Most houses have attics. Some have large, spacious attics with full floors and lots of storage space. Most attics, however, are simple affairs, largely made of hot, empty space intended for insulation, air conditioning, and the storage of items which do not need to be used often. The problem is that these small attics can easily and quickly fill up, leaving home owners without any reasonable attic space. So how does one make the most of their “littlest room”?
The first key is to decide whether or not what you are putting in the attic genuinely needs to be stored. If you’ve got old exercise equipment that you KNOW you will never be using, you should donate, sell it, or place it in self storage rather than storing it in the attic. A lot of people like to keep old moving boxes up there as well, but really, are you intending to move often enough that those boxes will still be intact when you next need them? The hot, dry conditions are good for storing books as well, but if you’re so disinterested in a book as to store it in the attic, shouldn’t you give it to your local library instead?
There are some things you MUST put in your attic though, if only because they are big, bulky, or used only for a few days each year (i.e. Christmas decorations). In order to maximize attic space, it’s best to ensure that these are stored in labeled boxes which can be neatly sorted and stacked. If you work in an office, old copy paper boxes are ideal for this, since they are sturdy and long-lasting yet commonly discarded when empty (and thus available for free). If your attic lacks a floor, consider installing a simple plywood one in order to facilitate this storage. If your attic is tall enough for you to stand in, shelving is an excellent idea. After all, shelves allow you to take advantage of your attic’s height as well as it’s floor space.
The secret to getting the most out of your attic space is really no different from getting the most out of any storage space. It’s necessary to focus on organization, making the most of available space, and using boxes, shelves and other organizational tools to maximize the available area. You should also make it a goal to get rid of anything that you don’t need or will likely never use. This is generally the big “secret” to storage in any area. By donating, selling or just throwing out stuff you do not need, you eliminate the need to find a place for it.
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