Action may not always bring happiness,
but there is no happiness without action
— William James
Whether it takes the form of an attic, a basement, a storage or a shed!
Most families have a room of this kind in their house where they leave a big part of their storage! Depending on their hobbies, interests, habits, the storage room will be filled with many different items and be more or less tidy. Therefore, it is essential to keep everything organized to find stuff quickly in what else would be a mess. Especially when you only need it occasionally. Don’t let the past overflow your present. Here comes our best advice on this topic.
Attic and basement organization
To start with, let’s remind you what attics and basements initially are. Attics are rooms and spaces just below the roof of a building, of a house. Basements are spaces on the floor of a building, which is partly or entirely below ground level, under the house.
You probably know it already, in America nowadays, basements are more and more becoming an additional room where families gather to watch a movie, play a game. It is more like an extra bedroom and playroom!
Storage organization
These kinds of spaces are often full of objects that come from sometimes – depending on the family’s history – years and years, decades of piling up. That’s why it will generally take you more than a day to sort it all out.
To organize better and do a full sort out of your attic, your basement, or else, we recommend you to fix up realistic goals. For instance, start with one particular zone or cupboard, shelf. Patience and regularity is then the key. Little by little, if you find things along the way that you can throw away, don’t hesitate to do so! Otherwise, you may also put items aside to sell them or give them away later.
Because attics and basements are generally large rooms where big pieces of furniture or objects are stored, don’t hesitate to ask for help for their removal. Then, you should definitely get rid of all the objects with no sentimental attachment, things that are broken, damaged, or useless.
Minimalism and storage organization
You should rely on this process to adopt minimalism. That is to say in a few words that all the things that had a meaning at one point in your life but just don’t anymore should be taken out.
Along with souvenirs, big furniture, dirty stuff, broken toys, sports equipment, another common item that we can often find in attics and basements are seasonal decorations.
Take the opportunity right now to sort out those that you use and those that are only additional. Keep only the ones that mean something to you and can fit in your house.
Moreover, once a year, do clear out your paper archives, such as work documents, family documents, kids, school work, and memories. Ask your kids what they want to keep and decide together what is really worth it.
Finally, you should decide which amount of space you are going to assign to each category of your stored items. Don’t feel guilty about letting go of some things you inherited from your family. Times have passed, fashion and use too. Just keep pictures or those few pieces that remind you of the most.
Memory and scan
Time has definitely changed the way we can control our files, papers, souvenirs! Nowadays, you can benefit from technology to keep your memories intact digitally. Use scanners! For instance, you can scan your kid’ drawings, art, school work, the old documents, letters, and photos. This way, you will keep a trace of everything but with less physical space needed! Don’t forget that the memory remains in you, not so much in the object themselves.
Your organizing goal should only be to keep the best and rare objects! The best way to remember your beloved one and honor them is to live our present life the best way possible! Moreover, keeping only the most essential items will bring even more meaning to them.
We hope that this article will help you to look differently at your attic, basement, and other storage rooms! If you need help in your home organization and sorting out of memories, don’t hesitate to call our professionals on this matter!