March 23-29: National Cleaning Week
Yesterday was the start of National Cleaning Week. Though everyday is pretty much a cleaning day, I decided to focus this week specially on the basement. It’s the least used area in our home, and is also the most cluttered, if you can believe that. We tend to haul stuff down there and leave them “for later”.
Today, I cleaned out the storage area under the stairs. It’s an odd shaped space with a sloping ceiling down to the floor. It’s a challenge to utilize it effectively, and still maximize storage. I don’t like to simply shove items in it, because I know I’ll eventually forget what’s there.
I find that the best way to store items in this space is not to cram it full, but to leave some space so that I can still see what’s at the very back. I also wrote down everything I put in there, and this list goes on the wall just inside the door. So far, I have a box of stuffed toys, a Pack n’ Play, sets of luggage, a baby bathtub, a toddler seat, a car seat and two bases, and a couple of sleeping bags. That space packs a whole lot of stuff.
In the process of cleaning out the basement, I’ve thrown away several items that I’ve saved for one reason or another, yet have not touched in a year. One thing I noticed about people with perpetually neat homes is that they tend not to accumulate unnecessary things. Everything in their home has a current purpose or is decorative. Nothing takes up space that is not presently useful.
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
- William Morris
As I go through what I currently own, these are two criteria that I will apply to decide what goes and what stays in my home.
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