The Ultimate Guide to Tackling your Basement Clutter!

The basement is the catch all of the home. It is easy to throw memorabilia, inherited items and back stock down there hoping it will be organized in the near future (perhaps magically). What if I told you prioritizing your basement could save you future heartbreak and money. You might have heard of stories of flooded basements that resulted in destroyed priceless artifacts. Your future self will thank you once you stop putting this off. I’m cheering you on and believe that you can do hard things!

In this article, I am sharing my professional advice on tackling big decluttering projects. The same method can be applied to clearing out storage units, just pace yourself.

Step 1: Make a list of everything

If you have children or a partner that wants to help, this can be a good assignment for them. 

Write down everything you see. Take the extra step to peek through sealed boxes, totes and bins. Read over the list and sort everything into categories such as food, clothing, workout, tools, memorabilia,etc. You can throw everything into Chatgbt & ask it to sort it for you as well. Not only do you have a much better idea of what you are dealing with but it helps you determine what organizing solutions are most suitable.

Step 2: Explore organizing solutions

Now that you have a better idea of what you have, you can shop for clear storage containers and a shelving system to start. Consider open front storage containers for cleaning supplies or these heavy duty ones for hardware & large tools. Smart labels like these from Elephant Trax app enable you to easily track what is inside your containers through their free app.

Step 3: Sort items and create zones 

Take this chance to be ruthless with what you will actually use and keep. Be generous with a donation pile, yard sale pile or gifting. The idea of a yard sale can be daunting so try the online route first with sites like facebook marketplace. 

Sort everything into large categories like food, decor, tools, cleaning, clothing,etc. Create piles then sort those piles into smaller categories such as halloween or christmas decor, summer or winter clothing, canned or dry foods, painting or hardware tools and so forth.

Step 4: Implement storage systems 

This would be a great time to commission the help of a professional organizer to finalize your basement organization. You can sit back, refreshment in hand while they handle the rest.