Inside: Give your decluttering a clear focus this February! A guide to what to declutter in February, with a balance of easy to challenging categories.
Normally, Januaries feel long and dreary, but January 2026 felt like an entire year from hell to anyone living in the United States who is paying attention.
We are all coping the best we can, and doing a variety of things to stay sane. But the coping mechanism I see on so many liberal women’s social media accounts? Decluttering.
We can’t control what’s going on in the world, but we can control our own homes. And taking your home into your own hands and getting rid of stuff you don’t need or use can do wonders for your mental health.
It’s a scientific fact that clutter affects women far more than it does men, as in off-the-charts more (kind of like babies crying affects us more).
Clutter increases women’s stress levels, cortisol levels, all.the.levels. Why? Because usually we’re the ones who manage all the stuff, and the mental load can be really heavy.
So if you’re currently stuck inside this February because winter is being EXTRA wintery this year, use that extra time to declutter. You’ll feel SO much better while you’re waiting for spring – promise.
I haven’t run outside in weeks (my typical coping mechanism) because my limit is 20 degrees, and it’s been consistently 0-15 degrees. C’mon spring!
What to Declutter in February: 5 Categories to Focus On
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I spent this week breaking up all household categories into manageable decluttering chunks by month. Some categories are placed by season, and others don’t have a lot of rhyme or reason to their placement.
I did try to only assign ONE challenging category per month and balance easy categories with challenging ones.
If you are doing a year of slow decluttering or maintenance decluttering, make sure to reduce your intake! It won’t help to remove items from your home if you’re bringing back in just as many or more.
Now onto what to declutter in February…
1. Silverware & Cooking Knives
We’re pretty picky about silverware in our house. If you are neurodivergent, you probably are also picky about your silverware! IYKYK.
We put THIS Oneida silverware on our wedding registry and have stuck with it ever since, replacing pieces every so often. We think it’s the perfect neurodivergent-friendly silverware.
That being said, a well-meaning relative noticed we were running low on silverware and gave us some. Needless to say, the thought was nice, but the silverware was lacking. The handles…just, shudder.
So last week, I went through our silverware drawer and discarded the majority of the hated silverware. I kept a couple of long tea spoons, which are helpful for getting the remaining sauce out of deep jars and tossed the rest.
We also keep all of our reusable straws in the silverware drawer. I threw away the chewed plastic straws, kept the glass ones (we love glass straws from Grove Co.) and a cleaner or two.
As for knives, we know that both of our cooking knives need replacing, but that’s not currently in the budget. Hopefully we will replace them this year.
If you aren’t a professional chef, I personally think two butcher knives for cooking, one serrated bread knife, and a handful of paring/steak knives are more than enough.
While you’re decluttering the silverware, wipe down your silverware drawer and dividers.
You Might Also Like: Minimalist Kitchen Essentials – Just the Basics, According to a Minimalist
2. Spices, Oils and Baking Supplies
We already covered getting rid of expired food in January, but spices, oils and baking supplies are usually kept out of the general food pantry, so I wanted to focus on that in February.
Go through your spices and move infrequently used spices to a separate location from your main spices. Write the date in a black sharpie on the top of each infrequently used spice, and if you don’t use them in a month or two, toss them.
If you know for sure that you never use certain spices, throw them away. Check the expiration date on all your oils and throw away old oils.
Go through your baking supplies and throw out items you know you’ll never use in time (think Christmas baking supplies) or that are expired.
Hint: If you pick up an item (like peppermint extract) and ask yourself, “Why do I have this?”, you can definitely toss it.
When you’re finished decluttering, vacuum and wipe down your spice, oil and baking supply shelves.
Related: 5 Easy Steps to a Minimalist Pantry You Love
3. All Things Pets
If you have pets, now is a good time to go through all of their toys, brushes, bowls, litter, scratching posts etc. (Can you tell we have cats?)
Throw away the toys that are torn to shreds or they never use, replace bedding if needed and discard bowls you never use.
If you’ve been keeping food that your pets didn’t care for, now’s the time to give it away. I’m sure that food pantries don’t have enough pet food (but the pets still need to eat), or you could give it away to neighbors or friends.
4. Toys
This category can be intense, depending on the age of your kids! Hopefully by February (post Christmas), it will be clear which toys are their favorites and which ones aren’t being played with anymore.
If your kids are young – three and under – donate any toys that aren’t being played with. If your kids are three and up, I strongly recommend including them in the toy decluttering process.
I do my best to never throw away toys without my children’s consent (THIS post explains why). But that doesn’t mean I don’t set stuff boundaries for our shared family spaces.
I usually have a bin for toys I think the kids are outgrowing, but they aren’t ready to part with yet. This is stored in the garage or other storage room. Of course, if you ask and the kids say they’re done with them, get that toy out of the house ASAP!
If you’re still building your toy collection, check out THIS post for the best minimalist toys that lead to hours of happy play.
Related: 7 Rules for Decluttering Toys (for Quick & Easy Decision-Making)
5. Light Bulbs & Batteries
This is a pretty easy category to tackle while you’re stuck inside.
Make sure all light bulbs and batteries are in one place. That way you can see what you have, and know what you don’t need and what you do.
Maybe you have light bulbs you inherited that you know you will never use (I’m lookin’ at you, white light bulbs). Toss them or donate them.
Maybe you have batteries for things you no longer own. Toss ’em.
Give Your February Decluttering a Clear Focus
Keeping our home decluttered and minimalist is the #1 reason I can do everything that I do: homeschool, work, manage our home, AND have time to do things I enjoy.
February can be the month we all are just trying to get through so spring can come. I’m right there with you.
Make that waiting semi-productive by decluttering. When you’re done, snuggle up with a favorite book and a warm beverage.
If you’re new to this “declutter your house in a year” series, catch up by reading What to Declutter in January.
Read Next: 12 Best Decluttering Books for DIY Decluttering
