Need to declutter? Try the seasonal swap method

What Is The Seasonal Swap Method?

According to pro cleaner Elena Navarro, the seasonal swap method is basically where you get on a scheduled rotation of your clothing, decor, and household items that are being removed and replaced by new items that you plan to use over the next few months.

Pro cleaner Shannon Littlehale says the goal is to make those transitions feel quick and effortless, while also ensuring your most prime storage real estate is always working hard for you.

“At its core, it’s about packing away what you don’t need right now, like off-season clothing, shoes, decor, and accessories, and replacing it with what’s relevant to the current season,” she says. “Rather than cramming everything into your everyday spaces, you’re keeping only what’s useful and timely within reach.”

So, for instance, Navarro says items like heavy coats, large throws, and dark decorations are taken down and put into storage; lightweight clothing, bright accent items, and summer outdoor gear and other items are brought out and displayed.

“The process is done much like a small refresh that occurs every two to four times a year, depending on how extreme the difference in the seasons is where you live.”

How The Seasonal Swap Method Helps Decluttering

You may be wondering how this process helps with decluttering if all you’re doing is swapping out the same items every year for every season. Well, Navarro says with every rotation, this method requires you to physically contact and evaluate each item you have before placing it into storage or returning it to your closet.

“This built-in editing process is what makes the Seasonal Swap such an effective tool for decluttering since you’re able to identify and eliminate items that have been damaged beyond repair, no longer fit, or were completely unused throughout the previous season and

immediately donate or discard these items, eliminating the need for them to hide in the back of a drawer for yet another year,” she says.

Essentially, this process is helping you cut down on the number of times you spend going through your items to make edits to what you own, what you’re holding onto, and what you actually use.Seaon