Before writing this piece, I took a step back. What, I asked, is the difference between a loft and an attic? To be honest the answers were conflicting. Is loft simply an Americanism? Is a loft a living space? Is one closed in and the other open?
The best clarification seems to be this, from askdifference.com: “A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use (a converted loft) from some other use, often light industrial.”
In short, there’s not much difference: what we’re talking about here is that (often) dark space under the roof that gets things thrown into it for storage. So without any further ado, here are our easyStorage ten easy steps towards making the most of/organising loft or attic space.
If you don’t have stairs to your space, chances are that you use a ladder.
Around two million ladders are in daily use across the UK, accounting for around 40% of ‘falls from height’ accidents investigated by the Health & Safety Executive in workplaces alone in the UK each year. Ladder accidents at home result in around 48,000 people a year in the UK ending up in hospital Accident and Emergency departments. Check your ladder carefully and regularly for safety.
For the sake of fixing or replacing a ladder, you could avoid sprains, bruises, breaks, or worse, brain damage. Don’t take it lightly. According to Headway, the brain injury charity, the effect of a head injury on your brain is similar to that of vigorously shaking a plate of blancmange - it shears and tears, disrupting pathways of communication.
Safety first! Check that ladder before using it.
To get really organised, it’s best to clear the space out. I’d recommend emptying the attic fully if you can. This will allow you see if any water is coming in, which could not only lead to mould damage of your stored belongings, but could also rot your floorboards or damage your roof.
By emptying out you can also clean the space and see just how much space you genuinely have to work with. You will also be able to see whether the loft is fully boarded and what state that boarding is in. Lofts or attics are often unsuitably floored making storing items there a difficult or risky task especially if you’re standing on the ladder in the space.
Properly boarding the loft provides you with extra space as well as extra safety. When installing loft boarding, it pays to put in extra loft insulation at the same time. It will keep your home warmer in winter, cooler in summer, and save you money. The two together (boarding and insulation) will also be a selling point should you eventually sell your home. (Sometimes grants are available for insulation - it may be worth investigating.)
By taking everything out of the loft/attic space before you start, you’re not only able to check out the condition(s), you’re also making sure that what goes back in genuinely needs keeping, and that you can get appropriately organised.
While you’re there look for signs of birds breaching roof cavities, of nesting wasps, of vermin - and act accordingly to move them on. If you get rid of spiders, you’ll avoid cobwebs, but mostly they’ll repopulate quickly. They’re harmless in the UK, so you’ll need to take a view about what you can put up with.
Make sure the space is swept clean and dusted before loading things back up. Now’s also a good time to clean and check any windows.
No-one expects your loft to be spotless, but neither do you want dust and dirt, or any kind of pests, on or in your belongings.
You should only store items in your attic in areas that are boarded and reinforced. You don’t want your belongings falling through into the rooms below.
Assuming you have taken this into account and that the floor is strong enough, consider putting in shelving. Bought shelving units don’t have to be pretty – they’re in your loft and out of sight. Second hand ones can save you money and stress.
But shelves do need to be sturdy. Take a note of any weight limits. If they are not particularly strong, sticky backed labels can be used to create a reminder of weight limits. (If you don’t come up into the attic again for six months, there’s every chance you’ll forget.)
Sloped rooves mean those small, sloped spaces in the eaves are hard to use and even harder to access. Consider bespoke shelving or even small unused tables as a way of creating usable space, remembering, of course that if you’re using any structural beams to add shelving you should take care not to damage their integrity or to overload them. (Again, those reminder labels could prove really useful.)
If they’re strong enough, however, you could even add clothes frames for hanging out of season clothes (covered in suit carriers, of course.)
At this point consider what you already own to store things in. Often original packaging is the best – the boxes tend to be rigid and stackable and have adequate protection for what’s inside.
Cardboard boxes are a good option when storing something for a shorter amount of time or when things are accessed regularly. They are relatively inexpensive and widely available. They are also easy to recycle. Clear plastic bins/boxes can also prove a good storage option, and it’s great to be able to see contents. However, they tend not to let things ‘breathe’, and can prove an order of magnitude more expensive. They are also not as ‘green’ when it comes to disposal.
Old suitcases, too heavy for modern travel, can also be given a new life as useful storage.
Make sure that whatever you’re using, especially old suitcases or plastic boxes, is clean, dry and free from mould before packing.
Whatever you decide to use for storing things in, make sure you have plenty of it in advance of packing the loft back together, and that you have something to label things with, usually stickers and pens, but label makers, A4 paper written or printed…. Your attic, your choices. (The truly organised even colour code!) Consider also having a supply of proper, good quality packing paper. For long term storage it will be stronger and cleaner than its next best alternative, newspaper (and it is often good enough for reuse.)
easyStorage Boxes has some useful, reasonably priced supplies.
If you only have a tiny space, zoning an attic space is unnecessary, but in any slightly larger space, zoning will make life easier when it comes to accessing things. You might, for example, consider organising things into:
· Seasonal things like Christmas or Hallowe’en goods
· Out of season clothing
· Fancy dress
· Children’s mementoes
· Business accounts and records (one for the self employed or small business owners)
· Sports gear
· Camping gear
· Party paraphernalia
· Summer garden furniture and/or accessories
The list is endless, but the principle is that by blocking things together, you’ll firstly spot duplicates and secondly access easily.
Pick what works for you, your space, your personality and your belongings. If the space is large, keeping a little note or map of where each zone is may prove useful.
Having gone to the effort of organising the space, don’t undo your good work by just tipping things back into any old box.
Now’s the time for a good declutter – get rid of what’s been in the attic for years or that you’ll never use again, unless there’s an emotional pull to keep them.
Be as brutal as you can bear to be to give yourself more usable and easily accessible space.
You are now ready to start carefully packing things in boxes for storing. Organise your belongings in groups of things, and (if you’re ‘zoning’) according to the zone you’re packing for.
Make sure everything you pack is clean and dry before packing, and ensure that it’s well wrapped/protected.
(There are lots of packing tips on the easyStorage Boxes blog.)
Mark the boxes clearly with what’s inside, and keep a list of what boxes you have stored (and where if you’re really well organised). This will mean not only can you access things quickly, but when life changes you can dispose of things you no longer want or need rather than forgetting them and letting them eat up useable space.
Stick a date/dates in your diary, roughly six months away, each time you go up into the loft, so that at least twice a year you go up and check that things are still in good condition, that the attic void is still dry and the flooring still in good condition, and that no pests have breached.
This way if you have lapsed and just lobbed the odd thing in carelessly, you have already allotted time to sort it back out. Keeping on top of it will be way better for your sanity than a massive periodical sort out or not being able to find the things that you need, and any roof problems can be dealt with whilst they’re small, rather than letting them become big issues!
And you can check that all important ladder before you need it urgently!
If your attic has limited storage space, or you just need a little extra, at easyStorage, we’re always here for your storage needs.
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Our storage packages have the added benefit of free removal of your items, saving you up to £1,000. All you need to do is pack your items (or we can pack for you, supplying boxes and packing material) and we’ll pick-up your items and store them in our safe and secure easyStorage facility. Then when you are ready, we’ll deliver them wherever you need us to. You just need to give us two working days’ notice. Perfect if you are moving house, running out of space, or just need somewhere to store your stuff.
Our storage plans provide you with a cost-effective alternative to renting your own lock-up storage space as we’ll only charge you for the storage space you need, making it cheaper for you.
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