No matter what the size of our home is, most of us feel as though we could use more space: an extra bedroom, a home office, or just more storage.

The question we really need to answer:  Are we using the space as efficiently as possible?  Judging from the garages and basements I’ve seen, that answer is a resounding “No!”

The two most common rooms I see wasted are garages and basements. When I see a home with a disorganized garage, I’d bet that the basement is just as cluttered.  In most cases, the problem isn’t lack of space, people simply aren’t taking advantage of all the space they already have.

In previous blog posts, we’ve talked about how to declutter your garage (keep, donate, toss) but this also applies to basements.

How are the basement and the garage connected?  Once the garage has been cleared of everything that’s unnecessary, and shelving, cabinets and overhead storage has been added, it can create room to store more in the garage, including some of what is currently in other parts of your house, such as your basement.

Emptying your basement of unnecessary items leaves you valuable internal space for better use.  People have converted their basement into a home theatre, guest room, home office, game room, even an art studio. One recent client was clearing out the basement to create a nanny suite.

Regardless of how you plan to use your basement, if it’s full of stuff you no longer use or need,  now is the right time to be thinking about decluttering and getting your storage spaces organized so you can take advantage of all the space you have and use your home the way you’d like to use it!