September feels a little bit like January for so many of us—it’s the start of another school year, and fall is just around the corner. We’re all embracing new or different routines and refreshing our homes. This rings true for me—the second I feel even the slightest chill in the air, I get the itch to spruce up my space. I set out some (faux!) mums and magnolia branches, restocked my basket of throws, and of course, I got busy decluttering.
Choosing what stays in your home and what goes is a challenge for so many people, but I actually find it quite easy. After over a decade of interviewing and learning from organizing pros for my work as a home editor, I’ve essentially trained my brain to ask just two questions:
- Have I touched this item in the last year?
- Have I even thought of this item in the last year?
If the answer to both of these questions is no, it makes it pretty simple for me to let go of things. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but the “no touch, no thought” method has helped me loosen the attachment I have to the clutter taking up space in my very small New York City apartment. It’s become second nature now, and it’s the approach I defaulted to during the decluttering process I just went through this month. Here are some of the things I was able to quickly get rid of with the “no touch, no thought” method.
Medicines, Sunscreens, and Personal Care Items
The first spot I tackled is my medicine cabinet—I love starting there first, because it’s such a small space that I can quickly sort through, and this helps me build up some momentum and motivation to keep going. I usually pull out anything that’s expired first, which automatically eliminates like a third of what’s in my cabinet.
Then I noticed I had a bunch of old Band-Aids, weird dental appliances, over-the-counter meds, and hair products that I hadn’t touched in over a year. I know myself enough to recognize these were things I probably will never use in the next few months—or ever. And if I somehow really needed them, they’re inexpensive enough to just buy again. (Though the goal is to not do this!)
And I usually do a pretty good job of regularly tossing expired sunscreens throughout the year, but I noticed I had a few approaching expiration, and I knew I wasn’t going to get through them now that summer is essentially over, so those were nixed.
Makeup
I’m not super adventurous with my makeup routine, so I purposely keep it quite small and limited to what I know I like to use, which usually means I stay on top of my collection… or at least, I think I do. Inevitably, things will start to creep into my makeup drawer. A blush I was asked to test for the beauty editors at work, an emergency drugstore concealer purchase, random samples I get with beauty sales—these things sneakily accumulate.
I got rid of anything I haven’t touched since January, and then on top of that, I realized there were years-old powders hiding beneath eyeshadow palettes that I completely forgot about! With summer over, I knew I would have no need for these powders. If I didn’t remember to use it during the period of time my skin is at its oiliest, then I almost certainly wouldn’t use it during dry skin season!
Clothes and Shoes
Naturally, at the end of summer, we tend to eliminate anything we didn’t wear during the season. Which is what I did—any closet hangers my hands did not lift once were pulled immediately. Same with swimwear and sandals.
But this was also a good opportunity to look through anything I kept from last fall or winter! If there was anything I didn’t even wear back then, there was no chance I was going to wear it during the upcoming seasons. Plus, some of those pieces were trendy when I purchased them forever ago, meaning they’d no longer look stylish!
Kitchen Supplies
I’m not a huge cook in the summer months—the mere thought of turning on my stove during a New York City heatwave makes me melt. But I love cooking and baking in the fall and winter! So in preparation for this, I poked through my utensils, pots and pans, and small appliances to make sure I’m only keeping the things I need and use. (It’s really annoying to dig through a pile of pots to access my tea kettle!)
I automatically scrapped any nonstick pans with scratches, then pulled out anything my husband and I just never cook with. I also had a bunch of small appliances I tested for work that I hadn’t used in months. For example, the bulky coffee machine I almost never laid hands on because I hated pulling it out of the cabinet found a new home—my handy little moka pot was what I actually reached for regularly.
I found a bunch of entertaining goods like old napkins and fancy coasters shoved into a cabinet corner—because I rarely entertain, I totally forgot I even had those things! Never once did those items cross my mind in the past year, and I will not suddenly become a gregarious host who needs those kinds of hosting supplies, so I donated those things.
Refrigerated and Frozen Foods
As I mentioned earlier, because I enjoy cooking during the cooler months, I wanted to make space not just in my kitchen but in my refrigerator! I typically do a light clean-out every week or so, but I decided to dig through all the crusty old condiments I hadn’t used in a while. There was even a bottle of unopened hot sauce that was sitting on the fridge shelf for well over a year! I knew it was there and kept convincing myself I’d eventually use it, but I finally accepted that I absolutely wouldn’t, and it should probably be given away. (I did the same with canned goods and shelf-stable items in my pantry.)
The freezer is usually a black hole for my household. I finally summoned up the courage to dig through it and pulled out things I’d completely forgotten about. Old sauces, lumps of chopped up bananas, sliced bread—all of this was nearly frostbitten beyond recognition and unsalvageable. After clearing all of the old food, I freed up so much space in my fridge, so it’s ready to store all the tasty fall treats coming its way!
Source: Corona, L. (2025, September 13). I tried the “No Touch, No Thought” decluttering Trick—Here are 5 things I let go of instantly. Real Simple. https://www.realsimple.com/no-touch-no-thought-decluttering-rule-11808537