Keeping your home organizing in check will be an ongoing effort, so you will need to be ready for anything while you go forward with your life. To do so however you will need to keep quite a few things in mind so you can organize the basement accordingly. The following tips will give you what you need to know to make it work:
Clear your clutter before you move on. Start your work by sorting out through the possessions in your basement and figuring out what you want to keep and what needs to be gone at the end of the day. Put three piles up: one for donation, one for sales and another one for throwing things away.
Clean your appliances beforehand. Make sure they are dried up and open them up a bit so they can have proper air circulation if you plan on storing any of them in the basement.
Shopping for cleaning supplies. This is another step you will need to undertake if you want to keep the musty smells away. Basements often see a bit more moisture than other places, so you will need to make sure you deal with the underlying odors that may become a problem in the long run. A dehumidifier will be an excellent addition to your basement so you can keep moisture levels down to a more manageable amount.
Installing shelving units will make your job far easier if you work on them, especially ones that happen to have rubber bottoms or plastic or wire. You should avoid using wooden shelving, as the potential moisture of your basement could make quick work of it and it would warp the wood or become a breeding ground for mold.
Using plastic totes for item storage is also a good way to help identify their contents when you move forward. Group the items together to work out where sports equipment, holiday items and toys will be and don’t forget to label each one for ease of access. Place the heaviest items on the bottom to keep anything from being crushed.
Protecting your furniture is also extremely important, especially if you plan on storing any of it in the basement. Not only should you make good use of drop cloths, but you need to keep them at a minimum of about three inches from the wall to prevent any moisture damage. You would also do well to place the furniture on aluminum pallets or to elevate it on bricks to allow its underside to breathe as well to prevent mold growth as much as possible. Couple that with a good dehumidifier, solid upholstery and domestic cleaning and you will have excellent results.
Stow away tools and other items in the basement, but make sure they have a light coating of machine oil to protect them from moisture just in case. Hang them on hooks or place them on shelves to keep them from rusting over.