Cleaning Your Basement: Where to Start?

We all have that one task on our to-do list that we keep pushing off for another time. Is cleaning your basement part of your to-do list? If so, the real question now is, how do you begin to tackle such a daunting task? You may be asking yourself all sorts of questions. This can include “do I tackle the boxes underneath the stairs?” or “where do I store all of the tools laying in the middle of the floor?”. We came up with five steps to help guide you through this crazy clean-up of your basement and help you get to the point where you can finally check-off one thing on your to-do list.

Step One: What Is Your End Goal?

Before you can even decide where to start, it is a good idea to begin this process by figuring out what you are trying to accomplish with cleaning or organizing your basement. By establishing this, you can have a timeline for how long it will take you to reach your end goal. Are you trying to quickly tidy up a cluttered section of the space? Do you have several bags you need to go through to see if you need to donate anything? Maybe you want to clean-up the basement so you can create your home gym or office. Clearing up your basement could give you the perfect opportunity to get creative and use your imagination for what comes next. Here are 5 Ideas for an Empty Room – give it a read, and maybe it can help you decide what your end goal is. Once you have that in mind, the process can begin!

Step Two: What Do You Do with Your Belongings?

Have the opportunity to empty your basement? Here is your chance! Begin to organize and separate all of your belongings into the following piles: to keep, donate, throw away, put away in storage, or sell. If you feel that creating five separate piles is a bit too much, then decide whether to keep something or to throw it away. This is perfect for those of you that we’re looking for the opportunity to declutter your basement. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you through this decluttering process:

•       How often do I use or wear this item?
•       Does it serve a meaningful purpose or use in my life?
•       Can this item be replaced by something else I already have?

Want to keep something, but lack the space to store it at home? Self-storage may be the perfect solution for you. This way you can store all of the belongings that you do not use daily such as seasonal items or items that have a lot of value to you, but you lack the space to store them at home.

Step Three: Cleaning the Space

After you have spent some time figuring out what to do with all your belongings, if possible, remove them all from the space and begin the cleaning process. The cleaning process could include getting rid of any dust mites, wiping down windows or light fixtures, and taking the time to wash the floors and rugs. Depending on how often you are spending time in your basement it may not be a room that you clean quite often, but it is a task that must be done.

Step Four: Organize Your Belongings

Organize your belongings according to whatever your vision is for the space. Now is the time to organize all of the belongings you decided to keep in your basement. You may be asking yourself, how do I do that? The simple answer is to organize them in a way that makes sense to you. For example, if you prefer to have taller shelving units with a lot of spaces for empty containers to store your Christmas decorations then go for it. If your vision for the space is to have minimal furniture to avoid the space being cluttered, then think about picking out furniture with multiple purposes and a lot of storage space. Your job is to figure out how and where you want to place your belongings.

Step Five: Finalize the Space

This is the time where you finalize the finishing touches of the space. This could include buying any decorations that will help you customize your basement. If you wanted to create a home gym, then now is the time to add all of the equipment and set it up. Interested in having a home movie theatre? Here is your chance!

If you no longer want to use your basement as your storage room, then please let us know and we would be happy to help with your storage problem. You can choose from one of our many self-storage facilities or perhaps mobile storage may be a better fit. From all of us at XYZ Storage, we wish you luck with cleaning and organizing your basement!