When the first cold nip in the air arrives, it’s the perfect time to spend a weekend putting summer equipment in order. The end of summer always feels disgusting, and I find the time I take moving through all of those soggy towels, seashell collections and vacation photos signals a clear end to the summer season, letting me welcome the joys of autumn. As programs become more complete and vacations end, it also feels good knowing that I am starting with a clean slate, ready for whatever comes next.
From sorting, cleaning and repairing to arranging and saving for another year, these 10 tasks will help you get the task finished.
Interiors Studio Martha’s Vineyard
1. Toss broken pool toys and beach equipment. Inner tubes and other inflatables do not last forever, so be sure to check for holes or other damage prior to saving them. Give items that have been at the beach a thorough scrubbing and toss anything that’s cracked or broken and cannot be repaired.
Tongue & Groove
2. Make the most of end-of-season earnings to fill gaps in your equipment. As soon as you understand what you need (a new umbrella to substitute the one that blew away?) , think about stocking up today instead of waiting until the next year.
Not just will you get the lowest cost today, but you can prevent that last-minute shopping frenzy on the way to the shore next year.
simple thoughts
3. Edit your shore treasures and keep them safely. Beachcombing is a wonderful summer pastime, along with the paintings you accumulate can become meaningful mementos of your journeys. When you’re finished exhibiting your own shells, beach glass and driftwood, give everything a once-over to get rid of broken bits and pieces, then keep everything in a hard container with a lid to protect the delicate contents from breakage. If your collection has gotten too big, think about giving a package of treasures to a friend who you know would appreciate it.
Kimberly DesJardins Interiors
4. Sift through holiday photos. With digital photography, it is so easy to dump photos on the computer and forget about them.
I recommend creating a seasonal date along with your hard drive to edit photographs. It retains the task (comparatively) manageable, and you could easily purchase a photograph book online to include all of the summer’s memories.
Pick a few to print as nicely and rotate your own favorites in simple frames.
Organize Pictures in a Flash
Bill Fry Construction – Wm. H. Fry Const. Co..
5. Sort board games and check for lost pieces. Following a summer’s worth of game nights and play dates, the board game scenario in almost any family home is certain to be a pitiful state.
Enlist the children to help sort Monopoly money and Scrabble tiles, then treat yourselves to ice cream cones.
Vidabelo Interior Design
6. The grill prior to barbecue season ends. It’s accurate, there’s still some prime grilling weather before us, but that barbecue likely got a great deal of use this summer, and it’s time for a small deep cleaning. Most of us understand how to clean the surface of the grate with a wire brush but Lifehacker has a great video tutorial on how best to clean all of the parts of a grill.
Flow Wall System
7. Inspect sports and outdoor equipment for damage before storing. Outdoor adventures such as camping, hiking and fishing rely on your own equipment’s staying in good form. Carefully look over every product and fix minor issues as you come across them. Clean out coolers , air out tents and sleeping bags, and type sports equipment before neatly packing it off.
LDa Interiors & Architecture
8. Say goodbye to summer accessories that have seen better days. Sun, sand and salt water are hard on fabrics. Rather than keeping things past their prime, take a minute to sort through your shoes, hats, bags and shades, and give those old, crusty flip-flops and worn outside shore bags that the heave-ho.
Kailey J. Flynn Photography
9. Switch upward summer bedding (and clothing). When you feel that the first chill in the air on a crisp morning, that’s a fantastic sign it’s time to swap mild blankets for thicker colours and duvets. Launder your lightweight coverlets prior to keeping them in an out-of-the-way spot. While you’re at it, then pull those summer clothing from rotation to generate space for the comfy sweaters and boots of fall.
10. Thoroughly clean sandy towels and swimsuits. Sand can wreak havoc on washing machines, therefore allow beach towels to dry out and shake them well to remove sand prior to bringing them to get a wash. I like to pack my beach towels and swimsuits inside a beach bag, so everything remains together and will be easy to find come next summer.