How to Organize Your Basement

The basement traditionally has more wasted space than any other room in the home.  Most families end up filling it with things they no longer use, like bicycle tires and winter coats, causing the basement to become a cluttered mess. 

Creating an organized storage system in your basement will allow you to not only save space, but also be able to easily find items you keep there.  Here’s how.

Throw Out the Junk

One of the first things you’ll want to do is to dispose anything unused, broken, or forgotten about.  Old boxes and broken furniture can be thrown away to create more space in the basement.  Old clothes, toys and nicknacks can be bagged up and given to a thrift store or to  the Salvation Army.  Once you’ve gotten rid of the clutter, it’s time to organize the items you’ll continue to store in the basement.

Install Shelving or Storage

In order to keep things organized, it’s important to have some type of shelving or storage system in the basement.  Home improvement stores have metal shelving systems that can be ideal for the basement.  Food storage, holiday decor and memorable items can be kept on the shelves or in plastic containers with proper labeling.

Purchase a label maker to have easy-to-read labels on each container, shelf and drawer.  This will allow you to easily categorize your items and know where they go if more items should end up in the basement.

Have Moisture Control

It’s also important to make sure your basement has the necessary preventative maintenance to keep moisture under control.  Without moisture control, the items you store in your basement will likely be damaged in the long run.  Extra insulation is a great idea in the basement and a good way of keeping things safe once you’ve worked hard to organize them.