If you own or rent a home and are lucky enough to have a basement, you know that the extra space a basement affords can be a lifesaver. Your basement space can be utilized in a variety of ways-- from a storage area to a work or play room. The problem is, if your basement is cluttered with all of the junk you have collected over the years, it can be hard to use the space for anything other than a junk room. Organizing your basement will go a long way in helping you to make your basement an efficient, useable area in your home. Here are some tips to help you with your basement organization:
Clean out, clear out
The first step in this process is to go through every item that you have stored in your basement and ask yourself how often you use it. Is it old or outdated? If it’s a seasonal item, have two seasons gone by without this item being used? Will your children ever use these items again? If the answer to these questions is no, then put these items aside for Goodwill or for a yard sale. Any items that are not good enough to give away or to sell should be thrown out immediately. Once you have cleared out your excess junk, it is time to organize the items that you are keeping.
Map It Out
Use graph paper to sketch out an organization plan for your basement. If you plan to divide your basement into sections for storage, work, play, etc. this will help you to visualize your layout.
Storage Options
-- There is nothing worse than a bunch of loose items all over your basement floor. Get rid of any old or broken cardboard boxes and replace them with rubber storage bins that can be purchased at your local discount store. If possible, try to purchase clear storage containers which will enable you to see the contents inside the bins. Use heavy duty masking tape and a marker to label the bins and then organize the bins by category. Christmas items, for example, should be grouped together so you don’t have to rummage through ten different bins to find what you are looking for at holiday time.
-- Basements are full of nooks and crannies that can be good places to store items out of your way. You may be able to utilize the space underneath your basement steps, for example.
-- Consider installing shelving to stack storage bins or other items on. Plastic shelving is especially good for use in a basement and it is relatively inexpensive.
-- Peg boards are another wonderful way to store items. You can hang tools and other equipment from these boards, making it easy to see everything that you need. Hang the peg board on the wall and out of the way.
-- Children's toys can be stored in colorful wire cubes or cubbies, sold at discount stores. Consider a large shelving unit or armoire to stack items such as board games, videos and DVDs.
-- Hang oversized items, like bicycles, from the ceiling by securing a rack to the floor joists from above. This will keep large items up and out of the way.
Other Ideas
-- If your basement is damp and smells musty, consider investing in a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will remove the moisture in the air, helping to eliminate the musty smell as well as basement mold.
-- If you use your basement to store your lawn mower, snow blower, wheelbarrow or other large pieces of equipment, perhaps a shed in the yard would be a better place for these items. A large plastic shed can house bulky items, making them easier to access when you need them while freeing up extra space in your basement.
Finally, after you have completed clearing and organizing your basement, don’t forget to have a yard sale to get rid of the items that you no longer use. And try not to put it off. The last thing you want is for the stuff to end up back in your basement.
