Monday 25 May, 2015

Organize Your Attic


One area of your home which you probably do not look at too often is the attic. Most people use their attics the same way they would use storage units. Your attic is likely full of objects you stowed away long ago which rarely see the light of day. You may not even know what’s […]


One area of your home which you probably do not look at too often is the attic. Most people use their attics the same way they would use storage units. Your attic is likely full of objects you stowed away long ago which rarely see the light of day. You may not even know what’s up there. And for a long time, that may not matter much. But what if one day you actually need to go up there and find something specific? Or what if you bring up a box of stuff to store, only to find that you have run out of space?

There are several great reasons to organize your attic:

•You will actually know where everything is, and furthermore, what you have stored. You might be surprised how many things you would routinely take out and look at or use if you knew what was actually up there.
• If you de-clutter your attic and make more space, you can store more important items.
• The items you store will be kept in better condition if you have a better organizational scheme.

Attics pose some unique challenges when it comes to organization. Unlike the rest of your house, your attic probably isn’t heated or cooled in the cold and hot months of the year. You may not have a dehumidifier up there, either. The space beneath your roof tends to get much hotter or colder than the rest of the house, even without the AC or heat running downstairs. With decreased climate control and exposure to more extreme conditions, many items can be damaged unless they are properly stored.

So what should you do about it?

1. De-clutter.

The first step is to clean out your attic. Get rid of things you do not want or need; take them out to the thrift store to donate them. Somebody else can use them. Keeping stuff around that you do not need and that somebody else does is no good to you or to them. Categorize the remaining items and decide which ones belong in the attic and which should go elsewhere.

2. Buy storage bins with lids.

Use plastic storage bins to contain the items that you want to keep in the attic, and label them according to what they contain. Why plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes? Once you see the damage to some of the items you have had in your attic for years, you will probably understand. Plastic sealable bins are wonderful for protecting items from the elements, including delicate old heirlooms.

3. Zone items according to their categories.

When you put back your items in your attic, don’t just stack the bins haphazardly in any old arrangement; instead, come up with an organizational scheme which makes it easy to find each bin. For example, heirlooms can go in one corner, house wares in another, and so on.

Staying organized is a challenge, especially in parts of your home which you do not usually spend a lot of time in, such as the attic. A clean and well organized attic gives you more storage space though, which can alleviate the mess in the rest of your home. And when you use bins for storage, you protect your important possessions from the elements.

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