Attic Storage Ideas: 12 Safe Ways to Use the Space Under the Roof
Published · 8 min read
Attic storage ideas have to start with the floor you're standing on. An attic is free space above every room in the house, but it was built to keep the roof up and the heat in, not always to hold boxes. Store safely, pick what can take the heat and the cold, and the attic becomes the best place for things you need once a year.
This guide covers attic storage safety, what to store in an attic and what not to, how to organize an attic, and 12 attic storage ideas for the space under a sloping roof.
Attic storage safety first
- Only store on a boarded floor. Never rest boxes on the bare joists or on top of the insulation. Step only on boards or joists, never between them: the ceiling below won't hold you.
- Don't overload the joists. In many homes the attic floor joists were sized to carry the ceiling below, not storage. Keep heavy things (books, tools, anything you struggle to lift) out of the attic, spread the weight, and put what's heaviest over the walls below, where the joists are supported. If you're not sure what your attic can hold, ask a builder or structural engineer before boarding it out.
- Don't squash the insulation. Insulation works because of the air in it. Raised boarding on top of the joists keeps it full height, and boxes on loose insulation crush it.
- Keep the vents clear. Leave space at the eaves and around roof vents so air moves through. A blocked vent makes the attic hotter in summer and damper in winter.
- Stay clear of wiring, recessed lights and the chimney. Boxes against a light fitting or a flue are a fire risk.
- Mind the heat. On a summer afternoon an attic can be far hotter than the rest of the house. Go up in the morning, and plan for what that heat does to things stored there.
- Use a proper ladder and light. A fold-down ladder that's rated for your weight plus what you carry, and a light switch at the hatch, not a flashlight in your teeth.
What to store in an attic (and what not to)
An attic is hot in summer, cold in winter and sometimes damp. Good things to store there are sturdy, light and needed once or twice a year:
- Holiday decorations in lidded totes, the main use of most attics. See holiday decoration storage for keeping ornaments and lights in one piece.
- Out-of-season clothes and bedding in sealed totes or vacuum bags.
- Outgrown kids' clothes and baby gear you're keeping for the next child or to pass on.
- Suitcases and travel bags, which can hold more storage inside them.
- Spare pillows, duvets and camping mats.
What not to store in an attic:
- Candles, crayons and anything wax. They melt and soak into everything around them.
- Photos, documents and books. Heat and damp curl, fade and stick them together. Keep them in a closet inside the house.
- Electronics and batteries. Heat shortens their life, and batteries can leak.
- Anything heat-sensitive: vinyl records, film, cosmetics, aerosols, paint, glue, wine, and medicines.
- Leather, wool and good clothes in cardboard. Moths and damp find them. Sealed plastic only.
- Food, including pet food. It draws mice, squirrels and insects.
- Heavy things. For the joists, and for you on the ladder.
How to organize an attic
- Bring everything down, or into one corner. Check what's there, and get rid of what you kept "just in case" and never needed.
- Sort: keep, donate, sell, toss. Be strict. Every box you keep is one you'll carry up and down a ladder.
- Move what stays into lidded plastic totes. Cardboard sags in the heat and draws pests. Same-size totes stack and slide in under the slope.
- Lay a path. A clear walkway of boards from the hatch to the far end, wide enough to walk and carry a tote. Storage goes either side of it.
- Place by how often you need it. What you fetch every season goes nearest the hatch. What you keep for years goes at the far end and under the low slope.
- Number the totes and list what's in them. You don't want to open totes at the top of a ladder. The last part of this guide shows how to keep that list.
12 attic storage ideas
Boarding and access
- Raised boarding over the joists. Boards on short legs above the insulation give you a floor without crushing it. Board only where you need it: a path and the storage areas beside it.
- A walkway from the hatch. Keep it clear at all times. A path you have to climb over isn't a path.
- A landing zone by the hatch. A small boarded area where you set a tote down before carrying it further, so you never step off the ladder holding a heavy box.
- A light at the hatch. A switch or a pull cord within reach from the ladder, plus a plug-in light at the far end if the attic is long.
Under the slope
- Low shelving under the eaves. A short shelf unit fits where the roof comes down. Totes on shelves are easier to reach than a stack you have to unpack.
- Totes end-on, label out. Slide them in under the slope with the numbered end facing the path, so you read the number without pulling it out.
- Rolling platforms for the low corners. A tote on a flat dolly rolls out from under the slope instead of being dragged across the boards.
- Tall things in the middle. Where the roof is highest, stand rolled rugs, a garment rack or a tall artificial tree.
Totes and labels
- Same-size lidded totes. They stack, they swap places, and the lid keeps out dust and insects. Solid ones keep out light, which fades fabric.
- One tote, one job. "Christmas lights", "Baby clothes 6 to 12 months", "Keepsakes". You can find a single tote; you can't find a thing in a mixed one.
- A big number on every tote. Readable from the hatch. What's inside goes on a list, not on the lid. Storage bin labels has a labeling system that stays right.
Seasonal rotation
- Swap with the seasons. Twice a year, the totes you'll need next come forward to the hatch and the ones you just used go to the back. Winter coats come down in October, holiday decorations go up in January, summer clothes swap places with sweaters.
Find anything in your attic later
Up a ladder is the worst place to open the wrong tote. You lift it off the stack, crack the lid in the dark, and it's the baby clothes, not the Christmas lights. Hoardo is a free app that keeps a list of what's in every tote, so you know which one to fetch before you climb.
- Make a room for the attic in Hoardo.
- Add each tote as a numbered box, with the number you wrote on its end.
- List what's inside while it's still downstairs. Type it, say it, or take a photo of the open tote and let Hoardo list what it sees.
- Print QR labels on plain paper, sticker sheets or a label printer, and put one on each tote. Scanning one with your phone's camera opens its list.
Then you search from the bottom of the ladder. Type "lights" and Hoardo shows the tote, its number and the room, so you go up for one tote and come straight back down.
Share the attic with your family, so whoever goes up knows which tote to bring. For the other storage spaces, see basement storage ideas, closet storage ideas and the full list of storage ideas for every room.
Questions about attic storage
Is it safe to store things in the attic?
Yes, if the floor is boarded and the load is light. In many homes the attic joists were sized for the ceiling below, not for storage, so keep heavy things out and spread the weight. If you're unsure what your attic can hold, ask a builder or structural engineer.
What should you not store in an attic?
Anything that heat, cold or damp ruins: candles and crayons, photos, documents and books, electronics and batteries, vinyl records, cosmetics, aerosols, paint, medicines and food. Leather and wool only in sealed plastic.
What is best to store in an attic?
Light, sturdy things you need once or twice a year: holiday decorations, out-of-season clothes and bedding in sealed totes, outgrown kids' clothes, suitcases and camping mats.
Can I put boxes on top of attic insulation?
Better not. Boxes crush loose insulation, and squashed insulation keeps less heat in. Raised boarding on top of the joists gives you a floor and leaves the insulation at full height.
How do I keep track of what's stored in my attic?
Number every tote and list what's inside before it goes up. In Hoardo the attic is a room, each tote a numbered box with its list, and a QR label on the tote opens that list on your phone. Search from the bottom of the ladder and fetch only the right tote.
Is Hoardo free?
Yes. Hoardo is free, with every feature included: rooms, numbered boxes, QR labels, search and sharing with your family. There's no paid plan.