One of the most overlooked spaces in the home is the attic. It's super easy to pile anything and everything into an attic. Out of sight, out of mind. Until that day comes where you need to retrieve something out of the attic. Your heart begins to race, palms become sweaty, and all you can think of is if something will fall on you once you open those attic stairs. Ok, maybe that's just a little dramatic, but I am sure if your attic is a mess, there is somewhat of a hesitation to enter.
Today I had the pleasure of working with a client who was tired of the searching game overtime she needed an item from her attic. The timing could not have been better, as the weather here today was a cool, overcast 60 degrees. Perfect attic weather! I will admit, when my client and I schedule her appointment, I was dreading working in the attic this time of the year because of the 'oven effect' the attic typically has. But today luck was on our side!
When seeing my clients attic for the first time, I was initially shocked. She was heading in the right direction as far as storage of items. It seemed as if maybe keeping it organized had just simply gotten away from her. Easily done as we all have much more important things to do than spend endless hours tidying our attic space!
My clients ultimate goal was to easily find what she was looking for. Simple enough! We got to work going through every plastic tote, every box, and every nook and cranny. We created storage containers specifically for each holiday, containers for kids toys that my client rotated in and out of play, and ones for computer equipment and cords as that was her husband's hobby. We had separate bins dedicated to donation and trash , which my client utilized willingly!
Finally, we came up with a layout that would keep the attic area open and all the plastic containers easily visible. By using the vertical space of the attic, we stacked the containers as high as safely possible. We also planned ahead for the year and kept the next holidays closer to the top of the stack. The method of rotation makes moving storage containers around less and prevents further cluttering of the attic. We also stacked all 7 years of tax documents together in a far corner of the attic, still accessible but not in an area of immediate need.
The last step was to put my label maker to work! Each container received its own easy to read label, making the hunt no longer. Now my client had easy access to all containers, and the labels created finding whatever she needed so simple.
This is definitely not a glamorous looking space, but it is organized and efficient, and that my friend helps my client keep her sanity. I'd say we hit the nail on the head!
