The Best Back to School Declutter & Organize Checklist

This back to school declutter and organize checklist will prepare you for the upcoming year and make you feel at ease that everything is in place for success. Back to school won’t be stressful this year! You will be able to look forward to the year and be able to enjoy the moments instead of stressing. With these simple steps, you are ready to start the school year off right! This post is all about a back to school declutter and organize checklist.

Once July 4th hits, there is that feeling of oh no, it is about to be that time of year again! Rest assured, this year, you will be prepared to take on the craziness of the year!

This quick declutter and organize checklist is nothing too demanding, yet once you get through these items, you will be ready to rock the school year.

This post is all about a back to school declutter and organize checklist.

Table of Contents

Back to School Declutter & Organize Checklist

Entryway Organization

When you leave the house and head back home, this area is your first stop. Be sure that you have your shoe bins prepared, hooks up for easy bookbag and lunch box storage, and a place to drop paperwork that needs attention.

The girls are constantly growing out of shoes or in need of them washed. So before school starts, I’ll check their shoe sizes, and wash those little shoes that need a quick spin in the washing machine. I love Natives because you can just pop them in the washer for a quick refresh. They are pretty much dry instantly too.

In our hall closet, I put up 3M hooks to keep their book bags and lunch boxes within reach, so they can grab them themselves and head out of the door. When they return, they can empty out their items and quickly put them away without a problem.

Also, be sure to check that raincoats and sweatshirts are clean and ready to go as the weather changes quickly. Living in Pittsburgh, the weather can change hourly, and having a sweatshirt handy to just toss in the bag is best and saves time leaving the house in the early hours.

With so many forms, it is nice to have a somewhat empty table in the hall to set paperwork that needs to be signed and sent back and whatnot. This makes life easier, and less hassle in the end.

Closet Reset

Before you head out to buy school clothes, check the closets to make sure you have a list of what needs to be replaced and what is missing. Even though I love just buying items online, for school clothes, we just go to the store to avoid the hassle of returning all of those wrong sizes.

This year my older daughter was in need of jeans and some fresh graphic T-shirts. Check your local sales and remember they grow out of these clothes, so don’t spend too much. 🙂

Also, when you do the closet reset, have bags organized to donate clothes, swap them with a neighbor, and toss them away depending on their wear and tear. Most shoes can’t be donated as they look horrible and have been too worn to gift to anyone. At least that is the case in our home.

Also, don’t forget to check on socks and undies for the correct sizes and if they at least have enough for the week in case you can’t get to the laundry.

Prepare Bookbags & Lunch Boxes

With all of that organizing, you either must buy fresh bookbags or lunch boxes. The girls are reusing last year’s items as they are still in great shape. I am going to toss them in the washer on cold and delicate before preparing them for the first day.

Be sure that the lunch boxes or bookbags have storage for a water bottle and some snacks too. Packaging snacks in the front and side pockets of bags is a good idea with so many after-school activities.

Gather and Stock Up on School Supplies

Next on the list is to check the school supply list. Be sure to see if you already have some of these items left over from last year and then check the sales on these items. Also, try to buy extra items you know need to be restocked frequently. We run through markers and crayons quicker than most supplies, so I always purchase multiple of these items.

Organize Pantry and Restock

Once the school year starts, it is harder and harder to have time to restock the pantry. Be sure to check your pantry and head to your local store to get those most used items. The girls are always grabbing a breakfast bar and a snack after school.

Also, check your freezer and pantry for a list of items that make for quick meals. I always have noodles and rice in stock with some soups, so that I have a quick meal between activities. Also, when I know that we have back-to-back long nights, I make a chili or pasta dish to be sure to have leftovers. Not having to cook back-to-back nights after activities is a huge weight lifted! Another thing I just bought is this chalkboard to try to do some meal planning each week too.

My youngest daughter loves pancakes and/or frozen waffles for breakfast, so I normally put syrup in containers. Nonetheless, this always turns out to be a mess, so this year, I purchased these little to-go syrups to make life easier.

Organize Extracurricular Activities Items

Be sure to locate all of the necessary activity equipment. Recently, we cleaned out our garage and I tried to make sure that all of the fall items were not deflated. Also, we will be purchasing new soccer shoes soon too. Also, if you have other kids going to these events be sure to prepare other activities for them. I always bring sidewalk chalk with me as well as markers and coloring books. This little drawing tablet is ideal for travel.