Almost every household has certain problems with storage space. Families who live in apartments can hardly squeeze everything they own and need in an average apartment. On the other hand, people living in houses have more space at their disposal, but they also face lack of space as times goes by and things come in. Luckily, one area in your home can save the day and provide enough space for all your needs – its storage highness, the basement.
De-cluttering prior to storing
Before people realize that their basement can serve as a perfect storage space, this area is usually cluttered with all sorts of things. A common habit of most families is to take everything they do not use on a daily basis down to the basement. While the point of this guide is to use the basement as the main storage unit, it should be done in an organized and safe way. This is why you have to de-clutter the area before you start filling it with things in a planned way. Make a few groups of items and classify them accordingly. For instance, you can give away some old stuff, like toys and clothes. The rest of the belongings can be offered on a garage sale. Here you can learn more about determining prices for items that you would like to sell at a garage sale.
Organizing the floor area
Once you have removed all the items from the basement, you can start storing the ones you did not sell, but this time neatly and carefully. The first thing you should do is to find a place for the bulkier furniture items. If you have a sofa or a wardrobe in the basement, find a place for them. Make sure that they do not block access to any vital installations, such as the central heating pipes or plumbing essentials. Now that you have dealt with larger items, divide the free floor area in several parts and decide where you will put the shelves and other things that you will keep in the basement.
Smart use of walls
When it comes to walls, they can be extremely practical for storage, but they require special care. First of all, you have to divide the walls into those that will host some shelving and pallet racking solutions and the ones that will be used for storing other items Secondly, take care of safety guidelines when installing the shelves. They need to be sturdy and compact, to hold the weight of the object you are going to keep on them.
Finally, the walls that were left bare at the beginning now need to get a proper role. For instance, you can install hooks on them and use those walls as a storage place for tools. Moreover, the ceiling can also become a great place for hanging your tools. Since you will need screw hooks for that matter, have a look at proper screw hook installation.
Small storage units
Since basements are often rich with mold and damp, it would be useful to paint the walls and the ceiling before you give your basement a new storage start. Of course, it all depends on the types of items you are planning to keep in the basement. For instance, if you want to store some precious books or records down there, painting the walls is a must.
Regardless of the type of the items, you should always pack them in well-protected containers before you leave your things in the basement. Give advantage to regular-shape plastic and cardboard boxes. Avoid plastic bags, since they are not eco-friendly solutions. Also, check this list of items you should never keep in the basement, due to safety and health reasons.
When the old clutter is removed from your basement, you can organize it from scratch. That way you will be able to store more items in the same space and make the best use of that useful area.
