Cleaning out the Basement… AGAIN!
It is no longer a secret that we have trouble keeping the basement clean. We have too much stuff, and we are typically the only ones that see our basement. Although we are pretty good about keeping the rest of our house clean, for some reason the basement thwarts our efforts of cleanliness and organization. This is a week of Thanksgiving, and I am thankful that I have all that I need, but it is not acceptable that I allow my house to look like this.
Part of the problem was that we had too much furniture down there. We decided that we needed to get rid of at least these two chairs. They were given to me five years ago before Douglas moved in, and they served us well. However, we now have seating that we like a lot more, and it was time for these to go. Luckily, we found them a good home where they will be appreciated by posting them on the local “Buy Nothing” Facebook page.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day cleaning the basement, moving the furniture, vacuuming, mopping and putting things away. I feel much better spending time down here now. Not only does it look better, but it smells wonderful. I put peppermint essential oil in my steam mop.
The cleaner, less cluttered basement met with feline approval, even though all of the animals were bothered by the cleaning, especially the vacuuming, while it was happening.
Once Ponche let them know it was safe, the rest of them came down to watch television for a while. 
I watched a lot of Tiny House Hunters while I was cleaning the basement. I found that to be a helpful show to help me prepare to pare down my belongings. If those people can live in under 500 square feet, I should be able to live comfortably in my house. I am going to give away a lot of things in the upcoming month. As for now, I will enjoy the newly cleaned space.
Happy Homemaking!
I am a teacher, traveler, artist, writer, homemaker and a whole lot more. In January 2009, I bought the Cape of Dreams. It was the second house that I had ever owned, but it was the first that I bought by myself. I now live in the house with my husband Douglas, our dog Kahlua, and Crème de Menthe, the cat. Because, what life is complete without a little Kahlua and Cream? I love arts and crafts of all kinds, and I refinish furniture as well. We are slowly redoing our entire house. You can read about my projects on my blog www.CapeofDreams.com
Afraid to ask this, but what else are you purging?
Lots and lots of stuff. Be very afraid, I might purge you!
looks great! i have decided that no matter how clean and orderly our houses are, the basement is a no win situation and needs yearly purging. i have spent days and hours cleaning our basement and a year later it’s a disaster again. has ponche discovered the sisal climbing post and platform yet?
He discovered them as a tiny little kitten when he could climb up but not down. In this post is a video of him caught on the top. Now he flies up and down easily. After seeing how much fun he has on the jungle gym Douglas mentioned the other day that he regrets not building it sooner for Creme.
Awwww! i remember that now, that he could get up but not down. it’s amazing how something as simple as a wrapped post can enrich our cats’ lives so much 🙂
yeah, little bugger learned to climb it quick, and only fell once. Lucky for him I happened to be in right place and right time and snatched him out of the air…
I hope you have great success in getting rid of things you don’t want/need anymore. I fear Douglas is worried as should Charlie be; I have plans for his stuff! If I find another box of sheet music I might use it to start a fire in the fireplace. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
Same to you! I have been making Douglas watch Tiny House with me so that he will get inspired to purge as well, but it does not seem to have the same effect on him.
we are going to have to start watching that. hubby and i just finished a 3 month Hoarders binge and he was quite inspired (as was i) to not hang onto anything extra! he purged (to the donation bin) his extra clothes and a big pile of junk we/he didn’t need anymore! woohoo!
tiny house is making me clutch my stuff in fear…
Once again, a parallel operation is happening on the West Coast! Except it’s Eric’s project because the basement is his shop. I don’t know if I’ll blog about it because he probably didn’t take before pix. In my mind, it will look so nice when finished, but that’s ONLY in my mind!