Step by Step Instructions on How to Organize Clutter in Your Storage Areas

Does your basement, garage, or attic make you want to scream? Clutter everywhere, boxes unorganized, and kids toys all over the place. Does this sound like your storage areas? If so, you need to get organized!

Here are step by step instructions on how to organize all the clutter sitting around your home.

Let’s get to it!

First Things First… Categorize

Whether its spring cleaning time or not, take time to go through all the junk you have accumulated in the basement after all these years!

You can split things up into a couple categories. Make a pile for things you need to get rid of, a pile for things to keep, products to recycle, and a pile to donate to the veterans or another place you would like to donate your gently used items. Most places will come right to your door step to pick up the things you would like to donate. This makes doing a great thing for others that much easier!

Now that we have a pile of items your keeping, time to organize them! Separate them into smaller categories such as…

• Gardening
• Sports
• Toys
• Holidays
• Seasonal Items
• Tools
• Home Décor
• Vacation/Travel
• Crafts
• Seasonal Clothing
• Emergency Kits
• Camping
• Electrical
• Files

Pick the Right Containers

Think about what these boxes are going to go through. Taking them off the shelves, putting them back on over and over again. Opening and closing them often. Maybe you will have to move them to different houses or storage areas. They get beat up pretty badly!

We all know cardboard boxes break, bent, and rip easily. When water gets on them, it will most likely leak onto anything in the box which might ruin your items. I would suggest picking something more stable for moving around.

Instead picking cardboard, spend a little more money on plastic storage boxes with secure lids. The Container Store has everything you need for garage storage!

Labeling Ideas

Labeling is an important step in this process. If you don’t have any boxes or containers labeled, it will be extremely hard to find anything! Make things a little easy on yourself and do this step right after you have your items in categories.

You can purchase labeling paper and print out the categories you want on the containers. If you don’t want to get labeling paper and have plain printing paper laying around, you can simple print it on that paper. Cut out the words and tape them to the container with clear tape.

Instead of printing out labels, you can make a color code sheet! Pick different colors for each category and keep a sheet in a special place in the storage area so that you know where to find it. Take different colored stickers and place them on the containers!

Pick a Place for Everything

Maybe you have different areas where you would like to place certain things. Find what works best for you whether that is hanging things like tools on the wall, placing containers on shelving, or having designated areas for specific things.

Once everything is in its place and all your items are organized, you won’t have to feel overwhelmed going into your storage areas anymore!