End of Summer Clean Out

August is approaching, and for many of us, that means it's almost the end of summer! Before sending your kiddos back to school, it's important to have a summer clean out to ensure that you, your children, and your house are ready to go! Before you can go back-to-school shopping, you've got to do a back-to-school cleaning; luckily, we've got the guide for you! 

Coming and going from the house more frequently means you'll likely be using different rooms of your house more often. Rooms such as your mudroom. laundry room, kitchen, entryways, pantries, and closets should be a top priority when doing an end-of-summer clean out. You'll want these rooms organized and to function properly to make life easier once school is back in session! 

The first 3 steps in your summer clean out should be to:

1. Declutter: Toss out anything that has been sitting or hasn't been touched since last school year. This is a great opportunity for a mid-year mini purge to make room for all the new school supplies, clothes and food that will be filling your house in preperation for the upcoming school year. 

2. Organize: Once you've decluttered your home and the high-use rooms, now it's time to organize. Organization helps to make your home more functional! Whether you add more storage, or reorganize the storage you already have, it's important to put things where they belong and make sure your family members know exactly where things go so everyone is on the same page. Organization can help to limit stress on those busy first few days back to school!

3. Deep Clean: Now that you've decluttered and put everything away, it's time for that deep clean! Don't worry, this doesn't have to be as extensive as your spring cleaning routine. You'll want to focus on areas of the home that will be most important as your children go back to school. We recommend doing the following: reorganize your pantry, clean floor mats, scrub the tub and shower, replace pillows and wash blankets/comforters.

Now that you have the summer clean out guide, we want to share some tips to help you stay on track this school year!

PCS Pro Tips:

A. Add hooks to your mudroom or laundry room where your children can store their backpacks so you always know where they're at! 

B. Contain shoes: If you leave your shoes by an entryway, consider getting a shoe rack or some type of shoe storage where you can easily stow away shoes out of the entry.

C. Each week, wipe down the doorknobs, cabinet pulls, handles and sinks in your home with a disinfectant to decrease the spread of germs in your household.

D. Before buying new clothes for the school year, go through your children's clothes to get rid of the ones that no longer fit. If you have to buy new clothes midway through the year, repeat this process to prevent clothes that no longer fit from taking up space in drawers and closets. 

E. Have a snack station. Children will be hungry as they're growing and getting back into routine. Having a designated snack station of snack box for each child will prevent them from digging through your pantry, while also giving them access to food to keep them fueled until dinner! 

As you prepare for the end of summer, remember, it's okay for your house to look lived in, and it's okay to not be organized and clutter-free 24/7. Life is busy, but doing small tasks each day and week will help to make your busy schedule just a little more free!