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Ideal Home’s October report recommends four areas to declutter before colder months: Halloween decorations, wardrobes, baking supplies and household medicines. Organisers say sorting them now can make seasonal items easier to find and help households spot expired supplies; they advise taking unwanted medicines to a pharmacy for safe disposal.
Professional organisers recommend using October to sort Halloween decorations, wardrobes, baking supplies and household medicines before colder weather and a busier holiday season. The advice, published by Ideal Home, focuses on removing items that are broken, unused or expired and making the remaining supplies easier to locate.
For seasonal decorations, Shannon Murphy, founder of Simpl Living Co, advises checking for items that are broken, no longer to the owner’s taste or unused for several years. She says decorations in good condition can be donated while there is still time for someone else to buy and use them this Halloween.
Murphy also recommends reviewing summer clothes as wardrobes shift to colder-weather clothing. She suggests considering whether garments were comfortable, fitted well and suited the wearer’s lifestyle. Sorting them while the previous season is fresh in mind may help people decide what to keep rather than storing unworn items until next year.
For baking cupboards, professional organiser Rebecca Crayford recommends checking use-by dates, removing ingredients unlikely to be used and bringing items at the back into view. Grouping supplies so they are easy to see can help households avoid overlooking ingredients they already own and buying duplicates.
Crayford also advises taking medicines out of the drawer, checking their expiry dates and grouping similar products. She says unwanted or expired medicines should be taken to a local pharmacy for safe disposal, rather than put in household rubbish or flushed away.
Four Areas to Prepare for Cold Weather
The advice is practical seasonal guidance rather than a new rule or formal health recommendation. Its value to readers is in linking decluttering to tasks many households already face in autumn: changing clothes, preparing for indoor activities and checking what supplies are available at home.
Sorting medicines has a direct safety benefit: checking labels can identify expired products, while arranging what remains can make it easier to find items when someone is unwell. The organisers’ recommendations do not replace medical advice; readers should follow product labels and ask a pharmacist about medicines they are unsure how to dispose of.
Reviewing decorations, clothing and pantry supplies can also reduce storage pressure and make it clearer what is already on hand. Murphy and Crayford offer these steps as ways to make seasonal routines more manageable, not as guarantees of a particular result.
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Why Organisers Focus on October
Ideal Home frames October as a point between putting summer things away and preparing for colder months and holiday activity. Its report says the month can be a useful time to review what a household owns before seasonal routines become busier.
The recommendations come from two named organisers. Murphy founded Simpl Living Co and is described by the publication as a professional organiser based in West Sussex. Crayford founded RCLM, a lifestyle management business that helps clients declutter and organise daily routines. The article presents their suggestions as professional advice; it does not report research comparing October decluttering with other times of year.
“Take a look at what you have and consider whether there are decorations you haven’t used for a couple of years, are broken or no longer suit your taste.”
— Shannon Murphy, founder of Simpl Living Co, quoted by Ideal Home
Limits of the Seasonal Advice
The report does not provide data showing how many households follow these recommendations or whether October is more effective than another month for decluttering. It also does not give a complete disposal guide for every type of medicine; readers should check with a local pharmacy about specific products.
Decisions about keeping clothing and decorations are personal, and the article does not set rules for what should be discarded. Its guidance is limited to the four areas and practical checks described by Murphy and Crayford.
A Household Checklist for October
Readers can use the suggestions as a short seasonal checklist: inspect decorations before Halloween, review summer clothes as winter items come out, check baking ingredients before buying more, and sort the medicine drawer. The report sets no deadline or follow-up milestone; these are household tasks people can carry out at their own pace.
For medicines, the next step after checking expiry dates is to ask a local pharmacy about safe disposal of unwanted or outdated items. For decorations and clothing in good condition, donating them is one option Murphy recommends.
Key Questions
What four things do organisers recommend decluttering in October?
Ideal Home’s report lists Halloween decorations, wardrobes, baking supplies and household medicines.
Why sort summer clothes in October?
Shannon Murphy says the previous season is still fresh in mind, making it easier to remember which clothes were comfortable, fit well and were actually worn.
How should expired medicines be disposed of?
Rebecca Crayford advises taking unwanted or expired medicines to a local pharmacy for safe disposal rather than putting them in the bin or flushing them. Ask the pharmacy about specific products.
Should Halloween decorations in good condition be thrown away?
No. Murphy suggests donating decorations that are still in good condition if the owner no longer wants them.
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