“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Confucius
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create space
1. When you clear clutter you “uncover” lost items that have already been replaced. When you organize these “like” items you may discover there are two or three of some items. Sell extras at a yard sale.
3. When you clear clutter you will no doubt discover many items you no longer need. Perhaps you never used them or used them very little. These items can be great ebay or yard sale items.
4. When you thoroughly clear most or all of your clutter you may find that you can live in a smaller home as you no longer need the extra space that your clutter took up.
5. Estate Sales and Yard Sales can bring in much needed extra income. Many of my clients have lots of inherited items they did not have the time to sort through when they obtained them. When we set aside the items they wish to keep, there are often many items to be sold.
6. Make money by saving money. Clear out any storage unit and give away or sell those items that you no longer hold dear.
7. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Make extra money by selling these items at an estate or yard sale. Put them in a consignment store, on ebay or get a table at your local Flea Market and sell away.
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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
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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.
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