Getting a Messy Basement Under Control
“My basement has become the dumping ground for “stuff” from my parents and in-laws when they died or moved to retirement homes. Also I have stored kids clothes and toys for my kids for their children. Now we are looking to move from this home of 37 years and I don’t know where to start! Please help me!” – Linda*
Handling other people’s stuff
Linda, you seem to have a lot of space in your basement and it looks like it is somewhat organized under some of the layers. Clutter can add up fast, especially if you are taking in items for other people. If you don’t have a use for items that have been left to you, you can ask other family members if they want the items before getting rid of them.
If you are holding furniture, books, clothes, etc. for other people, give those people a deadline to get their things out of your basement. Once the deadline passes, have the items hauled away. While these items clutter your basement and are a problem for you, they are out of sight and out of mind to the rightful owner. But remember that you aren’t a storage facility and if someone else really wants the items, they’ll find a way to make room for those things in their own homes.
{Note from Davonne: When my mom moved, she made four piles of stuff – one for each child. My siblings and I then loaded our cars with things from our piles that we wanted to take to our own homes, and she sent the rest of the stuff away. That saved her the guesswork of trying to figure out what we wanted, and it gave us a chance to gather the things that were important to us.}
Sorting what’s left
Once you have taken care other people’s things, it’s time to tackle your own. It looks like you have a lot of shelf space and a lot of bins, cabinets and boxes you can use to organize your stuff. Having the right storage containers will be really helpful as you organize!
Go through every single box, bin, drawer, etc. and put items into 3 piles, “keep,” “toss,” or “donate.” After you have made your three piles you should take care of the “toss” and “donate” piles first. Get those things out of the house as quickly as possible!
Now you are ready to put the items you use, love, or need back into bins, drawers or boxes with other like items. For example, store all of your sewing/crafting/knitting type items together. Make sure every box, bin, or drawer is labeled. This will help you find stuff and know where to put it away when you’re done with it. Read about a very fast and easy labeling system here.
You already have everything you need to achieve an organized shelving unit similar to this one from On The Outskirts of Town.
Once your books are all on the shelves, use any left over shelf space to hold small bins containing some of your smaller items or paperwork. Davonne has some great tips for simplifying paper clutter. You can achieve a look similar to this bookshelf from Dollar Store House.
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“I understand the desire to hang on to keepsakes and family heirlooms. Those items are precious treasures that weave beauty and history into our lives and our homes. The problem with the beautiful heirlooms occurs when we have so many of them that they stop us from moving forward. That’s where limits are helpful… We can keep the most special items, as well as treasure the memories, without allowing any of that to hold us back.” Davonne Parks, Chaos to Clutter-Free
Bonnie’s closing words
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