How Real People Organize The Basement {Organizing Hall of Fame}
Here are real life ideas for how to organize the basement of your home, as shown by participants of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, in this hall of fame.
This week we've been working on the Basement Organization Challenge, which is one of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenges, here on the site.
This page of the site is a showcase of some of the best photos sent in by participants of this challenge, showing what they accomplished in their own homes when they tackled this task.
I love to give a round of applause to those who've worked hard to improve their homes, to give them the credit they so rightly deserve, which is why I've got these hall of fame pages on the site.
I also have found that these halls of fame can be inspiring for others, to show you what can be accomplished using the ideas, strategies and steps laid out in the challenge article, and to get you motivated to tackle your own basement organization project!
If you've worked on this challenge (or any of the other 52 organized home challenges) I'd love to see what you've done as well. You can submit your photos and accomplishments here in the form on the site, and the best ones will be showcased here on the site!
When organizing a basement you've first got to decide how you're going to use it -- for storage, as a living area, or perhaps as something else, such as a utility area where you'll do laundry or have a small work shop.
I've divided up the hall of fame to showcase a couple of different ways that participants are using their basement, since how you use it makes a difference in how you organize it.
Basements Used For Storage
One of the most common ways people use their basement is for storage, and if that's you, you'll want to check out these great ideas from participants below who worked hard to get their basement storage areas organized and functional.
As discussed more in the challenge article itself, it's so important that if you're going to store things in your basement (or anywhere else in your home) that you be able to easily access the stored items when you need them, and to be able to find those items quickly and without hassle.
One of the best ways to do this is to sort and separate the stored stuff into plastic storage bins or tubs, label them, and then put them onto some type of storage shelves to allow you to stack them, and still be able to get to individual tubs or containers without having to move all the ones stacked above them.
One participant, Krista, sent in these photos to show the storage shelves that her husband built in their basement.
Krista said of the photo of the unfilled shelves, "My hubby made mine!! He said it was easier than he thought it would be. 1 day and $125 later. Kind of proud of him."
Further, she stated when showing the picture of the filled shelves, "Filled with just kids clothes! And the bigger toys/swing/etc."
It's great to have a place in your home to store kids clothes that can be passed down from one child to the next, plus to have a space for currently unusued baby gear (that you plan to perhaps need again in the near future!).
These basement storage shelves are actually very popular, because they work so well for the task, that many different participants of the challenge have sent me in photos of them. Here's a collage image, showing Krista's photos, as well as another reader, Charlsie, who also added similar shelves into her basement.
Charlsie said, "My husband built ours when we finished our basement! I love them! He needs to build more!" She also called the shelves the "Best thing my husband ever made!"
If you aren't blessed with the know how or skills to make your own storage shelves, or you'd rather just purchase something similar, you can do that. Here's examples of ones that you can purchase:
Storage Bin Organizers {Referral Links}
Remember, that if you're going to store a lot of stuff in your basement, it's important to know what you've got in all those containers. Make sure to fill out your basement storage inventory so you know exactly what you've got, and where (the link includes a free printable form!).
Basement Used For Living Space
Some people have a finished basement, and therefore use the space not just for storage, but for living. They may use it for a craft room, for exercise, or to hang out and have some fun.
In fact, one challenge participant, Melanie, uses her basement for all those things, as you can see from these photos she sent in.
Melanie said, "Five 10 to 12 hour days of weeding, sorting, separating and organizing the basement yielded 25+ cardboard boxes flattened for recycling, 9 big garbage bags of trash, 1 huge box for sale/donation, a large tote for the shredder or the wood stove and a usable space for games, weights and sewing/crafts. So tired!!"
Melanie, you did awesome! That does sound like a LOT of work, but I'm so proud of what you accomplished, and I hope you are too!
Are You Ready To Organize Your Basement Now?
After seeing these photos and ideas shared by other participants of the challenge, are you ready to tackle your own basement organization project? If so, here are the resources on the site to get you started:
First, make sure to check out the Basement Organization Challenge article, because it has step by step instructions for this task, and also is the main hub page with links to all the other major basement organizing resources available.
In addition, as always the first step of any organization task is to declutter. Here are instructions for how to declutter your basement without making a bigger mess in the process.
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