Basement organization is one of those things we all like to pretend doesn’t exist. If we hear a friend say they’re heading to the basement and they return in less than thirty minutes, we attribute it to some kind of home magic. Basements are for junk collecting, right? Messy, disorganized, tear-your-hair-out piles of junk.
Er, we’re going with no.
It’s time to bite the bullet and organize your basement. Get it done (without losing your hair) in 5 easy steps.
5 Steps to Basement Organization
Bring in the reserves. Yes, you will spend an entire day organizing. No, it doesn’t have to be time miserably spent. Asking friends and family members to help out isn’t just efficient, it makes time go faster, too.- Make a system. We know you’ve been putting off basement organization because you don’t want to admit how much useless stuff you have. It’s okay. We don’t judge. Create piles to keep, haul, and reconsider later. Get the haul pile out of the space first, so you have more room to work. Set aside the later pile to reconsider 24 hours later (it’s amazing how sleeping on it can help people let go of old stuff). Then get down to organizing the items that are left.
- Shelf it. If it’s important enough to keep, it’s important enough to store properly. Install shelves to keep items in the basement off the floor. This protects your stuff from flooding, mildew, and (Lord forbid) bugs or rats. Metal shelving is inexpensive, easy to assemble, and able to withstand the humidity of metro Atlanta.
- Organize. This means plastic bins (they hold up better than cardboard boxes), labels (no, you won’t remember your organizational system 5 years down the line), and wall hooks (there’s really no better way to store sports equipment).
- Step back, relax, and feel the power of a clean basement. Invite your mom over or send your best friend a pic. You’ve earned those bragging rights fair and square.
Ready to get rid of old furniture, boxes of clutter, and other junk found lurking in your basement. Call Mr. Junk to haul away the detritus from your basement clean out.
