August is a bridge between two very busy seasons, making it the perfect time to get your home organized.
With summer winding down and fall just around the corner, now is your chance to get ahead of hosting chaos before the days get shorter and our motivation starts to plummet.
I spoke to professional home organizers to work out which things we should be organizing in August 2025 as part of our annual decluttering calendar to make the next month that little bit more manageable.
Things to organize in 2025
1. Digital wishlists and bookmarks
It is usually around August when stores start to switch their stock over from summer essentials to cozy fall must-haves. While it might sound crazy, it’s around now that I start my planning for Christmas. We might be four months out, but starting to create wishlists for myself and family now gives me plenty of time to budget and use my ETC method to whittle down the real gems from the impulse spends – something that is even more important to organize in August 2025 as things continue to get more expensive.
I start with a little digital decluttering, going through bookmarks and camera rolls to remove items that I didn’t purchase over the summer and won’t in the fall, and then add any remaining items to separate wishlists, usually one per recipient, ready to start shopping for the holidays.
2. Underwear and loungewear
As the peak cozy seasons start to manifest themselves through cooler, more settled weather, I also find it the perfect time to start organizing a dresser and pulling a few cozier garments to the front.
Cynthia Kennedy, a San Diego-based personal stylist, wardrobe organizer, and image consultant, agrees, adding, ‘It sounds random, but hear me out: As we head into layering season, undergarments matter more. Organize bras, slips, and shapewear so you’re not digging through tangled straps later. Toss anything stretched, faded, or that doesn’t work under the pieces you actually wear.’
I find using deep drawer plastic dividers, from Walmart, makes separating cozy clothing from summer essentials easier when organizing clothes storage in transitional periods such as August, where the weather can be balmy one day, but breezy the next. This 12-pack of drawer bins, from Wayfair, can also come in handy when organizing underwear and loungewear, and is available in six colors to suit any organizing aesthetic.
Baskets are the perfect tool for organizing accessories, underwear, and loungewear that don't need folding or over-the-top sorting. It keeps everything ready to grab and go.
For the seasonal items you are not quite ready to swap back to yet, keep them secure in vacuum-sealed bags, protecting them from damage and pests.
Under-bed storage is a great way to expand on your existing closet space, be it for storing your off-season items or offering a place for your bulkier pieces that need folding, but take up too much space in dresser drawers. These bags on wheels make them easy to pull out quickly and access as needed.
3. Your planner
Part of your monthly organizing tasks should be to make your weekly organizing schedule easier. A great way to do this is to spend some time organizing a planner, especially in August, when families settle back into school routines, or in my case, the work year ends.
Audra George, professional home organizer and owner of Pretty Neat: An Organization Solution in Oklahoma City, says, ‘If you start the year off organized, it is easier to stay organized. You can go old school and use a paper planner, or use your phone for a digital version. Writing down and organizing important dates for school, sports, and beyond will keep the whole family organized and on the same page.’
For those who prefer physical planners, this blank weekly planner, from Amazon, is a great option, as it doesn't have dates, meaning you can add them yourself and dip in and out as you need it without wasting paper. Plus, it comes in seven colors.
4. Teen move out essentials
August is the back-to-school season across the US, and while I left college three years ago, I remember August being the prime time for reorganizing supplies and preparing to move out.
Nat Robinson, CEO of Trustworthy, a digital organization platform built for modern families, says, ‘Organize everything from school schedules and immunization records to shared family calendars to make the transition easier.’ It also helps to work with your child to organize your kid's room for back-to-school success.
For those teens moving out for the first time, he adds, ‘Help students organize essential documents, banking info, and emergency plans so they can access them independently and securely.’ This can help avoid some dorm room organizing mistakes when they arrive at their new home.
When I moved out, I used an expanding file folder from Walmart to categorize and organize important documents, keeping all the essentials in one place while protecting them from damage. I still use the same folder today for household and medical paperwork.
Label everything from school supplies to moving boxes when tackling back-to-school prep; everything is easy to locate and keep neat when the school rush hits your household.
Designed for moving home, Walmart shoppers praise these boxes for being very sturdy and reasonably priced.
Keep your precious items and furniture protected from damage during a move by using bubble wrap to secure them.
5. Emergency preparedness kits
While I am preparing to start draft-proofing a home again to stay warm as the temperature outside dips, I am lucky enough to live somewhere with a somewhat mild climate, so severe weather is not on my list of concerns.
For those in more severe weather paths, however, it is wise to make your home emergency-ready, especially in 2025, when the weather across the world seems to be taking an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach.
Gerrit Jan Reinders, founder of BOXIE24 storage experts, advises, ‘August is an important month to prepare for late-summer storms and the coming autumn season. Make or replenish your emergency kits with distinctly labeled items such as flashlights, batteries, first aid materials, and non-perishable food. Planning ahead avoids a last-minute rush when the weather happens.’
At the very least, pick up a complete first-aid kit from Walmart and a battery-operated flashlight, also available at Walmart, for minor fall and winter emergencies.
Meet the experts
These five home organizing hot spots will help you ease into the cooler months without going all-out fall just yet. Remember, these tasks will be made easier by decluttering during August 2025.
