening the tube or jar. There’s usually a symbol on the back of the packaging with eg “12m” on it – meaning “12 months from the date of opening”. In any event, sunscreen loses its efficacy after 12 months, so if it’s opened since last summer, then bin it.
Thank you for the tips and suggestions. It’s definitely a mind thing and good places to start one project at a time. I just need to let it go and hope my stuff will bless someone else! Thank you, now it’s time to get moving and decluttee, So tired of packing and storing stuff we aren’t using and will probably never use.
One of my 4 daughters worked on clearing up a set of shelves to remove. I cannot live with what she did: my next box of coffee she put in the back of the top shelf where I couldn’t reach (stroke recovery).
So today is a Saturday and I’m working in my kitchen & bathroom: primary issue in kitchen is the pantry area; the bathroom is the closet. Wish me luck!
This may seem unneeded – but in hope of giving hope – all 8 of these areas are completely decluttered and of no significance to me now. Reading this article helped me feel like all the years I’ve spent learning, trying, and evaluating have really paid off!! To you, my fellow minimalist journey takers – just keep swimming – you will find the process is ongoing and rewarding all along the way!