Winter is a great time to tackle all of those tough indoor chores that have been on your "To Do List" for a while! Organizing and cleaning out your basement is for sure one of them. Unfinished basements tend to hold years of memories, gifts that were given but never used, photo albums from the past 20 or so years, plastic bins of photographs waiting to be placed onto a cd or into an album, holiday decorations that could use an overhaul along with bins of clothing that you will fit into someday or simply can't part with those expensive shoes that are clearly no longer in style. A solid way to start organizing is by categorizing sections in your basement:
*Items to Donate
*Items to Donate
*Items to Throw Away/Trash
*Items to Sell
*Items to Keep
One website that I found to be useful is http://www.freecycle.org/ - basically you sign up, post what you are giving away for free -someone responds and they schedule a pick up date at your home (I recommend that you leave all items on your front porch) and they come get it. Simple, easy and free.
Other organizing tips for your basement are use large clear, plastic totes to store items in so that you can identify them without having to haul around the tote. If you have light sensitive items such as pictures or videos I recommend a dark, plastic tub which will keep the UV lighting out. If you have to switch winter/summer clothing as I do, I keep clear plastic tubs for sandals and flip flops which turn into boots and winter shoes - along with a few heavy duty rolling racks for your clothes.
You can also cover them with a plastic sheet and hang a cedar closet chip which also will soak up any moisture/mildew in the air. Finish off that organized basement with heavy duty plastic adjustable shelves - as you keep organizing, you can keep tossing all year long.
One website that I found to be useful is http://www.freecycle.org/ - basically you sign up, post what you are giving away for free -someone responds and they schedule a pick up date at your home (I recommend that you leave all items on your front porch) and they come get it. Simple, easy and free.
Other organizing tips for your basement are use large clear, plastic totes to store items in so that you can identify them without having to haul around the tote. If you have light sensitive items such as pictures or videos I recommend a dark, plastic tub which will keep the UV lighting out. If you have to switch winter/summer clothing as I do, I keep clear plastic tubs for sandals and flip flops which turn into boots and winter shoes - along with a few heavy duty rolling racks for your clothes.
You can also cover them with a plastic sheet and hang a cedar closet chip which also will soak up any moisture/mildew in the air. Finish off that organized basement with heavy duty plastic adjustable shelves - as you keep organizing, you can keep tossing all year long.
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