The basement is often the part of the home delegated as the “catch all” area. You know the drill…as you move through the home cleaning and organizing, items tend to work their way down into the basement. Boxes of old tax papers are moved there from the home office, clothes that the kids outgrew move there from their rooms, furniture that doesn’t fit in a newly configured room gets moved down to, you guessed it…the basement; and all the things that are still good, but that you don’t want anymore end up in a corner in the basement designated for the garage sale you never actually had. Well, we at The Lock Up have a solution to regain the basement so that you can have it back and fully functional again. Yes, it will take a little effort on your part, but once you’re done, the kids will have a new playspace and you won’t have to feel like you’re doing the laundry in the corner of a thrift store anymore.
The first thing you’ll want to do is to clear off a table so that you have some space to work and begin the process of organizing. As you go through items, you’ll want to separate them into three distinct piles: Garbage, Donate, and Store.
You would be surprised how much stuff in the “catch all” area is actually stuff that you simply do not need and that isn’t suited to be donated. All of this stuff goes right into the circular file, aka the garbage. If it’s recyclable, be sure to do your civic duty and recycle it. But do not, under any circumstances put 10 year old tax papers in the “Store” pile…you’ll only be creating work for your future self.
If you haven’t used something in over a year, it likely can go in the “Donate” pile. Keep an open mind about what you can donate. Kids’ clothes are great to donate, but so are old suits, pantsuits, purses or briefcases. Find a non-profit center that helps veterans or homeless people get back into the workforce. Donate gently used books to schools. Some women’s shelters are looking for old electronics such as cell phones, laptop computers and tablets. And keep in mind that many donations are tax deductible.
The last, but definitely not least, pile is for the items that you want to store in a self storage unit. Remember that basements are often cool and somewhat damp compared to the rest of a home and these conditions are not the best for storing items. Moisture can cause mildew on papers, and can be destructive to some furniture surfaces as well. The Lock Up Self Storage has units that are climate controlled, meaning that your items will be protected from the deleterious effects of fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels. A storage unit is the ideal place to keep boxes of papers, holiday decor, and items that you want, but don’t have space for. You can even put all of the ‘garage sale’ items in storage, and keep them at the front of your unit so that you can have potential buyers come to your unit instead of your home.
Once you have all your items sorted out, place the “Garbage” items in the trash, schedule your donation pickups, and visit www.thelockup.com to secure your self storage unit. With every new lease, you get access to a free move in truck, so that it’s easier to get all your items to The Lock Up. And voila! You have your basement back!
