Me and Becky - before!

Last week I had the privilege of working with Becky Nalbandian of All In Organizing.  After my home remodel this summer, lots of boxes got shifted to the basement for storage.  Now was the time to get them off the floor and onto the shelves.  It took us about 5 hours, and we only made a dent in the clutter.  Even though I'm not finished, I'd like to share some of the steps I took to get started on this major project.

1.  Look at your space and ask yourself - what is it that is being stored here?  Write down your major storage categories like furniture, tools, paperwork, holiday decorations, etc.  These categories will become your storage zones when you start bringing things back into your decluttered space.

2.  Take a walk through the space and think about where your will ultimately put your things.  This is called "zoning".  You will eventually want to keep like things together for easy retrieval.  You should also put the things you use frequently near the entrance, and place seasonal things out of the way.

3.  Start collecting extra boxes or bags.  Gather some paper, masking tape, fat felt pens, and a tablet for making notes.  Don't forget gloves and facemask if you are working in a dirty area.  A shop vac might come in handy too.

4. Create a clear work space where you can temporarily relocate your stuff as you sort through what you have. Designate areas for trash, donation, sell or give away, and keep.  Label these areas with big paper signs.  Give yourself plenty of room!  I set up an EZ-up tent in the back yard.

 

5.  Begin by bringing items out of the space and sorting them into your major storage categories.  Make decisions as you go about what things can be trashed, donated, given away, or saved.  Place these in the areas you've set aside for this purpose.  I set up work tables under the tent for saved items.  Everything else went out to the driveway.

 

6.  Before bringing things back into your newly cleared zones, be sure to do a little repacking or cleaning as necessary.  Label your zones with big signs so you are sure to keep like things together.

 

 

The cleared corner - after!

 

Of course this is a very simplistic description of a major undertaking, but it should get you started on the right track. 

 

Here is a picture of the basement area where we sorted, purged and zoned.  Note the signs and labeled containers.  It's only one corner, but it's a start.

 

 

 

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