The best way to keep your basement organized (AND to get everyone to keep it that way!!) is to create zones.
If you have an open concept basement, it can be hard to keep it organized because stuff can easily stray from anywhere else and end up on the wrong side of the basement! I like to think of zones as mini, wall-less rooms. For example, we have a TV zone in the basement. In that zone, we have a couch, the game consoles, the remotes, and some blankets, oh and a TV of course! Those are the only things that ‘should’ be in the TV zone! Directly beside it is a kid zone, which makes it tricky for toy control from the TV zone. Defining the zone, especially for the kids, is helpful because we can say things like “uh oh! The toys are in the TV zone!” Then we can get the kids to tidy up their toys. Of course, life is not always that simple! The toys are kept on a shelf, or in a bin, or hanging up, and when we need to get them to tidy the space, they know exactly where things should go. Instead of just telling them to “put the toys back on the shelf,” we can say “it’s zone cleaning time,” and for some reason, we get a totally different reaction!!
You can have as many zones as you need to help keep the entire space tidy. We have a lot of zones in the basement because it is a big open space. We have zones like a TV zone, a toy zone, a craft zone, a workout zone, an office zone, and a drink zone with a bit of a bar space. We also have a storage area in the basement where we have a bit of a pantry space and a workshop space. You will need to find your own balance of how many zones are practical – there is a moment where having too many zones doesn’t actually add any more function.
Zones help to create a home base for a certain type of item. If you don’t have kids, you could still have zones to help you stay organized. Create areas like a seasonal zone, or, if you have a certain hobby, you could create a hobby zone or create an entertaining zone as a space you can easily have guests in. Whatever you create for zones, make sure that all of that kind of item gets stored in that zone. That way, if you’re tidying the house and you find stuff that belongs in that zone, you know exactly where it should go!
The more you can define each space or zone and what goes in it, the more successful everyone can be in putting stuff away, AND in the end, the more organized you can become!!
So zone out and start organizing!
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