See that corner right there? Start there. The point is to pick a corner. Then work sections at a time. Do you have an abundance of boxes. Check them out as quickly as possible. If you discover one box is entirely Christmas decorations, then using a permanent maker, mark it so. You can always come back later to sort through that (and perhaps place it in a nice plastic storage bin). At least for now, you know what’s in there.

Decluttering a large space like the basement appears overwhelming unless you break the task into smaller more manageable tasks. Today’s goal may be to just discover what’s lurking in each of these boxes and toss the most grievous of this junk. And that’s great. Just keep in mind that once this first step is completed, you’ll still have several more steps to go.

This is your initial clean up. When you find a box or bin with items you can tell you aren’t going to want to keep, then dig into it. However, for the time being – and to conserve your time and help you to stay on track – don’t try to transform the basement all at once.

When you have one corner completed, move on – clockwise – to the next area of clutter. Do the same thing here. If it’s a box with needed supplies, mark it and set it aside. If however it’s storing that flower-power outfit from the 1970s that you are never going to wear again (and your children refuse to wear) toss it. Those days are thankfully long gone.

If you truly believe that an item is salvageable, but you don’t want it, consider giving it to a thrift store or church sale (for real vintage period clothes in good condition a community theatre may benefit from your collection). Otherwise, consider this all past-prime material and toss!

If you don’t own a dehumidifier and use it in the basement, or have already waterproofed your cellar, then you may be disappointed by condition of some of your “treasures.” You may discover that the damp basement has claimed some of the life of certain collectible pieces. You may even discover that some of your items are damaged beyond repair by the damp, dank conditions of your basement. If that’s the case, it’s best to cut your losses and toss the items out. There’s no use crying over items already damaged.

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