Making Use Your Unfinished Attic
If you have an attic, you may use it as an extra storage space. More often than not our attics turn into unorganized messes, making it nearly impossible to find what you need when you need it. If you dread going into your attic take a minute to read these five unfinished attic storage ideas to help you easily find what you’re looking for!
1. Labeled Every Box
Our first solutions is pretty simple, label every box and pack your items accordingly. If you want to go all out, consider using different colors to help group like-items together. Whether it’s holiday decorations, entertaining items, sporting equipment, etc. Be sure to add big, clear labels to the sides of the boxes as well.
As for the boxes themselves, sturdy plastic containers are a worthwhile investment since you can easily stack them to take advantage of all that vertical space. Plus, they’ll protect your belongings from the wildly different temperatures in your attic.
A Few Safety Tips to Follow While Organizing Your Attic
- Make sure you can see what you’re storing. Add a few inexpensive floor lamps if you have outlets, or battery powered lanterns if you don’t.
- Make sure the floor is sturdy enough to support extra weight. Rope off any no-go areas.
- Take into account the extreme conditions that can exist in attics – they can get very hot and very cold, very damp or very dry, and dusty. They can also be habitats for critters!
2. Place Your Boxes in Between Trusses
One of the most useful storage spaces in your attic are the gaps between each truss. However, the floor space between each gap might not be sturdy enough to support the weight of a few boxes. Fortunately, there’s one clever attic shelving idea you can use in this situation. A company called AtticMaxx makes shelving units that fit in between most trusses, capable of holding up to 50 pounds each.
Each shelving unit is pre-assembled. All you have to do is attach the brackets on either side of the shelf to the trusses, then screw in the adjustable straps. Each shelf is 22 inches wide, giving you plenty of space for your boxes. With all the boxes to the side, you can use the main floor of your attic for the big things, such as furniture or luggage.
3. Install Rods for Extra Clothing Storage
Do you keep your off-season clothes in the attic? Rather than boxing them up, treat your attic space as an expansion of your closet. You can install clothing rods along the slant of your ceiling and/or trusses. Simply head to the hardware store and buy a clothing rod of your desired length, along with the brackets and screws you need to mount it. Make sure you use a level!
4. Add Shelves for Storage
Another attic storage idea is to add some shelves. We suggest using inexpensive plastic or metal shelving as a budget-friendly way to maximize the storage space of your attic. You can also find standalone shelving units in a variety of sizes, which will allow you to fill in every little nook and cranny with your odds and ends.
5. Put the Less Important Stuff in the Back
Our last tip is to make sure you account for the items you’ll use most often. Items like Christmas decorations and Halloween that are only used once a year can be stored in the back, while items you use more often should be towards the front for easy access. Just keep this in mind; if it’s going to be a pain to get, don’t put it there.
Once you start using these attic storage ideas you’ll be thrilled at how easy it’ll be to navigate your attic. If you’re planning on cleaning out your attic while organizing, and find yourself with a ton of old clutter you no longer need, call us at Dumpster Rental Inc for an affordable roll off dumpster!
