10 Free Summer Hacks to Get Organized & Actually Relax

Summer in Chicago is almost here—and if you’re like most busy Chicagoans, you’re probably bracing for the chaos of juggling kids, yard work, and a never-ending to-do list. But what if this year could actually be relaxing? We’ve gathered 10 free, simple hacks to help you get organized and reclaim your summer. Whether you need fast cleaning services to buy back your weekends or just a few clever tricks, these tips will transform your home and backyard into a stress-free oasis.

1. Set Up a Self-Serve Beverage Station

Keep everyone outside and out of your kitchen. Gather old pitchers, outdoor glasses, straws, and a big tub of your favorite drink mix. Pop it on a table every morning—and suddenly there’s no reason to run back inside.

2. Create Summer “Go Bags”

Whether it’s for the beach, soccer practice, or hanging with friends, prep individual bags with sunscreen, band-aids, allergy meds, and snacks. Keep them by the back door so you can grab and go. It takes seconds and saves hours of scrambling when you need to clean your apartment or get out the door fast.

3. Flip Your Home for Summer

Swap out heavy winter gear for summer essentials. Move soup pots to the basement and bring out salad bowls, s’mores supplies, and barbecue tools. In your closet, pull sundresses and swimsuits front and center. It’s a small change that makes life easier every single day.

4. Declutter the Entryway

That pile of winter boots and coats? Store them away. Replace with spring coats, sunglasses, hats, and everyone’s go bags. When you’re rushing out, everything is organized and ready. If you’re overwhelmed, consider deep cleaning help to reset your space before summer hits.

5. The “Summer Essentials Basket”

Grab one basket and fill it with sunscreen, bug spray, citronella candles, band-aids, after-sun lotion, and a lighter. Carry it outside each morning. You’ll save yourself countless trips back inside—and it keeps the fun going all day.

6. Flip-Flop Station & Wet Towel Rack

Keep a bin of dollar store flip-flops by the back door so no one tracks in dirt. For wet towels, hang over-the-door hooks on your deck or fence. Suddenly, the hot tub and pool are way more inviting. And if you need a hand keeping up with messes, someone to clean my apartment can take the pressure off.

7. Create a “Fun Zone” for Kids & Adults

Gather all outdoor toys, sporting equipment, and games in one spot. For kids, a laundry hamper works perfectly. For adults, make a date-night bin with board games, candles, and snacks. When everything’s ready, you’re more likely to actually play and connect.

8. Snack & S’mores Stations

Cut up a fruit tray a few times a week or use a cereal dispenser filled with pretzels so kids can help themselves. Keep a s’mores station always stocked. The less you’re running inside for snacks, the more you’re relaxing outside.

9. Low-Maintenance Garden Hacks

Run self-watering tubing from your hose to hanging baskets, or stick a dollar-store watering spike into pots. No time? Even fake ferns look great and require zero care. Free up your weekends to enjoy the sun instead of watering plants.

10. Waterproof Your Cushions & Make a Summer Bucket List

Spray patio cushions with Scotchgard sun and waterproof spray so they don’t fade and water beads right off. Then, print our free summer bucket list and hang it somewhere visible. It’s a fun way to make sure you actually create memories. And when you need professional home cleaning to free up your weekends, Jikas Cleaning can handle it.

Why These Hacks Work

None of these tips are complicated, and most are free. When you do a little prep work, you remove roadblocks and make room for what actually matters: your summer. In one day, your backyard can go from boring to a resort-like retreat. And if you want to take it further, book an appointment with Jikas Cleaning so you can focus on fun.

Whether you’re looking for cleaning services in Chicago or just a few practical ideas, these small changes make a big difference. You deserve a summer that’s easy, joyful, and full of relaxation. Let’s make it happen.

