You’ve booked your summer trip, the weather’s getting warmer, and you’re already daydreaming about beaches and breezy dresses… But before you zip up your suitcase, how about doing a little refresh at home?
This Summer Declutter Challenge is your simple way to clear your space, clear your mind, and actually enjoy your vacation—without worrying about the mess waiting for you when you return.
Whether you’re a minimalist in progress, a busy woman juggling life, or someone who just wants a fresh vibe before summer kicks off, this one’s for you 💛
🧳 In This Blog Post You’ll Learn How To:
- Declutter your home fast before your trip
- Simplify your travel prep (frugal & minimalist style)
- Pack smarter and lighter
- Create a peaceful, clean space to return to
- Enjoy a vacation without the mental clutter ✈️
Table of Contents
✨ Why Declutter Before Summer Vacation?
- You’ll return home to a peaceful space, not a pile of chaos.
- It helps you pack lighter and smarter.
- You’ll reduce stress and that mental clutter before taking off.
- It aligns beautifully with a frugal, minimalist lifestyle.
- It’s like spring cleaning… but sunnier and more fun.
📆 The 7-Day Summer Declutter Challenge
Take it slow or tackle it all in one weekend. Either way, this challenge is meant to make space—physically and mentally.
Day 1: Summer Wardrobe Reset
👗 I love cleaning out my closet; it always helps me find clothes that have been buried for a long time and that I forgot I had.
It allows me to reuse them and create new styles.
It saves me money because it makes me feel like I have new clothes again and stops me from buying new ones.
- Sort through your clothes and get rid of anything you didn’t wear in the last 6 months.
- Ask yourself:
Do I really need this?
Does this reflect my current lifestyle?
- Donate, sell, or recycle items that no longer serve you.
Read: How I Made €500 in 3 Months Selling Used Clothes on Vinted
Day 2: Travel-Related Declutter
🎒 Go through your suitcases, travel toiletries, and tech gear.
→ Ditch expired sunscreens, tangled cords, and bulky extras.
When I travel for just a weekend or a quick 2-3 day trip around Europe, I always bring only one backpack that fits under the plane seat. This trick has saved me tons of money on ridiculous luggage fees from airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air, which charge a fortune for checked bags.
My go-to travel essential? This amazing Nike backpack is the perfect size for budget airline restrictions, fits all my clothes, underwear, and cosmetics, and even has a special back pocket for my laptop. Plus, it opens like a suitcase, making packing and unpacking super easy!
One of my best packing hacks? Packing cubes! 🧳 They maximize space, keep everything organized, and prevent my clothes from getting messy—a total game-changer for traveling light.
Read: How to Travel Cheap: 8 Travel Hacks for Europe to Save Money
Day 3: Paper Pile Clean-Up
🧾 Bills, travel printouts, receipts?
→ Digitize what you can and shred what you don’t need.
- Declutter household documents.
- Discard any papers that are not needed.
- Get your paperwork in order.
- Use folders or binders to sort papers by color.
- Scan your papers and save them digitally in the cloud.
- Protect important papers in a fireproof vault.
- Keep the system organized with monthly maintenance.
- For digital organization, use apps such as Evernote.
By following these seven simple steps, you’ll transform your document organization from a chaotic mess into a streamlined system. 💁♀️
The sense of relief that comes from an organized space is priceless!
If you want to not only declutter your paperwork but also your entire house, this guide will help you to do it in only 30 days.
💡 Check out my blog post: How to Organize Household Paperwork in 7 Easy Steps
Day 4: Entryway & Bag Declutter
🎒 Empty out your everyday bag or backpack.
→ Old receipts, snacks, random stuff? Clear it out.
✨ Same with that pile of shoes and mail by the door!
Day 5: Bathroom + Toiletries Detox
🧴 Go through your skincare, makeup, and mini bottles.
→ Toss what’s expired, combine duplicates, and create a simple travel-ready kit.
Day 6: Digital Detox
📱 Clean out your downloads folder, delete apps you don’t use, and organize your travel docs into one folder.
→ Less screen stress = more real-life sunshine.
Minimizing physical paperwork is essential in this digital age. ✨
Make digital copies of all paperwork you can.
Scanned documents, such as contracts and receipts, can be safely stored in cloud storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Evernote. 💻
Day 7: Fridge + Pantry Purge
🥗 Empty your fridge of anything that’ll expire while you’re away.
→ Bonus: You’ll come back to a clean kitchen and no bad smells.
- Sort through your fridge and freezer, getting rid of expired or forgotten items.
- Organize the other food by type, like putting vegetables in the bottom drawer.
- For easy access, put products you use every day at eye level.
This will help you remember what is in the fridge and stop you from buying food on a whim, which is a money-saving tip!
Bonus Tips to Simplify Before Vacation:
- Create a minimalist packing list (less stuff = less stress)
- Prep a few freezer meals for when you get home tired and hungry
- Put fresh sheets on your bed before you leave—it’s magical coming back to that!
Minimalism = A Better Vacation with Summer Declutter Challenge
Decluttering isn’t just about stuff. It’s about freedom, ease, and joy—and that’s the exact energy you want to carry into your summer adventures.
Whether you’re backpacking across Europe, road-tripping with your family, or just taking a local beach break, clearing your space first will make it all feel lighter.
💾 Save It, Share It, Start It!
📌 Pin this post so you can come back to the checklist later.
👯♀️ Share it with a friend who’s packing for summer too.
🧘♀️ Let this be your soft reset before your summer glow-up.
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