Featured image.
Alt-tag: Organizing your attic is a challenging task
If you are lucky enough to call yourself a homeowner, you most likely have the added luxury of having an attic. You know, that musty space just under your roof that gives you the heebie-jeebies and triggers your sneezing fits. Contrary to popular belief, you’re not obliged to rent out your attic to ghosts and spiders. Square footage is extremely expensive nowadays, so utilizing any space you have can greatly improve the quality of your daily life. While the idea of finally organizing your attic probably gives you a headache, a few nifty tips and ideas can help you tackle that dusty beast and maybe even turn it into something beautiful.
1. Plan your attic storage organization
This is often an unfairly neglected step that is more important than you might think as it can make or break your attic organizing adventure. You’ve probably found yourself impulsively embarking on organizing sprees in the middle of the night one too many times. It always ends up with you sitting on the floor feeling overwhelmed and covered with stuff that you have no idea what to do with. A sure-fire way to avoid this is with thorough planning.
Take your time with it – organizing is not something you want to do too often, so taking a few days to visualize your goals and write down your steps should help everything go smoothly. Think about how much money (if any) you want to invest into attic organization so that you can create a budget for potential renovation, cleaning, and storage supplies. While sorting through your things, you will likely want to get rid of some – explore some donation options if you want to feel proud of your less wasteful self.
Planning is important
Alt-tag: A plan and stationery on a desk
2. Get the right kind of help
Attic organizing is no easy task, and you shouldn’t be doing it by yourself. It’s hot, it’s dark, and there are heavy things to be moved. Allow your family members or a couple of friends to help you. While you shouldn’t let your young children deal with anything dangerous, you can give them a few simple tasks like sorting out their old toys and school assignments or cleaning dusty bins and boxes. The adults can take on more serious projects. A fresh pair of eyes will be of great help when it comes to the things you’ve somehow overlooked.
3. Clean out, declutter, repair
After you’ve put together a to-do list for organizing your attic, you will feel confident enough to start emptying out your space. However, you don’t want to fall into the trap of scattering your boxes of Christmas decorations, old school books, and ambitiously-purchased-but-never-used workout equipment all over your house. Dedicate an area where your things can wait to be put back without being a tripping hazard during your organizing project.
When your attic is empty, it will be easy to spot any potential repairs you need to address. Whether it’s just a few loose screws and rusty nails or moldy corners and a leaky roof, you don’t want to ignore these issues as they can cost you your precious memories and valuables, or even worse, your health. If needed, install some additional lighting to make your attic visits a lot less eerie.
A clean space is easy to work with
Alt-tag: A person cleaning the floor with a broom
While your sparkling attic is airing out, it’s time to think about which items you want to get rid of. Understandably, this can be a very emotional process that you don’t want to rush. Just remember, decluttering can make your life significantly easier, and it can even open up some room for something other than storage.
4. Be creative when choosing storage solutions
Every attic is unique, and so is its owner. What is it that you keep up there? Loads of books? Old children’s toys and clothes? Furniture? Tools? Asking yourself these questions is crucial when deciding on different types of storage options.
Creativity is limitless during this process:
- Use old ladders as shelving
- Organize your kids’ drawings with file folders
- Use plastic pipes to store cables or shoes
- Install hanging shelves on your ceiling
- Label non-transparent bins and boxes
- Store clothes in vacuum-sealed bags that you can hang on a rack
There is no one size fits all when choosing how you want to store your stuff. However, if you come to the conclusion that your house isn’t big enough for all of your belongings, you can always help yourself by renting a storage unit where you will be able to sort everything and maximize the space in your home. This might even enable you to turn your attic into a playroom, gym, or home theater.
5. Be mindful while deciding where to put things
Whichever attic storage organization technique you decide to apply, pay attention to how frequently you will need certain items. You don’t want to move a bunch of heavy boxes every time you need to find your luggage. Seasonal items such as your Christmas tree or Halloween costumes can be stored in the back since you only use them once a year. However, if the space you’re working with is tiny and moving a few things to get to something is inevitable, make sure to use smaller bins and boxes. It’s easier to lift a few lighter things than one really heavy, bulky box – your back will thank you!
Think about convenience when deciding where to put things
Alt-tag: A man sitting on boxes holding a laptop
6. Maintain
At this point, you have finished your attic organization. Everything is clean, neatly categorized, and put away. You can’t help but admire your work! You can give your helpers and yourself time to relax, but unless you want to be organizing your attic all over again in a few months, you will need to maintain it.
When you bring new things to your attic in the future, put them into already existing categorized areas so that you always know where to look for specific items. Avoid accumulating the unnecessary – when deciding to store something, think about whether you really need it or not, and your future self will thank you. Give your attic a little TLC by vacuuming the floors, dusting the shelves, and cleaning the cobwebs every now and then.
Don’t be afraid to change things up if the current setup is not working for you. It’s better to make a few small changes than to fall off track just because your initial plans turned out to be impractical.
Photos used:
https://unsplash.com/photos/8JzTjhJWYF0
https://unsplash.com/photos/2zDXqgTzEFE
https://picspree.com/en/photos/man-sitting-on-boxes-using-laptop-1094196
