Whether you are preparing to host summer parties, have vacations on the horizon, or are already preparing for the back-to-school bustle, there is plenty to declutter in July 2025 to help set you up for success.
With a few focused efforts, your home can feel lighter, cleaner, and easier to manage, without chores impacting your big summer plans.
Here, professional home organizers share the six things you should declutter in July 2025, with the best decluttering methods for each zone.
6 things to declutter in July 2025
1. 4th July Fireworks
In the run-up to your 4th of July party ideas, double-check your fireworks stash. Old fireworks could be dangerous or simply deliver lackluster displays.
Angelia York, professional organizer and VP of Saint Louis Closet Co., says, ‘A great category to declutter in summer is old fireworks. Check through any leftover 4th of July storage and dispose of any damaged or expired fireworks safely.’
Before getting rid of fireworks, submerge them completely in water for at least 48 hours. Then, double wrap them in plastic bags, tape them up with all-weather duct tape from Walmart, and dispose of them in your household waste.
2. Gardening tools
If you didn’t declutter these items in June, it's a good time to take stock and clear out any tools you no longer need.
Angelia says, ‘July is a good time to declutter a shed and tackle spring gardening supplies and tools. If tools are broken or seeds didn’t get planted, it’s time to let them go. Free up garage or shed space for current season needs.’
For the tools you are keeping, store them in a convenient tool caddy from Lowe's, so they are easy to find next planting season. Keeping everything together is also a great way to optimize your home storage and avoid costly duplicates.
3. Your garage
Decluttering a garage is not the most fun task, but it is a prime clutter magnet. While the weather is nice, July is a prime time to open up all the doors and work through some of that clutter.
Sejal Parekh, realtor, former-home stager expert, and founder of Innovae Designs, recommends, ‘Do a quick survey of your garage items. A wide variety of things tend to end up here. Make an easy access area for summer supplies such as gardening items, pool supplies, beach bags, hats, sports equipment, and 4th of July items such as fireworks, etc. You can organize these items in large tote bins.
‘For each item to organize, ask yourself, “Is this something I am actively using or want to use in the next six months?” If the answer is no, load it in your car for donation or discard it.’
Stackable, and with an air-tight lid, the Sterilite containers are perfect for organizing a garage after decluttering, allowing you make the most of vertical space while protecting items from pests.
4. Your car
Time off work and school means that Summer road trips have likely left your car looking a little worse for wear.
While you are working through your decluttering checklist outdoors and in your garage, Amanda Polton, professional home organizer at OrganizePro, says, ‘Take time to declutter any trash or clutter from road trips, checking for broken sunglasses, bags, or unused maps or manuals.’
5. Expired products
Angelia suggests, ‘Go through your expired or excess summer items. Go through items like sunscreen, bug spray, and pool chemicals because these all have expiration dates. You should toss anything past its prime or that you didn’t use last season.’
Don’t limit this task to decluttering a bathroom, either. Remember to check through any vacation bags, beach totes, and sports bags, too.
Keep counter clutter and products neat with a turntable organizer. Keeping products in your eyeline can encourage you to apply them each morning.
Keep spare products tucked away in opaque storage baskets on bathroom shelving, or in your entryway, in the case of suncreams and sprays.
Make better use of vertical storage to save space on shelves by using stacking drawers in bathroom cabinets.
6. Your kitchen
Before you can organize a kitchen for the 4th of July, you need to declutter your kitchen to make space and assess what you have and what you need, while avoiding duplicates.
Sejal urges, ‘To prepare for summer entertaining, do a quick pass through of your cabinets and countertops. Let go of any small appliances and gadgets you are not using, excess water bottles, expired spices, expired food, excess coffee mugs, and extra Tupperware.
For Tupperware, I find it easiest to store the container and lid assembled together so you don’t have a drawer full of mismatched items – this automatically will force you to let go of the ones you don’t have space for.'
This expandable cabinet organizer, from Walmart, can help to keep things neat and prevent a tsunami of containers when you open the cabinet door.
‘If you are going to be hosting a 4th of July barbecue, look at your kitchen through the lens of hosting and entertaining. What items do you need for hosting, and what haven’t you been using? Create a section of hosting supplies from paper products to fun serving dishes.’
Decluttering before the big events will make cleaning up after the 4th of July far easier on you and your guests.
Meet the experts
After you have decluttered in July, consider the things to clean in July to fully refresh your space, ready to welcome guests.
