Preserving Furniture with Attic Storage Containers

If your attic is not being used for anything, in particular, you can use it to store items you aren't using right now, but aren't quite ready to throw out or give away. Here is how to do so while protecting your stuff from heat, cold, moisture, and vermin.

Understand the Heat

The attic, being where it is, will be hotter than any other part of your house, and that means things that are sensitive to extreme temperatures should not be stored in the attic. Those items are electronics, photos, fabrics that are very delicate, film, or anything that warns against certain environments.

Setup Storage along the Perimeter

When you store your items, make place the containers around the perimeter of the attic for easy access in the future.

Think of Different Kinds of Storage Containers

What kind of storage container you should use depends on what you are storing. If you are storing clothes, it would be wise to store them in cedar-lined boxes to protect the fabric. Plastic tubs with lids are very good for storing your Christmas decorations, arts and crafts, photos, and other items that you would like to be protected not only from vermin but also from any moisture that there might be.

Cardboard boxes are really not the best containers for storing important valuables. If the items are things that you know won’t be damaged by moisture, then it might be okay to use cardboard boxes. Even still, it is not recommended that you use these containers permanently.

Label Everything

If you are considering using the stored items in the future, the most important thing to do is number the containers and make a list of everything that you have stored in each individual storage container so that, when you want to retrieve something, you can do so quickly and easily.

Think About Shelving

If you want something more permanent that gives you clear access to the items, you might want to consider remodeling your attic to include shelves and cabinets. Cabinets can be used effectively for items that you use once or twice a year for special occasions. Having cabinets as storage in the attic makes it a lot easier to find items you need to find for those special occasions.

Hooks for Hanging

Items that need no actual container for protection can be hung on hooks in between the rafters.

Protect from Rodents

Once you have decided on a method of storage and got your stuff into the attic, lay out biologically safe deterrents to keep rodents and other pests from making the attic and your stored items their home.