Okay guys, we are getting into the homestretch of The 2015 Household Organization Diet! This month we are moving into my most challenging room yet – the basement!
When I started my blog over 5 years ago now, getting the basement decluttered and organized was one of my top priorities. Well… life took over and other projects ended up getting bumped to the top of the to do list, and our poor basement just kept getting more and more neglected. The more cluttered it got, the more I used it as a dumping ground – everything that I didn’t have a place for, or wasn’t quite sure if I should keep it or not, ended up in the basement. During The Six Week Decluttering Challenge this summer, I worked really hard at forcing myself to get things cleared out. I still have the storage room to go {which I will hopefully finish this month}, but for the most part, we were able to take back the space and move ahead with some decor updates {which I am excited to show you soon!}.
I have done up a to do list of everything that I need to do this month, but you might want to print out the blank sheet and come up with your own list. Everyone tends to have different uses for their basements, so it might be one that you will need to personalize a little bit more. And if you don’t have a basement, use this time to go over other areas in your home that may need a little extra TLC. Here’s my list though for guidance….
DOWNLOAD THE OCTOBER TO DO LIST HERE
DOWNLOAD THE BLANK OCTOBER TO DO LIST HERE
To keep myself on track, I also like to use a monthly calendar to write down when I plan on doing each of the tasks. You can read more about how I use the calendar HERE.
DOWNLOAD THE OCTOBER CALENDAR HERE
DOWNLOAD A BLANK OCTOBER CALENDAR HERE
Okay, so now that you are ready to get going, where do you begin? Here’s my step by step advice to getting it done!
Determine what you want to use your space for.
There are so many ways that people use their basements. It can function as a main family space or media room, a kids playroom, a home office, a place for extra storage area – really anything that you would like it to be. So… the trick is know exactly how you want to use it, and get rid of everything else that is not contributing to that goal. Have a clear vision in mind of how you would like it to function and what you would like it to look like when you are done.
Declutter.
We’ve talked about this many times before, but organizing always starts with a ruthless decluttering. The basement should not be a place for all things to go and die, and it does not need to be the catchall for everything without a home. Get rid of everything that you do not need, use, or want, or relocate those items that belong elsewhere in the house. I like to remove everything off the shelves and drawers as I go through them to really see what I have. It also clears the way for a good deep cleaning of shelving and drawers that may not have had a good clean in a while. You can find lots more tips and ideas for decluttering your basement here.
Clean.
A messy space is always harder to clean than an organized space, so if your basement is anything like ours, there may be a little more dust and a few extra cobwebs hanging around that will need to be cleaned. Starting from the top of the room, clear out cobwebs from corners, clean out light fixtures, and wash down the walls if needed. Dust all surfaces, again moving from top to bottom. If you have windows in the basement, give them a wash as well as the window tracks and blinds. Clean along the baseboards and end with a good vacuum of the space. Deep clean carpets and give any hard flooring surfaces a good cleaning.
Organize.
Now that everything has been cleaned and decluttered, it is time to get organizing! Sort everything that you have left into similar categories and “zones”. For example, one corner may be a small home office, while another corner may be a designated play area for the kids. Look around your home to see what you can utilize for storage and only go shopping for organizational products once you know what you truly need. I always like to make sure that I can take things back that I purchase as I always seem to be changing my mind and sometimes those ideas in my head don’t actually work out in real life.
Decorate.
Now that you are done, it is time to add some decorative touches to make the space your own! You should now just be left with items that you truly love and want to display, so find a place to show them off! You may find at this stage that there are still items that you do not have room for and you may still need to do a little bit of extra purging. This can be the hardest part, but remember if you do not have anywhere for it, it will not be doing you any good. Check out this post on How to Overcome Your Decluttering Paralysis if you are still having trouble letting go.
Once our basement was decluttered, it was time to do a little re-design plan. The last time that it was painted was 9 years ago and it seemed so dark {especially with my brilliant idea to get black furniture}. We had it repainted using Statuesque by BEHR and had some white board and batten put up. Even without replacing the furniture, it has opened up the space so much and I am excited to get organizing and decorating! Here are a few photos that I used as inspiration…
I love this staircase design {and wood beam!} found over at Unskinny Boppy.
I also like the idea of a beautiful, grand light fixture leading the way down to the basement. Currently we just have a small little light up.
Although we can’t afford to replace our entertainment unit at this time, I love these DIY IKEA built ins from No. 29 Design. I’m keeping them in mind for the future!
For more basement design ideas and tips on getting everything decluttered and organized head on over to this post…
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This post is part of The Household Organization Diet. If you need some organization inspiration, check out THIS POST to learn more about the plan and THIS POST for all of the 2015 updates. You CAN get that house cleaned and organized once and for all! To see all of the previous posts click the Get Organized tab at the top of the blog and go to The Household Organization Diet. I also have all of the posts pinned to my Household Organization Diet pinterest board. Start at any time and make sure you are following along so you don’t miss out…
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Your basement is wonderful! We don/t have one but still your tips are helpful. Like your October lists. Time to get busy! Happy Tuesday! Linda
Hi,
I found this on pinterest. I have a very long wall in my apartment and have been struggling with how to situate anything along it. This was perfect! Now i know how to place everything. Thank you.
Angela
The basement will probably be the last part of our house to get decorated! I do make it a point to go down there once every month (or every other! oops!) to really clean. It is finished and could be such a better space if I could devote some time like you are to really sprucing it up!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
I’m from Louisiana, so we don’t have basements. But this post makes me want one.
lol! I keep forgetting that basements are more of a regional thing! Almost all of the houses around here have one.
Is this your actual basement? If so, I’m so envious. I’ve shown photos of my basement – which I call our “area of shame”. We’re slowly working to declutter it and make it a functional space. It’s unfinished and we’ll probably finish it as soon as we get about 50% more of the stuff out of there.
Love this post. I have a October Clean, Purge party going on. Be sure to link up tomorrow, this is fabulous.
Girl, how did you know what is on our To Do list? 😉 Our basement was completely unfinished when we moved in a year ago…but in the spring we put up a wall and finished half of it. The unfinished half just had everything thrown in there to get it out of the way for the crew building on the other half. We have been meaning to organize the storage side (and get the finished portion finally done up for our guest room!) but it’s such an overwhelming task I haven’t even started yet. :/
You’re doing better than me – it took us 6 years to finish ours! {and then it was still a mess until recently!}
Lovely post, I wish I had a basement! Thank you for linking up with the OMHG WW & sharing with us! Please come link up again this week!! Have a wonderful rest of the week! xx
Thanks Ashleigh!
These basements are beautiful!
Come on, the average folks have low ceilings and what about those behemoth old furnaces?????
Most basements where I live all have a fairly standard ceiling height – ours is mostly 8 feet with some sections that are 7 feet. Even in many of the inspiration photos the ceiling heights look on the lower side and are fitted with pot lights to accommodate the lower ceilings. Our furnace is tucked away in its own little room so it’s out of the way and not visible. With some vision and a little creativity, you can still create a pretty basement space. 🙂