By Daryl Ashley
Confusion Solution
Okay! So, you have a basement. If it isn’t a finished family room, it’s most likely used for storage. Ask yourself if you know what is down in that forgotten space and think about making a change.
Organizing a basement can be time consuming, and unless it’s heated, during the winter isn’t a good time to tackle that project. However, you can do some planning, There are several things that may help you decide what you will need, so here are some tips for making your basement an efficient use of space.
- Do an overall assessment of what is stored and how it’s stored. For instance, if you have a variety of boxes, totes, or bins and they are strewn about the floor, start to consider installing shelves. There are heavy duty ones with wheels making it easy to move if needed. There are shelves that can be mounted to the wall, and cabinets that have shelves built in. Take measurements of the space to be sure you are buying the right size for that space and for the things you will be storing.
- Before you buy you will need to go through what you have. Use boxes to help sort and downsize as you go. Cardboard boxes are fine to use for storage; just make sure they are on shelves and not on the floor and mark them well. Wooden planks raised on blocks are also an easy and less expensive way to keep things off the floor, but ultimately, clear plastic bins are the best because they are less likely to become damaged. Just be careful not to make any boxes so heavy that you can’t move them if necessary.
- Use large trash bags for donations, and call around to see if a charity is able to pick up larger items.
- Keep chemicals, like cleaning solutions or paint, in a separate area to avoid spillage and fumes from ruining your things. Store these items in an open space so you can see if damage occurs. If some chemicals are not used for long periods of time, they will seep from their containers.
Then after everything is sorted and stored, sweep up any trash, and step back to see what you have accomplished.
It’s as simple as that!
Send your questions and comments to me at info@confusionsolution.com
