Get Your Basement in Order - part one

Rule: Keep Things Accessible.
Tool: Easy-to-install, inexpensive shelving. Metal is better than wood, which can warp when it gets wet. Put boxes or loose items on shelves and you won't have to move a mountain of stuff to extricate one small thing. Store heavier items on lower shelves. (Chrome wire shelving, from $110, Rand MHE, www.randmh.com)




Rule: Contain and Climate-Proof.
Tool: For storage, use waterproof plastic containers instead of cardboard boxes, which won't hold up to the average cellar's mushroom-friendly climate. Besides, "cardboard boxes are just ugly," says Karen Curtis, owner of Staged 2 Sell, a Salt Lake City home-beautification company. Rubbermaid Roughneck boxes ($3 to $7 each, www.rubbermaid.com for store locations) come in several sizes and colors.

Rule: Label What You Can't See.
Tool: For a neat, uniform look, a label maker can't be beat. (Brother has models starting at $30, www.officemax.com) But if you're more interested in speed, blank adhesive labels and a Sharpie are just as effective. Label boxes on the sides, not the top, in case they get stacked. Make labels as specific as possible (CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS, CRAFT SUPPLIES); what, after all, does miscellaneous tell you?