Attic Organization 101: Keeping Stuff Stored Neatly

By Mike | September 5, 2019

Even with the best of intentions, attic organization begins to become a problem over time as you acquire more stuff. Keep things tidy with these tips.

 

You’re up in your attic getting your Christmas stuff down. You’ve got about 18 cardboard boxes up there and some of it could be Christmas. You’re not too sure.

It’s so cluttered up there that you can barely walk around. You start opening the boxes, hoping there is something in them for your tree. Sometimes you get lucky with an ornament—other times you find old photos and baby memorabilia.

If this sounds like you, it may be time for you to clean things up a little bit.

It’s a lot to sort through and a lot of work—but we may be able to help with your attic organization needs. Keep reading for a complete guide on how to make use of the storage space in your attic and get rid of the clutter.

1. Sort Your Things 

The first step in attic organization is to sort through all the stuff that you have. This is probably going to be the longest step depending on how many years’ worth of belongings you have up there. 

Sort your things by their use, season, or any other category you want. You can also use the keep, throw away, sell, donate method. 

2. Get Rid of Your Junk Items

You’ve got a lot of stuff in your attic and chances are, some of it is junk that you’ll never use again. This brings us back to the keep, throw away, sell, donate method of sorting.

Stuff that’s broken or missing so many parts that it can’t function the way that it used to will go in the throwaway pile. Your kid’s old toys can go in a pile to be sold at a garage sale or donated. 

3. Self-Storage Unit

No matter how much organization you do, you may have some items that are taking up so much space, it seems like you’re making no progress. These items are usually large pieces of furniture like a baby crib or dusty old table. 

If you were planning on passing that crib down, or you know you may use the table again someday, then it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to get rid of them. That doesn’t mean that you can’t put them somewhere else for safekeeping. 

You can get a self-storage unit and toss these large items in there until you are ready to use them again. 

4. Special Packaging 

There are some old sentimental items that will need to have special packaging or else they will wear and over time and get destroyed sitting in your attic. Things such as old family pictures or valuable collectors cards should be put in airtight containers. 

If you want an extra layer of protection, put them in plastic sleeves before you place them in the containers. 

5. Buy Bins

Speaking of airtight containers—you should pick up a few clear bins for the ultimate in loft storage. You can pick some up at the dollar store for a few bucks and they are so versatile. 

For one, they’re clear, so you can peek in and see what’s in there—unlike cardboard boxes. They are good for delicate items because they lock shut and don’t let anything in or out. This means if a few attic pests get in, your valuables will be safe from their antics. 

They’re also airtight so they’re the perfect thing to hold pictures and papers that you want to keep from aging. 

6. Labels 

Many people will store their valuables in cardboard boxes and write what’s in them on the side with a sharpie. The problem is that over time the marker may fade or the box worn. It’s much better to use labels for your bins, even if the bins are clear.  

Though you can peek in and see what you’ve got in there, it’s a bit faster to look at the labels. All you have to do is get a bunch of index cards, write what’s in the bin, and tape it to the bin or box using clear tape. If you put the tape over your writing when you do this, it will stop it from fading as fast. 

7. Put Up a Few Rods 

At this point, you probably have all of your old clothes sitting in boxes, right? There is a much better way to store those clothes. Put a few rods in the attic and hang the clothes up. 

This will allow you to get some unnecessary boxes off the floor. If you’re worried about pests getting in, you can cover the clothes with plastic before you hang them. 

8. Shelving 

Another way to get boxes off your floor is by installing a few hanging shelves in your attic. It’s a quick and inexpensive solution to clutter. You can use wood, or anchor in a few metal ones if you want something a little sturdier. 

These are perfect for toys and other little items. If you’re still worried about pests getting to the clothes, you can put them in airtight bags and place them on the shelves. They’ll be safe and you can still limit the number of boxes you have on the floor. 

Use These Attic Organization Tips to Keep Your Attic Tidy

Is it hard to walk around in your attic? Can’t ever find what you’re looking for when you venture up? Sounds like you need to do a bit of attic organization. 

Use some of these tips to get the clutter off the floor and make the most out of the attic’s storage space. 

If these pointers helped you get cleaned up, check out the lifestyle section of our blog regularly for more articles like this one.