Cleaning and Organizing My Hayloft

January 24, 2020

The beginning of a new year is always a nice time to get a jump start on spring cleaning - we’re getting so much done here at my Bedford, New York farm.

Earlier this week, I decided it was time to tackle another storage space, my stable hayloft - a large loft above the horse stalls where we keep bales of hay made right here in my fields. The area is also used to house various building materials, screen doors, and several large ornamental planters. Getting things back in order is always so energizing - I love projects like this. If you’re looking to get organized, be sure to read my latest book, "Martha Stewart’s Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines.”

Enjoy these photos.

: Here is my stone stable. It houses my five magnificent Friesians, my Fell pony, and my five donkeys. On the second floor is my hayloft that extends the full length of the building.

: The hayloft can be seen from the stable’s entryway through the big double barn doors. Netting the area keeps the birds from getting trapped in the loft.

: Here is a view out of one of the windows of the loft. This window looks out onto the great Boxwood Allee, which is now completely enshrouded in burlap. This year, I decided to cover the boxwood using burlap on top of the same metal frames used to make hoop houses – strong industrial steel ground uprights and purlin pipes. These materials would not only provide the necessary support for the burlap but would also accommodate the growing boxwood. I ordered all the piping from Growers Solution, a family-owned business in Cookeville, Tennessee.

: On one side of the hayloft, we store lots and lots of hay for my horses, which I grow and bale right here at the farm. If stacked carefully, the area can hold more than 2000 bales.

: On the other side of the hayloft, I store various moldings, window casings, screen windows, door screens, etc.

: I also store some of my stone planters here during winter. It is always important to store or cover all outdoor planters because freezing temperatures can crack or break them.

: This loft has high ceilings and lots of windows. It needed a good cleaning, so the outdoor grounds crew began at the top and worked its way down. Here’s Phurba dusting one row of windows. Hay creates a lot of dust, so this is done on a regular basis.

: Fernando cleans another window and the hayloft doorway.

: This is the view looking out one end of the hayloft, at the grove of crabapple trees – now completely bare until they put on their colorful show of springtime blooms in May.

: Next, Phurba moves downward and dusts the walls.

: Meanwhile, I decided we needed to create a dust barrier between the hay side and this storage side of the loft. I instructed the crew to create a wall using industrial size tarps. Here’s Chhiring securing the tarps to the ceiling and to the sidewall surfaces.

: The tarps, which are large sheets of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, are pulled taut and then bolted to metal strips along the edges.

: The tarp covers as much as possible all the way around.

: I still wanted easy access from one side to the other, so Chhiring placed a durable, self-adhesive zipper down the center of the space where the tarps meet. These zippers can be purchased at hardware stores individually or as part of a barrier-making kit.

: Here is a view of the finished tarp wall – it looks terrific. This is an inexpensive solution for separating a space.

: Here is a view from the other side – the zippered doorway is easy to use from both sides of the tarp wall and will definitely keep a lot of the hay dust contained.

: The crew organized all the moldings on the shelves, making sure they were stacked according to length and type.

: I keep the moldings stacked horizontally to keep them from bowing.

: To further protect the wood, a piece of industrial-size plastic is used to cover them, while still allowing proper air circulation.

: For these heavier pieces of lumber, we place wood brackets every 16 to 18 inches to prevent warping and moisture.

: Everything is kept off the floor. These window casings, already painted in my signature Bedford Gray, are sitting on a wood base. It is crucial that any stored wood be kept free from dampness.

: Screen doors are housed in specially made storage boxes, so they are well protected during the off-season. Screens should be stored either by laying flat or standing upright, in a dry area where the temperature is kept fairly constant.

: The same storage box design is used for window screens. I store all my screens for all the houses this way. This will keep the screens off the floor, away from dampness and dirt.