Attic questions

[dfchelbay]

Don't know if this is really a budget topic, but I'm going to ask anyway. My home has no basement, but has a lower level walkout, completely finished. This means that we have no real storage space like we would if we had a basement. All our closets are filled with things being stored, like Christmas tree, decorations, boxes of stuff, etc. My questions is:

Would it be safe to put items in the unheated/un-cooled attic space we have? I'll put everything in plastic bins, completely closed. It's completely dry up there, no mildewy smell or anything like that. I wouldn't put anything up there that was temperature sensitive, like electronics. What about extra comforters. I have an entire coat closet filled with king size and queen size comforters (stored in their zipped bags). Can those be put up there?

Thanks for your help.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I have all of my christmas decorations....and I have A LOT of them....stored in an unheated/cooled attic. It's actually an attic space above my carport, so it's not even getting rising heat from the house. Granted, it's North Carolina, not Minnesota, so it doesn't get too cold.....does get very hot and humid in the summer. I've never had any problems. In 7 years, only one glass ornament has broken while in storage. I can't say for sure about comforters, but I would think they'de be okay if there's isn't a moisture issue.

 

[lovesmurfs]

We store everything in our uncooled, unheated attic (2nd floor) -- our bedroom is on the same floor, and with the exception of a window air unit, we don't have any heating or cooling in our room either.

Everything is stored in plastic bins and has kept for over 10 years. The one problem we have had is with wreaths and floral pieces that have painted styrofoam berries, fruits, etc. -- the heat causes the styrofoam to swell and crack the fruit.

 

[tink2dw]

For the Comforters you need to go to your local Walmart and get Space Bags!! You put the soft bulk coats, blankets, comforters, summer clothes, and put them in a space bag then vaccum out the air till the space bag is flat!! It saves tons of space in your closets!!

These are the new Space Bag Cubes at Walmart for $15.00
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11085277&findingMethod=rr

 

[msmayor]

Don't know if this is really a budget topic, but I'm going to ask anyway. My home has no basement, but has a lower level walkout, completely finished. This means that we have no real storage space like we would if we had a basement. All our closets are filled with things being stored, like Christmas tree, decorations, boxes of stuff, etc. My questions is:

Would it be safe to put items in the unheated/un-cooled attic space we have? I'll put everything in plastic bins, completely closed. It's completely dry up there, no mildewy smell or anything like that. I wouldn't put anything up there that was temperature sensitive, like electronics. What about extra comforters. I have an entire coat closet filled with king size and queen size comforters (stored in their zipped bags). Can those be put up there?

Thanks for your help.

You need to know exactly how your roof was constructed to know if it is truly safe.

Our home was built 15 years ago using a truss system designed ONLY to hold the load of the roof itself. We were told not to use our attic for storage; that placing anything in the attic space other than insulation will put stress on the trusses and could compromise the roofing system. While a few light boxes may seem to be OK, its not something I'm willing to risk.