Organizing the Attic/Basement Zone
- Jonda Beattie
- Nov 1, 2016
- 2 min read
November is a great time to organize and clean out your attic or basement zone. It is not so hot or yet too cold for comfort. Also, many of us store our seasonal decorations in this zone.
As you prepare to organize this zone, make a list of all items you store here. The list might include:
Seasonal decorations
Seasonal house items like fans/heaters
Extra furniture and household accessories
Toys or items to pass on to children or grandchildren
Out of season clothing
Suitcases
Sports equipment
Archival paper
Plan where you want each of these categories to live. Items that you do not plan to use in the next year or more should be stored the farthest from the entry. This might include the extra furniture, accessories, toys, and archival papers.
As you place items into their areas, if you come across broken or unloved items or multiple items (how many suitcases do you really use?) that have been hanging around for years, now is the time to let them go. You will feel so much lighter when they are gone and next year, when this zone rolls around again, it will be a much easier task.
Leave space between each zone so that you can safely maneuver to get or store items.
Label all containers. Use large labels that you can see from some distance so that you know what is in each container. Even if a container is clear, it is hard to see what is in it if the lighting is dim. It helps to locate holiday items if you use colored or themed containers to store your decorations, but still label the container with the primary items. This keeps you from having to dig through multiple boxes to find the advent wreath or crèche you want early in the season.
Your organized attic or basement will make decorating and undecorating a much easier chore.
Happy Holidays!
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
This is one of those categories where zones and sub-zones are just so natural. I think Seana's idea of labeling by room makes sense for long-term living in one house, but for younger families, or just people who move often, I'd stick with your approach of labeling the contents for holiday decor. The great thing about working in November is that you often find things you no longer want and can then offer them up to adult children or other relatives when they visit at Thanksgiving or the December holidays. You get to make a whole separate zone of "shop-able by family." When my sister was in college (in town), her dorm-mates would come for Thanksgiving and then they'd all…
That last time I worked on organizing holiday decorations, especially for Christmas for which I have a lot, instead of labeling what was inside, I labeled which room the contents were for. This made it so easy for me to grab the box and take it to the appropriate space for unloading.
So true about labeling. It's hard to see into the clear bins in places like basements and attics for sure.
Great reminder! I, too, enjoy doing these tasks around this time of year. My attic is a lot cooler during this time. Thanks for sharing your tips.