Is your attic packed full of junk and boxes? If so, this cluttered junkyard can quickly suffer from insect and animal infestations. This is why it is important to keep even a designated storage area clean and tidy. So, let’s take a look at how to declutter your attic.
- Clear a Path
Sometimes getting to your attic can be part of the challenge of cleaning it up. Attics aren’t always so easy to access. So, you may need to do a bit of cleaning and tidying just to get to your attic, especially if the access point is in a room used as storage or a garage.
It’s important to make sure you can safely get into the attic. This is a particularly vital step if you need to use a ladder to get into the attic. You’ll need to make sure you have a clear, stable spot to place the ladder, so you can get up and down the ladder without mishaps, even if you are carrying items.
- Use Adequate Lighting
Attics are often not well lit, which can make it difficult to see at the best of times. But, when you’re going to be moving around cleaning and rummaging through all of your old belongings, it’s even more of a problem. You could easily bang your head on something or cut yourself on a stray nail. So, adequate lighting is vital to allow you to see and avoid any dangers.
Depending on how your attic is set up, you may not have stable flooring everywhere. If this is the case, you could easily trip and fall or simply step somewhere you shouldn’t. This could result in you getting hurt or possibly breaking something valuable. So, for all of these reasons, you should have good lighting before you work.
- Take Precautions
An attic can have a lot of safety hazards, so you’ll want to take some steps to ensure your safety. You’ll want to wear safety gear, such as a mask and hard hat. You could easily hurt your head or breathe in insulation fibers, which could irritate your lungs. Protective clothing is a good idea as well. You don’t want the insulation irritating your skin either. Also, sturdy shoes may help if you step on anything sharp. But you should clear a path, so you’ll be less likely to trip and fall or step on anything sharp as you start to clean.
Another issue to consider while cleaning the attic is the heat. Be careful to avoid getting overheated. Try to choose a day when the attic won’t be excessively hot and take breaks as necessary.
- Sort Your Items
While you’re tidying up your attic, it may be tempting to throw everything you’re not keeping into one pile. But, this usually isn’t the best idea. Although you may be getting rid of all the items, you probably will be disposing of them in different ways. So, it’s best to sort the items according to how you will be disposing of them.
Some items will likely just end up in the garbage; whereas, other items may be donated. Then, you’ll probably want to recycle various items. You’ll also probably have some items that will take more of an effort to dispose of, such as paint, batteries, or electronics. Sorting all of your items while you’re cleaning your attic will make things easier when you’re done because you won’t have a large pile of items to sort through before disposing of them.
Final Thoughts
Decluttering an attic is no easy job, but once you’re there, a bit of lighting can go a long way to making the job easy and safe. Remember to sort junk based on how it will be disposed of to avoid spending time sorting after finishing your cleaning. Now, with a bit of determination and some sorting, your attic can be clean and pest-free.
Contact Us
For more information or for help with a difficult attic cleanout, call Boston Junk Removal. Our team has more than 30 years of experience helping homeowners and businesses dispose of unwanted items. Call us at 781-399-4808 or connect with us on Facebook.
