Unfinished basement organization on the cheap.

[annex]

My mostly (but not always) dry unfinished basement needs work including some wall repair. It's also though where we store most of our out of season stuff except for clothes. But it's in uncovered totes, random boxes on card tables, etc. I am hoping to do a big purge and get everything into good covered large plastic storage bins, that ideally would be up off the floor on some type of shelving in case of unexpected flooding since we can't afford a complete finishing/basement waterproofing system.

Questions:
- I know some cheap plastic (Sterilite) has an odd smell. Is Rubbermaid my best bet for non-smelly? If I am going to need 20 tubs, who sells them the cheapest in large quantities (or is there a seasonal sale I should be keeping any eye out for?)
- What shelving would be best for example for putting a couple rows of tubs off up the floor in a way I can just slide out individual tubs? We have limited wall space, so I also want to do it efficiently. I'm not set on metal vs plastic since I don't expect my tubs to have a lot of heavy items in them. So I can probably go pretty cheap? Similarly to above - where to buy? and any seasonal sales?

Thanks for any tips!

[jgenie]

The basement in our previous house would flood. We had these racks to hold totes. They wiped down nicely if they got wet. Not sure on your budget but we bought them one at a time as we were able. We still have them 10+ years later. They made the move with us. You could do a similar set up in wood for less but I would worry about mold if they got wet.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-48-in-W-x-72-in-H-x-18-in-D-Decorative-Wire-Chrome-Finish-Commercial-Shelving-Unit-6T60184872C/100655787

[DualvansMommy]

The basement in our previous house would flood. We had these racks to hold totes. They wiped down nicely if they got wet. Not sure on your budget but we bought them one at a time as we were able. We still have them 10+ years later. They made the move with us. You could do a similar set up in wood for less but I would worry about mold if they got wet.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-48-in-W-x-72-in-H-x-18-in-D-Decorative-Wire-Chrome-Finish-Commercial-Shelving-Unit-6T60184872C/100655787

This is what we have too in our unfinished basement. We keep a mix of rubbermaid and non plastic storage totes; like speciality totes from container store to store extra plates, photo container to store all the extra photo prints. A clear container to store my boys artwork, certificates etc.

We had a flooding from hurricane Sandy that we waterproofed our basement, upgraded our French sump dump connected to backup generator. That's how our basement flooded, the battery run older sump pump lost power and backed up water, flooding our basement with 1-2 inches of water.

Anyway, I try to keep our basement free of storage boxes all over the place. Only essentials are kept downstairs. The boys seasonal clothing and DS1 outgrow clothes for DS2 are kept upstairs in flat containers under boys beds. I don't want to run the risks of clothes getting moldy downstairs.


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[DualvansMommy]

The basement in our previous house would flood. We had these racks to hold totes. They wiped down nicely if they got wet. Not sure on your budget but we bought them one at a time as we were able. We still have them 10+ years later. They made the move with us. You could do a similar set up in wood for less but I would worry about mold if they got wet.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-48-in-W-x-72-in-H-x-18-in-D-Decorative-Wire-Chrome-Finish-Commercial-Shelving-Unit-6T60184872C/100655787

This is what we have too in our unfinished basement. We keep a mix of rubbermaid and non plastic storage totes; like speciality totes from container store to store extra plates, photo container to store all the extra photo prints. A clear container to store my boys artwork, certificates etc.

We had a flooding from hurricane Sandy that we waterproofed our basement, upgraded our French sump dump connected to backup generator. That's how our basement flooded, the battery run older sump pump lost power and backed up water, flooding our basement with 1-2 inches of water.

Anyway, I try to keep our basement free of storage boxes all over the place. Only essentials are kept downstairs. The boys seasonal clothing and DS1 outgrow clothes for DS2 are kept upstairs in flat containers under boys beds. I don't want to run the risks of clothes getting moldy downstairs.


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[Peaches Keane]

I think I once saw somewhere that Martha Stewart recommended using crate pallets to store items a few inches off the floor in case of flooding.

[niccig]

I have these but in black in the garden shed. I think they're stable enough, especially if put heavy items on bottom. MIL has wooden shelves that BIL made for her. They're deeper so a tote can fit lengthwise.


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[Mommy_Mea]

We have the Rubbermaid Roughneck totes on an IKEA BRODER shelving system (discontinued). We love the BRODER because of its industrial galvanized look, and that it attaches to the rafters of the basement, not to the wall. It allows for very sturdy shelves in the middle of the room (not against a wall).

Looking around, it sounds like IKEA felt there was not enough demand for this type of system and it was too expensive to produce, and the HEJNE or ALGOT covered the market.