Summer is almost here. I’m so excited every year because summer is supposed to be about relaxing, getting outside, and just having fun. Except it’s usually me just trying to keep the kids entertained, fighting for my life against mosquitoes, nonstop yard work, and running back and forth with snacks and drinks. So this year I have 10 free ways that I’m getting organized so the entire summer is easier and way more fun. And I’m going to show you how I transform my boring backyard so it looks and feels like an all-inclusive resort. A selfs served beverage station is magical. Why? Because it keeps people outside. You know the struggle to get anyone to go outside in the summer, but it’s staying out that’s actually hard. So, when you gather all your supplies for a selfs serve beverage station, you probably have old pictures. Gather your outdoor glasses, straws, and just get a big tub of your favorite drink mix every morning. Set it up outside and there’s no excuses to go back in. Summer go bags will change your life. When my kids were little, we always went to the beach. So, I had beach bags already packed with everything in them, so we could just run out the door. Now that my kids are older, it’s less going to the beach and more hanging out with friends. So, everyone has a bag with their personal stuff that they would need in it. They can just toss it in the car and be ready with sunscreen and band-aids and allergy meds, their favorite snacks. Milo’s got a soccer go bag because he plays soccer, but also he goes with his friends to play soccer. It’s ready. It’s prepared. And it’s always at the back door. This is something you can do in seconds. Just grab an old bag, gather things that you want together, and create go bags for yourself. Have you heard of flipping your home for the summer? I take out the tea station that was here, and I’m adding in the ice maker. I’m adding in our slushie machine so that we’re totally ready for summer. But I flip other areas, too. I also flipped this little closet here that used to have big heavy crockots and soup pots. And then down low, I hide our s’mores and snacks. I have a spot for all our salad bowls, our date night and utensils, cutlery. Everything we need for summer party, summer barbecue, summer fun has been swapped out. And the winter stuff is in the basement. And in my closet, I just make all my summer dresses easier to access. So, I pull them out. I make sure they’re right front and center. skirts, bathing suits, everything is ready to grab in an instant. I think a lot of us think about swapping our clothing for summer, but we should actually swap our kitchen and our entire home, too. It’s about making life easier. Same idea in the entrance way. It’s full right now of like winter boots and coats. I’m going to take all those out and put them away for the summer and then bring out our spring coats, replace the hats and mits with sunglasses and summer hats, and hang everyone’s go bag. So instead of chaos, everything is organized and ready for you to run out the door. This is going to seem like Captain Obvious, but grab a basket and gather all your sunscreen, band-aids, after sun, bug spray, citroronella candles, a lighter, all the essentials into one place and just carry it out in the morning. It’s going to save you hours, I promise. And haha, flip-flop area. We buy a bunch of dollar store flip-flops for guests, but also all ours are kept out here because dog poo is a thing. And also, nobody wants you running back and forth with dirty feet. So, just keep a bunch of flip-flops right at the back door. A wet towel station is also a must. So, we just have this old coat rack here by the hot tub. But, I saw this on Tik Tok. Taking dollar store over the door hooks and just hanging them right on your deck or your fence and immediately you have a spot for wet towels. I’m excited to go now that I have towels in the hot tub. I haven’t been in here in forever. How do you know if it’s disgusting? I have not checked the chemicals. I feel like if it’s green, it’s gross. And if it’s not, it’s probably okay. Fingers crossed we don’t get impetgo or something. Is that a word? I don’t know. Looks okay. My kids are always like, I can’t wait for summer. And the first day of summer break, it’s I’m bored. Here’s what you do. Gather all the fun outdoor toys that you have and sporting equipment and just put it in one place. Maybe an old laundry hamper, anywhere in your yard. And then when they complain, you say you have a fun zone right outside. It’s not just about kids. Adults need a fun zone, too. Gather all the things you like to play, too. I created this little like date bin for Joe and I because we say we want to enjoy time outside at night after the kids go to bed, but then we just get busy. But when everything’s ready, our favorite board games, our favorite snacks, some candles, all I have to do is bring it out and there’s no excuses. Maybe you want to make a basket with all your favorite summer books, or your favorite summer games and things to do. Have it organized and ready, and it’ll save you time, and it’ll inspire fun. Now that I’ve put this together, I’m like, I cannot wait for Milo to get home from school. I hope he flies a kite with me or he like I hope he plays with me. This is We had this the whole time, but just putting it together makes me excited about it. I talk a lot about like organizing and decluttering, but sometimes real organization is just about giving yourself a little bit of a gift, some prep work, like gathering your favorite books and your reading glasses and putting it together so you are inspired to read or creating a date night kit or a