18 Easy Things To Declutter From Your Loft To Free Up Space

Although your attic may well not be used as living space, it doesn’t mean it should be cluttered with mess that you don’t really want. It’s time to stop using loft storage for anything and everything. Free up your attic space once and for all using this list of things to declutter from your loft.

5 Reasons To Declutter Your Loft

#1 – Loft conversion – you need to get everything out of there, and it makes sense to declutter the easy stuff first

#2 – To have less there – literally over your head every day. Subconsciously it won’t be helping you feel lighter… However much you declutter the rest of your home, you won’t feel it’s finished until this space has been tackled as well.

#3 – There are things up there that shouldn’t really be – for a variety of reasons (see below for more details…).

#4 – To free up some extra space for a different use. Storage space is valuable, and may help you stop spending on a storage unit too.

#5 – To be able to access the items more easily somewhere else (maybe you have mobility issues and getting up the loft ladder etc.. is harder than it once was).

Things To Get Rid Of From Your Loft

Anything You’re Keeping For Someone Else

There are some things that you should definitely get rid of from your loft, especially if you’re keeping them for someone else.

For example, anything that your grown up children have left up there after they’ve moved out. If they have homes of their own they should be storing their stuff there now.

This is also true for anything you may be keeping for your children that are inherited items. Chances are if you’re not using them, your children won’t be either. Maybe it’s time to let them go now…

Memorabilia / Sentimental Items

Declutter things that you’ve kept but no longer have meaning to you, or items that you want to keep and want to enjoy – neither belong in the attic.

Yours Or Your Kids Old School Books / Toys

Chances are you won’t read the books again, and the toys will become dated if you’re keeping them for future generations.

If you DO want to keep them, scan some of the pages of the books, and take a photo of the toys – then you can let them go without losing the memories.

Excess Luggage

How often have you bought something new and not let go of the old?

This can happen all too easily with things that are stored in out of the way places such as the attic – because we forget they’re there, or we can’t be bothered to get the old stuff out and it just stays there.

Luggage is one of the biggest culprits because it’s used infrequently and is bulky and considered a pain to move around. Now’s the time, though!

Out Of Season Clothes

Maybe you’re great at rotating clothes when the seasons change, but if you find that a lot of the clothes are simply being stored away and never worn, then you’re wasting time and energy on moving it around every few months…

Old Clothes

Let go of anything that you’ve kept but has now gone out of fashion. Yes, things do come back into fashion, but chances are you’ll be a different age / style / body type etc….

Items From Long Since Finished Hobbies

Hobbies can be brilliant ways to spend our free time – and can feel very personal. As such, letting go of items that we’ve used on our hobbies can be really hard.

Take a photo, sell them, and use the money for something you’re into right now. Much better than letting it go to waste.

Plus, often we can feel guilty that we’ve stopped doing the hobby, or feel regret – and if these negative emotions crop up when we see the items (however infrequently) – why put yourself through that?

Baby Items

When we start a family, there are a LOT of things that are needed, and often for just a short amount of time (clothes, equipment etc…).

To not waste them, we keep them either for our next children or for future generations. Thing is, a lot of the time we end up leaving the items up in the loft way after we’ve raised our family – and chances are that our grown kids will want to get their own things should they decide to have children themselves.

Much better to sell the items and use the cash for something else (maybe even a little fund for future grandkids….)!

Household items

Anything you’ve put up into the attic ‘in case’ you’ll need them in the future – but you never have – should be let go.

Chances are you won’t need them if you haven’t since they’ve been stored. You can always borrow one from a friend or family member if you find you DO need it later down the line.

Excess Christmas / Holiday Decorations

Most of us keep our decorations in less used storage areas, but again these are items that we may only use sporadically (maybe your decor colour / style has changed, or you’ve gone more minimalist etc…).

Take a look at everything you’ve stored – and make decisions about what you REALLY need to keep.

Any Old Cardboard Box!

Those old boxes that once housed electrical items and tech are bulky and really don’t need to be kept (especially if they’re past the warranty, or you know you won’t be selling it on at a later stage).

Let them go and you’ll instantly gain loads of extra space!

Old Physical Photos

Really you want to ask yourself why you’re storing photos in the loft at all – because you can’t enjoy them up there. Much better to put into an album or get them digitised.

At a minimum, let go of the ones that are damaged, blurred etc…

Unknown Stuff!

Anything in a storage container that you don’t use or remember. What’s the point of having things like this taking up room?!!

What Shouldn’t You Keep In Your Loft?

Along with all these things, there are also items that you may have in your attic space that shouldn’t be up there – even if you DO want to keep them.

• Heavy items – like furniture
• Anything flammable – like paint or chemicals
• Items that can’t easily fit through the loft hatch (not worth the hassle!)
• Anything that won’t last well in the conditions – cardboard boxes will deteriorate, for example, and so the items kept in them won’t be safe for long (if you’re storing important documents then plastic boxes with airtight lids are much better).
• Anything you’ve just put up there because you don’t know what else to do with it.
• Anything you use regularly – the loft isn’t easy to access all the time.

What Should I Keep In My Loft?

Here’s a list of things that you could keep in your loft, should you choose to have anything up there.

Ideally you’d store them somewhere else so that this space stays empty, but of course there may well be no extra room so this is the only choice.

• Decorations you use annually
• Out of season clothes you will wear
• Any seasonal item that you always use each year and don’t have storage space for anywhere else
• Your memory boxes

Also worth remembering – anything that you want to keep should be stored well for the dark / damp etc.. space (plastic airtight containers are best, labelled is even better!)

Things To Remember When Decluttering Your Loft

#1 – Get another person involved for safety reasons, as you’ll need one person at the bottom of the ladder while you’re at the top, to give the stuff to that you take out.

#2 – Your loft can get hot easily. Always take some water up there to stay hydrated, and don’t stay up there for long periods of time, especially in the Summer.

#3 – Always consider access for anything you leave up there. Can you get to the stuff safely, or is loft boarding necessary? You don’t want to be walking on the loft insulation or be unsure whether you’ll fall through the ceiling…

Read Next: 6 Invaluable Tips For Getting Your Loft Organised