Spring Cleaning: The Attic
ask an expert: organizationcanada
(Apr.27.10)
In this five part series, our expert will organize your home from top to bottom. In the final assignment, she tackles the attic.
Firstly let me say, I’m not an advocate of storing in the attic. Unless you live in Vancouver, I think most climates are too extreme. Call me crazy, but I just don’t feel comfortable storing my cashmere in a plastic box at 45 degrees!
I will assume that if you're using your attic, you don’t have a basement and if you’re using both your basement and your attic, you have too much stuff.
There are two options when dealing with the attic: doing it expensively or doing it yourself. If you can afford to, you can hire either a contractor or a company like California Closets to do a proper renovation. The advantage of doing a proper renovation is being able to control the temperature.
If you are going to do it yourself, here are a few tips:
- If you don’t have access to your attic, Home Depot and Lowes have pull down attic ladders.
- Install a plywood floor or trusses over the joists to create a flat surface.
- Avoid storing things like paint that may be affected by temperature changes. Read the labels if you’re in doubt.
- Purchase an inexpensive shelving system like IKEA’s Gorm shelving unit.
- Use durable clear plastic containers to withstand temperature changes.
- The attic is no place to be looking for stuff - everything must be easy to identify.
- Keep a list of what’s up there. Especially if you are using your basement for storage as well.
Barbara has been a successful wardrobe stylist in the film industry for the last 20 years. Many of her clients look to her not only to update and refresh their wardrobes, but to organize the closets they hang in. Her company, Space came out of organizing closets and into the office, the basement and the entire home. She can be reached at barbara.sidoruk@sympatico.ca or 416-937-9708.
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