Declutter Your Basement in a Weekend

Spring is an ideal time to declutter the basement. Many homeowners put this job off because it seems so daunting. Basements hold a lot of clutter! But spring has a way of motivating homeowners to clean up the house. Getting rid of basement clutter helps clear the energy and create space for other purposes besides just gathering junk.

Decluttering the basement can be done in a weekend if you have the right strategy and mindset. It also helps to have a small dumpster rental on hand to make trash disposal easier. Small Haul is one of the top roll-off dumpster rental companies in the Kansas City area. We take the stress out of residential trash disposal, leaving you free to move on to other projects.

Here are a few tips to help you declutter your basement in a weekend, courtesy of Small Haul Containers.

Getting motivated to start a big project like decluttering a basement can be challenging. It’s much easier, however, if you have a goal for the freshly cleared space. Do you want to install a yoga studio? How about a new entertainment room? A clear vision of what you’d like the area to morph into helps immeasurably with getting started. Once you get going, you’ll pick up momentum along the way.

Once you have your goal firmly set, take inventory of what’s down there. It doesn’t have to be too detailed, but making a list of what you’re dealing with helps you figure out whether to keep or discard it. You might want to list items in groups to be recycled, thrown out, or kept so that others in the family can help with the project.

Next, determine designated drop points for everything. You might designate one corner of the room for trash. Another may hold garage sale or give-away items, including donations to thrift stores. Yet another area can be set up to handle all the things you’re getting rid of. Having designated spaces for everything eliminates time spent figuring out what to do with each item.

An added benefit of having all the trash in one consolidated location is that, when it’s time to haul it all out, you only have to make trips from that one place to the driveway to toss the items in the dumpster. This is a big time-saver.

Don’t try to tackle the whole basement at one time. You’ll quickly be overwhelmed. Work in sections, starting with one room or part of a room. Assess and categorize every item in that section of the basement. Then move on to a new section. This keeps the job manageable and helps prevent burnout. You’re much more likely to finish the whole basement if you only have to do one piece at a time.

As a follow-up to the previous tip, you don’t have to work on decluttering the basement for four hours straight. Set a timer for 30 minutes and see how far you get in that time. When the timer goes off, take a short break, get a drink of water, and sit for a few minutes. Then set the timer and get back to it.

This is a great tactic to use when involving children in the decluttering process. Younger children have a short attention span anyway, so getting them to work for even 15 minutes is helpful in the long run.

Once the sorting is all done, it’s time to haul out the trash. Since you’re getting rid of it, there’s no need to be careful gathering it up and tossing it in the dumpster. You do want to be mindful of safety, though, so that no one gets hurt!

Small dumpster rentals are ideal for basement decluttering projects. Many small dumpsters hold a ton of trash — literally! That’s more than a typical household has in an average-sized basement. Swinging barn-style doors open wide, making it easy to walk in with heavy or oversized items, such as couches, large TVs, or coffee tables. Old toys can go in, too, although you may need to wait and toss those out when the kids aren’t looking!

Clearing away the trash first elicits an instant feeling of accomplishment. It also clears out a good portion of the basement, which can then be used as a staging area when sorting and organizing the rest of your items.

Once you’ve cleared the trash, it’s time to organize everything you want to keep. Divide it into items used frequently, occasionally (perhaps seasonally), or rarely, if ever. The rarely-used category may contain family heirlooms or other items with sentimental value. These treasures should be packed away in bins designed to protect precious keepsakes from the damp conditions often found in basements. You may also consider using archival glass on old pictures, so they don’t fade. There’s no point in keeping something valuable if it’s not well-protected.

Storage shelves play a big role in helping you organize the items you want to keep. Just make sure shelves are sturdy and stable, so they don’t tip over when filled. Put the heaviest items on the bottom shelves where they’ll also function as ballast.

Follow these tips, and you’ll have your basement spic and span and ready for something new before you know it!

If you’re looking for a residential dumpster rental company for your basement decluttering weekend, look no further than Small Haul. We’re your trusted resource for small dumpster rentals in the KC area. Reserve your dumpster online today. We’ll drop it off for your weekend of decluttering. You can thank us for it later!

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