Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Organize Your Attic

Autumn is a good time to think about organizing the attic. Cooler days help to keep the space at comfortable temperature. During the summer, the unventilated attic can reach temperatures up to forty degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the rest of the house. That is why it is not advisable to store, videos, photographs or combustible items in that space. If you have those items in the attic, think of another storage space for them to live

Before you even climb the attic stairs think about how you will ideally use the space. Is it for long term storage only or does it serve short-term storage needs for overflow. Does it hold only your treasures or are you holding items for grown children until they have the space to claim them? Do you store seasonal clothing, holiday decorations, or hobby supplies?

Many articles advise to clear out the attic and start from scratch. In our experience, this is a pretty big job and most folks do not have the time, energy and resources to tackle it in that manner. What we recommend is a project approach that tackles one phase of organization at a time.

You have already considered how you are going to use your attic space. This initial consideration is influenced by the space you have in the attic, whether it has stable flooring, the supports weight-bearing capacity and how easily you can access the space.
Sketch out a rough plan detailing what items will go where-long term storage in the least accessible spaces, short term or frequently used items in more accessible spaces

Clear out the trash. Remember that cardboard boxes and paper attract rodents and bugs, so retain only what you need and put the items in sealed plastic containers.

While you are clearing the trash, remove items from around the entrance and the center of the floor space and group them around the perimeter of the attic

Arrange remaining items in the categories you have decided on. They might be :

Holiday decorations
Seasonal clothing
Furniture and floor covering
China and other heirlooms
Craft supplies


Now that the items are sorted into groups of like items, tackle one category at a time. Decide what to keep, what to sell, what to give away and what to discard. Take the sell, give away and discard items out of the attic as soon as you have finished the category and dispose of them.

Make a list of supplies to purchase to appropriately store the items remaining. Hold off making the purchase until you have finished going through all the categories and have an opportunity to review the list in its entirety. Sometimes you will have to consider alternate plans because you have more or less items to store or you come across some forgotten surprises that require an alteration in your initial plan.

You should now have:
A trash free attic
The items you are going to keep sorted in like categories
A list of proposed purchases
A plan for where each group of items will be placed in the attic.

Review your plan and make any changes for placement of stored items. Consider using stationary or moveable shelving, clothing bags, ceiling hooks and rafter rods to maximize your storage space.

Review your purchase list. Keep these things in mind as you decide on storage options.
Clear storage boxes of uniform size allow a neat storage system and make contents visible.

Label all boxes with clear list of contents

Avoid placing fabrics in unsealed cedar or paper containers and wrap precious fabrics in acid free paper before storing

Store musical instruments in their cases with silicon gel packs and remove reeds and mouthpieces from the instruments.

When you have your storage equipment, remove all items from one corner of the attic and clean the space thoroughly. Place the items you intend to store in the space in their containers and put them in the clean space, beginning with ceiling and rafter storage and working you way down to the floor. Continue methodically around the room until all categories of items have been placed in their designated spots.

Stand back and survey your organized attic and make any adjustments that you decide will make it easier to access your storage.

Place your master plan at the attic entrance as a visual cue to where things are located.

Using this method you can take a day, a weekend or a month to get attic clutter organized. Just make your plan, give yourself a reasonable time frame to accomplish the task and stick to it. Ask for help from friends or consider using a professional organizer to help you with planning and keep you on track.


Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

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