New Year, New Space: Where to Start Decluttering in 2025
One of the most asked questions people have on their minimalism and declutter journey is, “where do I start?”. There are three places I have found that have helped me the most on our minimalist journey. So today, I am going to share Where to Start Decluttering in 2025!
What is Decluttering?
Decluttering is the process of removing unnecessary items from a place to make it more useful and pleasant. Decluttering can help simplify your life, reduce stress, free up physical and mental space, and make room for the aspects in life you wish to prioritize. Knowing where to start decluttering will give you the motivation to keep finding areas of your home that will benefit from simplifying the most.
1. Kitchen
For homemakers, the kitchen truly is the heart of our home. I know for myself, that’s where I spend the majority of my day. That’s where my day starts and ends. Making it easy to use and have everything function efficiently is important.
Easy to Keep Clean
The biggest reason you want to start decluttering in your kitchen is simply because it makes it function well. If it functions well, it will be easier to keep clean. If it’s cleaner, it makes the next few items I mention so much easier to maintain.
Reduce Food Waste
I find that a simplified kitchen usually results in knowing what we have. My pantries are cleared and my fridge is only full of food that we are currently using or need to use up soon. This helps us see what leftovers we have or what essentials we are running low on. It drastically reduces our food waste.
Cooking More & Eating Out Less
When I don’t feel overwhelmed with clutter, I can function better in my kitchen. This means I want to be in it. How often have you ordered take out simply because you felt too overwhelmed to cook? I know I have. If you reduce the inventory, it’s easier to keep things picked up and put away. This will reduce the clutter you visually see on your countertops. This ends up resulting in cooking more and eating out less, which we all know can be a real budget buster!
Easier to Assign Tasks
I am all about working together as a family. If everything has it’s place and my children know where things go, it makes completing chores easier. My eight-year-old is responsible for putting away dishes. If he can’t see a clear place to put them, I would have to end up going back and putting them where they actually go. Since our kitchen is simplified and easy to navigate, he is able to help. This will make your job easier.
2. Clothing
You should start with your closet and eventually you can move to other wardrobes in the household. Make sure you consult your spouse if you decide to pair down their closet space.
Clothes that Fit
Dawn from the Minimal Mom says, “you deserve to have clothes that fit you right now”. This totally shifted my perspective. How often do you hold onto items that don’t fit you or that you don’t feel good in, for just in case? If you’re not wearing them, they are subconsciously telling you, you aren’t good enough. Get rid of them. Even if it’s just in a tote in the garage.
Reduce Your Inventory
The less clothes you have, the less choices you have to make. This will help your mental load. Also consider what season of life you’re in. As a stay-at-home mom, I don’t need 20 dresses or 5 pairs of jeans. Nine times out of ten, I’m wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt. Especially in this time of pregnancy. This makes it much easier to get dressed everyday. I know what I like, what fits well, and what I am comfortable in.
>> How to Save Money on Kids Clothes <<
>> What is a Capsule Wardrobe and How to Build One <<
Less Laundry
We all want less laundry, right? Even if I get super behind, I am only a few loads behind due to a simplified wardrobe for every family member. Not only does having less options make it easier to choose what to wear, but it keeps the drawers and closet tidy because they aren’t stuffed to the brim. Everyone can see quickly and clearly where the clothes go and where to put the dirty ones away.
>> Genius Laundry Hacks to Save You Time and Money <<
3. Kid’s Toys/Rooms
Kid’s toys and rooms seem to be the most overwhelming and controversial places in our homes. Some people say kids have way too much and others say it’s borderline abuse to only give kids a few things. Not only have I found that having simplified toy bins and rooms beneficial for our family, it’s backed up by science.
Avoid Duplicates
The easiest way to start decluttering your kids toys and rooms is to remove duplicates. They likely don’t need 5 of the same action figure. They probably have one that they prefer over the others. Go ahead and box up the extras. If they end up asking for them a week or two later, pull that one back out. Most of the time though, they won’t. They will have completely forgotten.
Choose Quality over Quantity
There are certain toys we prefer in our home and that is open-ended toys. You don’t need to go out and buy new toys, that is kind of defeating the purpose of reducing what you have. You likely already have some of these on hand already. These are timeless toys that truly ignite imagination. Instead of bins and bins of toys, it’s best to have toys your children can use for multiple purposes and want to play with over and over without getting bored.
>> The Best Open-Ended Toys on a Budget <<
Set a Physical Boundry
Again, no need to go out and buy anything new. Use what you have on hand to organize and keep your toys managed. If after a few months of doing that, you want a different style or function, then go ahead and upgrade your toy storage. Until then, simply use what you have as a boundary. We have two toy towers, one shelf, and 2 totes for our current four children. Adding our fifth won’t change this, as they are essentially broad categories.
These are our boundaries. We don’t keep toys in the children’s rooms. They are all in the main living spaces. Once they are overflowing or hard to close, that means it’s time to declutter again. If I notice a bin hasn’t been pulled out in a while, I may remove it and see if anyone asks for it. They usually do, as I said, the vast majority of our toys are open-ended and enjoyed by our toddler to our pre-teen.
How to Start Decluttering?
Now that you know where to start decluttering, how to start is another common question. Check out this article for how to start decluttering in 2025.
Want to know more about simplifying your life with a family? Check out these articles:
How to Become a Minimalist Family
20 Ways to Embrace Simple Living as a Family
