Because it sits at the top of the house, your loft or attic often becomes the recipient of a lot of junk. The stuff you don’t want or need but can’t bear to throw away ends up here.
But cleaning out your loft needn’t be a Herculean task. Read our tips for what to do when your loft’s too full…
Prepare to be ruthless
If something’s in the loft, chances are you haven’t looked at it or used it in a long time, which means the item’s redundant. Can’t bear to throw the stuff away? You’ve got options, such as giving your stuff to a charity shop, listing anything worthwhile on Gumtree, Freecycle or eBay, or giving something to family, friends or neighbours.
You can organise the loft stuff into three piles—keep, chuck, give away. Ask yourself, would I save this item in a fire or would I buy it now to help with your decisions.
If you have family-related items up there, such as old photo albums, toys and paintings the kids did, you could find them a permanent home downstairs or consider digitising the photos and paintings which you can then share with others.
Prepare to get dirty
Your attic or loft is likely to be dusty. There will also be industrial quantities of fluff, mould and others. Wear old clothes and a dust mask, if possible, which you can buy from a hardware shop. Goggles and gloves are a good idea too. Depending on your lighting, you might need a torch too.
Watch out for hazards
As well as mould, attics and lofts attract insects and rodents. If you find an infestation, you’ll need professional pest control to clean it up. A wasps’ nest is another risk—if you find one, steer clear and call in the professionals.
Stock up on bin bags
You’re going to need them for all that stuff. If your loft is full to bursting why not consider our Man and Van service? It works the same way as hiring a skip, but better because you don’t need planning permission and the van can access busy residential areas easily. We’ll take your stuff away and recycle it 100 percent, so you needn’t worry about anything ending up in landfill.
Rope the whole family in
If there’s just one person in there clearing the loft is easier, as most people’s upper space isn’t extensive. But there’s no reason other family members can’t help with the stuff coming down. Get them to sort the items into the three piles. It’ll make the job much quicker.
Consider quid pro quo
Your loft is tricky to clear whereas if you do the job for a friend you won’t have the same emotional attachment to the items and can be much more ruthless. If you offer to do someone else’s loft cleaning for them, ask them to do the same for you. Neighbourhood brownie points and the emotional wellbeing that comes from clearing clutter at the same time.
We specialise in hoarder clearance. If the loft job seems insurmountable why not call in the professionals? Call us on 0345 319 8000 or contact us through our website for a free instant quote or more information about our services.
