How to Organize Your Attic

• Open up the ceiling panel leading to the attic. Put on an air filtration dust mask. Take a bright flashlight with you, too.
• Check for signs of insect or rodent infestation. Get rid of any problems before going on.
• Bring in an engineer if you suspect your rafters are not strong enough to bear direct weight.

The unfinished attic consists of rafters running the width of the house, with insulation of some type packed between the rafters. Avoid stepping between the rafters, as your foot could go right through the ceiling.

• Replace the ceiling panel with a pull-down ladder.
• If there is no insulation, add it now.
• Replace the ceiling panel with a pull-down ladder.
• Bring sheets of quarter-inch plywood up, the largest you can get through the opening, and nail them down so that they span at least three rafters.
• The house wiring probably runs through the attic, so it should be easy to rig up some lights and outlets.
• Install bars between ceiling joists to hang clothes. Install hooks and build shelves.

• Keep electronics, delicate fabrics, photographs, or other heat-sensitive items out. The temperature in an attic can be 40 degrees hotter than the rest of the house in the summer and a lot colder in the winter.
• Store items toward the eaves so that you maintain a clear path down the middle of the attic.
• Nothing should block air vents or disturb insulation.
• Group items together. Keep all seasonal decorations in one area, summer sporting goods and picnic supplies in another, etc.
• Cover any stored furniture with old bed sheets for protection.
• Post a list of contents and their locations near the attic door, and update it when you take things down or add more items. Update it when you do your annual review of contents.
• At least once a year, survey the stuff you’ve got stored and sell or get rid of what you don’t need.
• Don’t store fabric so that it contacts paper, bare wood, metal that rusts, plastic bags or boxes, or other textiles. Cedar chests keep pests away, but be certain the wood is sealed with a polyurethane varnish inside.
• Organize smaller non-fabric or leather items in clear, airtight plastic stacking containers. Consider labeling them to show exactly what they contain.
• When you’re reviewing contents of boxes, decide whether you really need all of that stuff in them or could be happy with just a few tokens for sentimental reasons.
• It’s not necessary to fill each container initially. What is necessary is to categorize your storage containers so they can handle future growth.