5 Reliable Tips To Help You Organize Your Basement

Summertime often means we have a little more freetime, and we think it’s a great idea to do a little summer cleaning and organizing so that everything stays a little more tidy when the busy season of our lives hits.

Start By Decluttering

The first step towards creating the basement of your dreams is to clean and organize, and that means decluttering. Though it will definitely make an even bigger mess to begin with, it’s important to purge to make things go back together even easier. Set aside a full day to do an intensive inventory of every single item in your basement. Evaluate everything you own and make the hard decisions – get rid of the stuff you know you won’t miss.

Make a donation pile, a keep pile, and a toss pile. Once you get started, you’ll love how good it feels to throw things away.

Create The Ideal Storage Space

Now that you’ve thrown out all the garbage, you can have a more accurate look at the space you’re working with. Some basements stay moist, and though there isn’t much that can be done about that, we think there are few steps that can bring down the dampness and help protect your things.

Before making drastic moves, start by scrubbing your walls and floor with detergent and water and then rinse with a diluted bleach solution. After the floors and walls are completely dry, use a mold-retardant paint, and waterproofing primer. We also think you should consider using an epoxy solution on your floor that can act as additional sealant against moisture. Especially if you have an unfinished concrete basement, having a good seal on your floor is crucial.

During the summer, make sure you have a dehumidifier on auto to help keep the space dryer. A good setting is 50% relative humidity.

Once the walls, floors, and clutter are all taken care of, you’ll be able to see what sort of sections you need to divide in your basement space and how many containers you need to help keep your things organized. We highly suggest keeping all of your storage items in an air-tight and transparent plastic container to keep out bugs, moisture, and dust.

Designate Zones For Each Season and Purpose

Once your basement is dry and somewhat organized, it’s time to create your storage plan. We’re a huge fan of designating zones so that it’s easier to keep track of everything. Whether it’s zone by season, or type of item, go with what works best for you and your family. This could mean organizing into sections like sports equipment, holiday decoration, tools and crafts, and whatever else makes the most sense to you.

Sorting your items into zones will keep the clutter and chaos under control, and help everyone find their stored items easier when they need them. Make large labels for each zone and bin.

Hide Ugly Storage Behind Curtains

If you’re like us, you probably have a decent amount of storage that is starting to become an eyesore. One way to hide your ugly bins and bulky items you don’t want other people seeing is to hang pretty curtains to divide your room.

Get easy to hang hooks from the ceiling and you choose thin or thick curtains that match your current home decor style for a stylish way to hide the mess.

You Can’t Go Wrong With Built In Shelving and Cabinets

At Dayton Designer Closets, we love recommending high quality built-ins and cabinets. When it comes to tips on how to organize your basement, you really can’t go wrong with built in shelves that perfectly fit your space. If you’re not a fan of the curtain idea, having custom cabinets to hide your tools and craft supplies or even your holiday decorations might be the perfect solution for your basement.

Especially if you’re looking to increase the value of your home or create a more livable space, having cabinets and shelves that match your home and define the space can be a huge plus for potential buyers.

Organize Your Basement With Dayton Designer Closets

Are you ready to actually make use of your basement? Hopefully our tips have helped you get the inspiration and the motivation you need to tackle your storage space and transform into the basement you’ve always wanted.

If you want some professional organizational help though, give the experts at Dayton Designer Closets a call. We can help you clean and organize your home with affordable and high quality design solutions to make any space more comfortable and functional.