Cleaning and Organizing the Attic
Posted on 16/09/2020
Simple Tips and Tricks to Organise and Clean Your Attic
Whether you have just moved in a new house or have been a resident of your current dwelling for quite some time now, no room should remain neglected and not taken care of. And if you happen to have an attic, it is no exception. An attic is a great place, which, unfortunately, many people ignore and not take full advantage of. In most cases, it is simply used as a huge pantry for storing heaps of useless and long-forgotten items, such as presents you don’t need, clothes which don’t fit anymore, broken household appliances, old books and magazines, etc. The list may go on forever. In a way, the attic serves as a type of a garage – it is employed for the same purpose – for people to pack it with various objects. The main problem with overstocking is that it puts people off cleaning the attic and lets it get dirtier and dirtier. However, in order for the attic not to be turned merely into a domestic landfill, you need to get dirty and take the matter in your own hands. However, if you really don’t feel like doing so, you can always hire a cleaning company to do the tedious chore for you. If you decide to take care of it all, bear in mind these key aspects of cleaning and organizing the attic:
1.Get it all out.
It might be a bit difficult to do so, but it's highly mandatory to get all stuff out of the house especially if you have never given the attic an overall cleaning. Once you’ve done this, carefully look through all the objects. Divide them in two – ones you don’t need and such you do/might need someday in the future. Instead of hastily throwing away the useless objects, consider giving them away to charity if they are well preserved. Especially if they happen to be clothes or toys. Another option for dealing with these items is to have a garage/yard sale. You will not only get rid of them but will also make some extra money, which is always a good thing. The objects you decide to keep is better to be put inboxes. Label the boxes, so that you know what their content is. It's advisable to use as bigger boxes as possible because dust looks for a place to settle and the less items you have, the less dusting you will need to do.
2.The actual cleaning
Give the attic a good and thorough sweeping or vacuuming. Proceed with using soapy water to clean all the surfaces. Also, don’t forget the cobwebs in the ceiling’s corners.
3.Rodent/pest check
Attics are well known for being pests favourite place to lurk around. There might be mice or bird’s nests in the attic without you even realizing it. Unless you want to keep them as pets, which is highly unlikely, it is advisable to get rid of them because the animals may cause damage to the various wiring of the house. For that purpose, it’s better to contact the local exterminator.
4. Check for leakage
Once you’re in a way on top of the house, why not check the roof? Broken roof tiles might be the cause of leakage which is not only annoying but the water from it may result in causing mould. Again, if you prefer not risking your own health, call a professional handyman to help you out.
5.Arrange a living area
Consider creating a living space in your attic so it is used. This will also make you clean it more frequently. A small couch, a sofa and a little coffee table will make a perfect ‘friend area’.
In other words, think of the attic as just another room of your house, rather than storage. This will make you pay more attention to it and not let the rodents take it over.
