7 things to organize in May 2025 – smoothly prepare for summer vacations and make the most of spontaneous springtime fun

Each new month brings new challenges for our home, and May is no different. Marking the first official month of spring and the end of the academic year in the US, there are some key things you should organize in May.

From old school supplies to pre-summer essentials, these seven organzing tasks should be at the top of your monthly to-do list ahead of the summer season.

Here, professional home organizers have shared their best home organizing ideas for May 2025 to help you set yourself up for a stellar start to spring.

7 things to organize in May

Once you have finished tackling the things to declutter in May and the things to clean in May, then you can turn your attention to these organizing musts.

1. Summer travel essentials

It might not be summer quite yet, but the warmer, sunnier weather and longer days will have us dreaming up plans and starting on days out.

Dana Reder, founder, CEO, and lead organizer at Winnow & Bloom, begins, ‘Making summer plans equals preparing for travel, beach days, and long weekends. Save your future self the stress by prepping now. No more last-minute scrambles to find the good goggles or a TSA-approved sunscreen.

‘Create a Summer Grab & Go bin with travel-size toiletries, sun protection, bug spray, and a stocked beach bag ready to roll.' This large woven storage basket from Target has cut-out handles, so you can easily organize items for a clutter-free mud room or entryway, but quickly transport essentials to your yard or car.

Meghan Cocchiaro, owner and professional home organizer at Organized by Meg, adds, ‘Don’t forget your car, focusing on the console and any other collection points; with spring comes the urge to spring clean, and we spend a lot of time in our vehicles, but often neglect the buildup of random things.’

2. Finish organizing your seasonal closet

With warmer weather truly upon us, we can safely finish organizing our seasonal closets and remove any lingering winter coats, sweaters, and warmer bedding items for storage.

This is also the perfect time to rearrange your spring and summer clothing options for easy, stress-free mornings.

Barbara Brock, professional organizer and home stager, says, 'Changing a seasonal wardrobe is always a good way to start your seasonal organizing. Remember to look at your wardrobe and remove items that are rarely worn and prioritize the seasonal ones you do wear.'

Although it is easier to keep your seasonal clothing in storage, such as in underbed storage bags, such as these two foldable underbed bags from Walmart, if you are left organizing a closet without seasonal storage, you can push all your winter offerings to the furthest side of your rail.

Consider adding rail dividers, such as these labeled closet rail dividers from Amazon, or pieces you can wear year-round, to split up the two sections. This creates a nice visual gap that makes getting ready in the morning a little easier.

Remember, too, that clothing is one of the many seasonal items to clean before storing them to keep them safe until you use them again.

3. Pantry items and snacks

Dana reminds us, ‘Late spring and summer mean kids and grandkids are home more and routines begin to shift. Organizing your pantry or snack area keeps things running smoothly, especially if you want kids to be a little more self-sufficient.'

Organizing a kitchen at the start of each season means that it is easier to switch from heavier, comforting cuisines for lighter meals and snacks more suited to hotter weather.

When organizing a pantry, Dana adds, 'My top tip is to rotate out wintery items (soups, baking supplies) and make room for grab-and-go snacks, drink mixes, and summer meal staples. Label clear bins so everyone can see what’s available.'

These clear acrylic stackable pantry bins from Walmart are perfect for this, while these open front stacking bins, also from Walmart, allow for easy grab-and-go access for children.

4. Clear up any craft supplies

Chilly early spring days are often the perfect time to hunker down at home and get some crafting done.

Now that the weather has warmed up, we are more likely to turn to weekend DIY projects, painting, and revamping our homes.

This makes it an ideal time to arrange DIY tools, organize art supplies, and organize craft rooms as we come to use them.

Try to keep everything together and easily accessible for easy use as and when the mood strikes us, without leaving the items out and in the way of daily life. A pegboard, such as the fully customizable Bello Peg Board from The Container Store, is a perfect option to keep your supplies neat and in easy reach.

5. The garage and attic

Meghan points out, ‘May is the perfect time to tackle organizing a garage. The weather is warm enough to spend some significant time in there without freezing, but not so hot that you melt.

'It's time to move the seasonal sports gear and snow-related tools like shovels further away if space is needed, and bring garden tools and warm weather sports gear closer and more accessible, plus bikes and kids' toys.'

For the same reason, it is also the perfect time to organize an attic adds Audra George, professional organizer and owner at Pretty Neat: An Organizational Solution. Take out any items you might have been storing over winter, ready for summer use, and tuck away any seasonal winter items you don't need until the weather gets chilly again.

When organizing these spaces, ensure that heavier items are always stored on lower shelving to make it easier to remove them and put them back without hurting yourself, and pick large, airtight totes to keep the items safe from pests and moisture.

Heavy-duty stacking garage totes from The Container Store are ideal for the job.

6. Backyard gear

As you reorganize your garage space and bring spring and summer essentials back outside again, it is a great opportunity to organize and declutter your backyard, ready for hosting and nights spent sitting in the sun, Audra shares. She recommends planning for everything from pool parties to outdoor picnics and sports practice, ensuring you have adequate seating and free space.

Dana adds, ‘The days are getting longer and that means bikes, balls, bubbles, and garden gear will need to come out of hibernation. Organizing them now means less digging, searching, and tripping over stuff all summer long. Use labeled bins or hooks [such as a labeled coat five-hook rack from Amazon] and sort by category, for example Yard Games, or Gardening Tools.

'It's also wise to keep the most-used items at kid-level or near the garage door,' Dana adds. A set of four open-front, stackable plastic bins from Walmart is perfect for kids to independently grab the gear they need and go.

7. Cleaning supplies

With our yearly extra deep clean out of the way, we can finally organize our cleaning supplies – including any new ones we might have bought to help with spring cleaning – and find lasting homes for them that are easy to access as we need them, says professional organizer, Barbara Brock.

She explains, ‘Take stock of cleaning products, discard old or expired ones, and organize supplies in a designated area. It can be helpful to keep the supplies you need for each room in that room. For example, store bathroom cleaning supplies in the bathroom, being sure to keep them away from any personal hygiene products to prevent cross-contamination.’

We also like to color-code cleaning supplies to prevent contamination and ensure we have everything we need for each room. It’s also a great aesthetic organizing hack, too, especially when pared with a handy cleaning caddy, such as the YouCopia SinkSuite Cleaning Caddy from The Container Store for easy access to supplies.

May organizing essentials

Meet the experts

Dana Reder

Dana has spent over 18 years working with children and families as an educator and psychologist to help them assess their needs and create customized organizational systems that work. She uses her experience as a therapist and educator to help clients get to the root of their habits and to shift their mindset to one that is positive, productive, and growth oriented.

Meghan Cocchiaro

Meghan is a professional home organizer bringing peace of mind to busy families in the greater Denver area, specializing specifically in working with busy women who juggle careers, families, and their passions.

Barbara Brock

Barbara is the founder and CEO of Barbara Brock Inc., a professional organizing and staging company. Barbara was also previously the president of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals. She has a keen eye for innovative storage ideas.

Audra George

Audra George has over 12 years of experience working in clients' homes. Her passion is to help others and to organize and help busy families get their spaces in order.

After organizing in April and tackling these May seasonal spots, your home will be in top condition and ready to host throughout summer.

Remember to pair your organization with some good decluttering tips to keep clutter under control and make organizing home storage ideas a little simpler.