How to Dig Out a Dirt Cellar

Remove everything that you have stored in the basement so you can start with an open floor space. This makes it easier to work since you will not have to constantly work around items stored in the cellar.

Till the soil with a garden tiller to soften the dirt so it is easier to remove. Start in one corner of the room and work in rows that overlap each other by 25 percent. The tiller will dig approximately 6 to 12 inches, depending on the size of tiller you use.

Shovel the tilled dirt into a wheelbarrow if you have an exit where you can wheel the wheelbarrow out of the basement. If you must carry the dirt out, you must use 5-gallon buckets.

Rake the floor with a metal rake and then check the floor with a level to ensure the entire floor is level. If you need to remove more dirt to lower the floor even further, repeat steps one through three until you reach the desired depth.

Drive over the loose dirt with a dirt compactor to create a solid bed of dirt suitable for concrete or just to stabilize the dirt floor so you do not sink in it when you walk. Overlap each row by 50 percent. The compactor has a flat plate on the bottom. Weight inside the compactor pushes down hard on the plate to compact the ground. Slide the plate over the ground just as you would push a walk-behind lawnmower.