play like goto zone. This is what this is about. Not buying things, not having to like do work, but giving yourself the gift of just more fun with a little bit of prep work. Simple snack stations also keep people outside. Everybody loves snacks. So, a few times a week, I will cut up a fruit tray so we always have like fresh things out. But, I’ve also gathered everyone’s like favorite special treats and I hide it in the kitchen. So when everyone’s bored, I can just bring it out or if we have company and of course a s’more station always ready to go with everything you need to make s’mores. Again, it’s about saving time and just carving out a spot in your home to have all these things ready to go. My favorite hack if you have small children is to use a cereal dispenser and fill it with things like pretzels or crackers and then that way they can help themselves all summer long and you are not the server. Speaking of snacks, Big Turk, yay or nay? I love it. Is my favorite candy bar. Joe and Emily both agree it’s disgusting. Vote in the comments below. Yes or no? I got to take a second to thank HelloFresh for sponsoring today’s video. Summers are crazy busy, and I want to just relax and have more fun, not spend more time cooking and in the grocery store, which is why I treat myself to three HelloFresh meals every week. It means less meal planning, less trips to the grocery store, and way more delicious food. HelloFresh delivers meal kits right to your door, and everything’s pre-portioned, and most of the meals are done in 30 minutes or less. Plus, they have lots of like high protein options, and you can pause, skip, or swap at any time. HelloFresh actually costs less than the bad habits it replaced. And 9 million people have already figured this out. If you want to give HelloFresh a try, use the code clutterbug at hellofresh.com for 10 free meals plus a free walk valued at $179.99 with your fifth box of active subscription. Again, use the code clutterbugwalk at hellofresh.com with fifth box of active subscription. Limited qualities available while supplies last. There’s a few things that you can do that make your backyard feel maintenancefree. This isn’t free, but it’s so cheap. And that is running selfwatering tubing from your hose to all your hanging baskets because summer’s too short to water plants, my friend. And if you’re like, I’m not handicass. Wait. And if you’re like, I’m not handiccast, don’t worry. The dollar store’s got you. I found these selfwatering things at the dollar store. Is anyone else seeing what I’m seeing? Let me look at this. I digress. You add any bottle, a pop bottle, whatever, and then fill it, stick it upside down, and stick it in. and it will water all the time so you don’t have to. They also have these like really cute ones at the Dollar Tree. Fill with water, stick in the dirt. I’m all for the laziness. What if you just don’t want to water at all? Guys, I got these fake ferns on Amazon. They were not expensive. They look realish. I’m all about laziness. So, you don’t have to water at all if you don’t want to. This is a lazy hack I love. You know when you sit down on your patio furniture and you get a wet butt? That’s annoying and you don’t want to bring your cushions in and out because no one has time for that. You can leave them out if you use this like Scotch Guard sun and waterproof spray. Just soak your cushions in this and leave it out all summer long. They won’t fade and the water will just brush right off. Unfortunately, the spray does not repel pet hair. It’s okay. You guys are worth it. Summer is short. You need a bucket list. I made this one just for you. It’s in the description and it has all these really fun things that you can do because sometimes we forget to make time for this stuff. Put it somewhere visual and by the end of the summer you’ll be so happy with all your fun memories. None of these tips are complicated and most of them are free. When you do a little bit of prep work, you remove all the roadblocks and you make room for what actually matters, your summer. and it’ll inspire you to actually play and have fun with no excuses. In one day, my patio went from boring and basic to feeling like an absolute retreat, like a resort, and everything’s ready so we can just come out and enjoy it. And I want this for you, too. What can you do this summer to get your home a little bit more ready and prepared for summer fun and summer relaxation? Let me know your ideas in the comments below. and please share your favorite tip that I shared today. Thanks so much and I’ll see you guys next time. Thank you guys so much for those of you who have stayed to the end. So, we have like a little foresty thing in the backyard. It’s It’s not a real forest. It’s a grouping of trees, but a bunch of them have fallen down and they’re all over the yard. And Joe is building me vegetable gardens, so he’s like crazy busy. And I volunteered to use the chainsaw to like chop it up. You’ve seen me wield an axe. Oh, it hurts so bad. >> So, I’m a little bit afraid to use the chainsaw, but I also have to use a chainsaw at work while on a roof of a burning building. So, I need practice, my friends. So, fingers crossed next time you see me, I have all my fingers and toes and limbs and a head. I hope I have a head, but I’m going to give it a try. How hard could it be? Let me know in the comments below if you also are like going to do something that’s totally out of your comfort zone this summer. Maybe you’re going to chop wood or use a chainsaw or fix a car or change the oil in your lawn mower because girl power, we’ve got this. I’m not changing the oil in the lawn mower ever. No.