One of the best things about owning a home is that you never run out of storage space. No room in the main part of your house or the garage or basement? That’s OK, the attic is the perfect out-of-the-way place to keep things, right? Not necessarily. While there are some things you can safely store in your attic, these five items should never be among them:
1. Anything with Fabric
If you want your wedding gown to get a second life when your daughter walks down the aisle or to see your future grandkids in perfectly preserved baby clothes, skip attic storage— where they’re susceptible to water damage, heat, and moths—at all costs. Leather furniture and clothing should also be avoided, as they can crack and discolor over time.
2. Documents, Artwork, and Books
If you’re storing important documents and artwork or saving books, magazines, and newspapers for posterity, the attic is the best place to destroy them. These sensitive items are all negatively affected by heat, light, and humidity. This can cause discoloration and mildew and may result in exposure to moths and silverfish who want to make a meal out of them.
3. Wood Furniture
Keep your great grandmother’s antique armoire in pristine condition by keeping it away from your attic. The humidity and heat in the confined space can cause wood to crack and expand and leaves it vulnerable to mold and mildew.
4. Unused Electronics
Maybe you’re a collector of computer generations, perhaps you’ve got the live series finale of M.A.S.H., complete with original commercials, on VHS and you can’t give up your VCR, or maybe you just don’t like getting rid of electronics—either way, you need to store them all in a climate-controlled space not affected by heat and humidity, unlike your attic.
5. Paint
Whether it’s paint for your house’s exterior, paint for your bedroom and living room, or paint for that masterpiece you’ve been working on, it needs to be stored properly. Changes in your attic’s temperature throughout the year can actually change the paint’s consistency and cause it to dry out quickly.
Now you know there are things you can’t store in your attic, so where can you store them? At a convenient and affordable storage facility. Contact the storage professionals at Secure Self Storage for the ideal climate-controlled storage solution for these common but important items.