Organize your Attic

Today was the day! The semi-annual organizing of the attic. Every fall and spring I do a big organizing of the attic. We have an easy walk up attic, but often lots of things get stuck on the landing or right inside the attic door, not really put away. Today my husband helped me tackle the space.

What we did:

• Put things away. A bunch of bins had been moved due to a roof leak, and now we could put them back. Other things were out of their regular spots. Not putting things away is a huge reason for clutter, so we tackled this first.

• Recycle old boxes. We discovered lots and lots of boxes for electronics we are using and since we’re not moving, it’s time to get recycle the boxes.

• Organize and get rid of donations. I knew we had stuff to donate in the attic, so I pulled it all out and separated the stuff by where it would get donated (books, household goods, and things to put on my local Everything Is Free list). Once you’ve decided to donate something, get it out of your house as soon as possible.

• Plan projects. We had acquired some new “project” furniture, items that we are planning to update or redo. These took a prominent spot not to far away so that I can work on the projects this winter.

This took about three hours, but we felt very accomplished once it was done. Happy that our unwanted items go on to be used by someone else.

Hidden Labels

Want to let everyone in your house know where things go, but don't like the look of everything labeled? 

Try putting the labels inside a drawer or cabinet. A client and I set up these useful labels all along the inside rim of her utility drawer. Now the whole family will know where to find what they are looking for.

Holiday Decorations: Sort, Purge and Label

I love decorating for the holidays, but don't enjoy putting it all away. Here are 4 quick tips to make the process easier:

• Sort: Keep categories of items together so it's easier to see what you have. I have separate bins for our outside lights, tree decorations, and holiday dishes/home decor. 
• Purge: Only keep the holiday decorations that bring you joy and you love to use, year after year. Discard or donate items you don't use. If an item has sentimental value, consider taking a photo and then passing it on.
• Use the right containers: My sturdy green bins work great for storing holiday items in the attic. Replace old flimsy boxes with plastic containers. You can also purchase a variety of storage containers made to hold holiday items. 
• Label: While it was easy to get out the holiday decorations, I always had trouble figuring out what went in each bin to put it back. This year I decided to label the bins with a list of all the categories inside. This will really help next year!