Is your house beginning to feel a little small? If so, you might just need to rework your attic. A lot of the time, the attic becomes a space where clutter is hidden to keep up appearances. This can lead to an inaccessible attic space that is overflowing with old belongings and potential junk.
With this space being misused, you could reorganize your attic space before deciding that a bigger house is required. This post includes the four steps you must take to properly utilize your home’s attic space.
Declutter and Clean the Attic
First, the attic should be decluttered and cleaned prior to utilizing the space. Most people will find their attics are already packed with belongings, which can make it difficult to access. The space could be overcome with old clothes, unused toys, and boxes of other items. You might not think you’re hoarding, but there will be some things you can part with.
To begin decluttering, you should bring down one box at a time to sort through. This will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed and creating a bigger mess on another floor of your home. You can separate items into different piles, such as the four listed below:
- Keep
- Donate
- Sell
- Trash
Once the decluttering has been completed and the attic is no longer filled completely, it’s time to get cleaning. Although you can do this yourself, it is often easier to hire an expert in this field. Attic Pros, for example, will clean your space of dust and dirt, which can improve the efficiency of your home. This can also make the next steps in this article easier.
Improve Accessibility
The next thing to check is if the accessibility of your attic can be enhanced. This is one of the biggest causes for neglecting their attic spaces and allowing clutter to build up over time. How you access the attic will also affect how safe it is to go back and forth from the attic. Loft ladders can be an excellent investment if you want easy access.
Accessibility can also relate to the flooring, or lack of flooring, in the attic. More flooring can improve the way you move around the attic and how many boxes can be placed on the floor. This will also ensure the attic is safer by covering insulation and providing a harder surface to stand on.
Add Shelving and Storage
Shelving is an excellent way to add extra storage to the attic, and this is why you should focus on this third. If you have a limited amount of floor space, shelves can maximize the amount of overall space you can use. Plastic storage bins or boxes can be placed on top of the shelves, too.
Attic shelves can be custom designed to fit under-eave spaces; you can even do this with cupboards and drawers, if you want enclosed storage. Larger attics with sloping walls will find this beneficial.
If you want to go further than shelving, you can also install clothing rails and coat hooks to organize clothes. This might be gentler on clothes than storing them in boxes and plastic covers can be used to protect them from dust.
Organize and Label Items
With the attic decluttered, cleaned, and better storage installed, the final step is to label the items to make finding them easier, especially if the box isn’t transparent. Ensure similar items are stored in one box or area and label that box appropriately. You could also separate specific areas of your attic for particular items; this is a good idea for Christmas decorations and family keepsakes.