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Clearing out the basement. A dreaded job, really. Many basements have a neat row of boxes stored on shelves on one wall; the other wall often has a big area of clutter with tons of stuff piled high. No shelves, boxes, no sense of order. In short, chaos. We are all guilty of leaving things in our basements for years, untouched and unused.
To tackle this kind of job requires lots of lighting, strong arms and gentle care. The basement is often treated like a “free for all” clutter area. We bring into the basement a mix of valuable and not so valuable items. It’s good to be careful as you sort through these items, there may be fragile items in the pile that are improperly wrapped up and unprotected.
If there is no rhyme or reason to the storage then everything is susceptible to damage, mold, or deterioration and more importantly, lack of use. If you live in a humid area, there is always a chance that something could get moldy. It’s helpful to put a de-humidifier in the basement.
Let’s start:
Good lighting is imperative. Open the access doors to the outside and bring in some light. Set up lamps if there is not enough light in the basement.
Set up three areas:
- Keep
- Give Away
- Trash
Keep in mind your current needs: Do these items fit in to what those needs are? It is always my desire to help people get rid of things they do not need or want or use. The basement is an excellent place to start learning these techniques. Partly because we have stuff stored there for a long time and are not currently using those items. Also, we are often trying to make sense of the basement as a possible good storage space or a great place to set up a work area.
Whatever your needs or desire for the basement, keeping it clear of excess stuff and unused items will give you a good foundation for the rest of your home.
Setting Up Proper Storage in the Basement
If there is no system set up to keep everything in order, devise a plan.
Here’s a list of common basement storage categories:
- Gardening
- Tools
- Household items
- Storage for someone else
- Snow Removal
Whatever you need to store, here’s how I recommend it be stored:
- Keep heavy and frequently used items near the door for handy access
- Store occasionally used items together in the same area
- Keep like items together, i.e. garden hose with gardening tools
- Clear storage boxes make it easier to see what is stored
- Label each area
A nice warm day is a perfect time to tackle the messy garage and it’s really fun and gratifying to watch the area transform into an organized, handy to use, clean storage space.
Things to Keep In Mind:
- Decide what you want to store in the garage and plan accordingly. If it’s a car, then it must take priority in space organizing.
- It probably took a whole winter or more to create the current situation, it may be more than a one-day job cleaning it up.
- It has become the catch all for clutter that just does not fit in the house. It has to fit somewhere or go away.
- Most people do not look forward to clearing out or cleaning up the garage, so make it easier by asking for help.
- If there is stuff belonging to other family members in there, ask for their assistance or find out what they want to keep or toss out.
- It’s especially helpful to throw items straight into a truck that’s designated for a dump run. Why pick it up twice before throwing it out.
Sorting It All Out:
- Creat “throw out” pile.
- Create “keep” pile. Check to see if items are in good shape to keep.
- Take all the stuff out of the garage and place in appropriate pile.
- Clean the garage.
- If the item is a keeper, clean the item and place back in garage.
Organize:
- Put frequently used items near the door along with large heavy items (unless they are considered long term storage).
- Trash cans that go out to the curb for pick up should be in a very handy, close to door location. Some industrial supply stores offer trash cans that can be hung on a wall out of the way.
- Anything that could get damaged from a damp floor and is not too heavy, hang up on the wall.
- It’s helpful to store small items such as nuts and bolts in a well-lit area making them easier to find and be put to use.
- Put like items together, i.e. beach chairs, beach umbrella, portable cooler etc.
- Create easy access to everything.
When you finish, take a good look at your fine work. Celebrate and treat yourself for accomplishing a difficult task.
People have more household stuff these days and find it hard to keep it all organized: Do you ever feel like you just have too much stuff, don’t know where to put it all and don’t really have use for a lot of it?
- It’s hard to believe that we use only 20% of what we own: Just think about this one, when you go around your house and look at things with the perspective that you wish to keep only things you need, use and love. What can go?
- The average person spends at least 20 minutes a day looking for things: How many times do you look for things each day. It’s may be helpful to know that most people have this in common until they find a home for things and know where to find them.
- Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of their work: It’s easier to clean your home when there’s less stuff. There’s also satisfaction in eliminating stuff so you can have lower house cleaning bills.
These Clutter Facts are useful when we realize the simple fact that when we are in a hurry and we have to push our way through 40 jackets and coats in order to get the one we want out, it just isn’t worth it to have that much stuff. Free yourselves from the cloud of clutter. It feels wonderful!
Traveling to New York to visit a friend, amongst the hustle and bustle of all that is New York City, I came across the Medicine Cards by Jamie Sans & David Carson with beautiful illustrations by Angela Werneke. Have always enjoyed these spiritual cards. They directly speak to me each time I draw them. Today is no different. On my dog Winslow’s 7th Birthday, I drew “The Dog” card. The card for loyalty.
As the authors write, “Dog has been considered the servant of humanity throughout history. If a person carries Dog medicine (s)he is usually serving others or humanity in some way. Like the dog, I enjoy helping people bring peace and harmony to their homes and lives. Clarity often comes to people when there is harmony and balance. When the home is free of clutter, the mind is at rest from trying to sort through stuff to find things. Two of the questions asked if one draws this card are:
Have I recently forgotten that I owe my allegiance to my personal truth in life? What a good question to ask ourselves. This question comes at a good time for me as I begin a new year tomorrow; it’s my birthday. What is my personal truth? How do I work towards honoring my truth?
Have I been loyal and true to my goals? Another question to unveil another part of who I am. I ask myself at each new year a similar question.
What are my goals for this new year?
- Improve my business by 20%.
- Take an extended exotic vacation.
- Be the healthiest I have ever been.
What are your goals? Let us know what they are.
Clearing out the basement. A dreaded job, really. Many basements have a neat row of boxes stored on shelves on one wall; the other wall often has a big area of clutter with tons of stuff piled high. No shelves, boxes, no sense of order. In short, chaos. We are all guilty of leaving things in our basements for years, untouched and unused.
