Avoid using a dusty, old attic for storage.
If you’ve been thinking about storing your grandmother’s antique chest and that collection of early-1900s encyclopedias upstairs in your home’s attic, you may want to think again. With their space under the roof, most attics are not designed for storage, but to control your home’s temperature by providing a large mass of slowly moving air. Improperly insulated attics accessed by ladder can damage your belongings and your back. Read these reasons why you may want to consider a storage unit instead of your attic to store your precious goods:
1. Upstairs/Downstairs
Usually accessed via ladder through a trap door in the ceiling, attics tend to be low in height. Lifting and balancing heavy objects along with crouching for extended periods not only causes back and knee problems, but it can also lead to serious injury from falls. A storage container rental is a safer option, as it does not involve climbing and allows you to store large items on your property in a secure manner.
2. Where Dampness and Dust Lurk
Those who suffer from allergies will want to stay far away from their attic. Often musty and dark, attics can be a haven for allergens such as dust and mold. Caused by poor ventilation and moisture, mold can be hazardous to your health when spores are continuously inhaled. To ensure that you are protected, make sure your attic is adequately insulated and store your belongings in a secure climate-controlled storage facility.
3. The Creepy Crawlies
Wondering what that scratching noise is through the night? You may have critters living behind your walls or above your ceiling. Bats, mice, rats, squirrels, and raccoons seeking shelter in Kelowna attics to escape cold weather can cause extensive damage to your stored items resulting in costly repairs. Not to mention, insects such as moths, carpet beetles, carpenter ants, bedbugs, and cockroaches love infesting carpets, paper, and more. The best way to avoid an infestation is to look for pest-controlled Kelowna storage units.
4. Under a Hot Tin Roof
Direct sunlight can cause temperatures in the Okanagan to hit more than 40°C in summer. As heat rises, attics can become like ovens, causing extensive damage to your items and your home.
Avoid storing sensitive or combustible materials such as leather, wood, wax, metal, and paper in your attic and instead store these items in temperature-controlled storage units in Kelowna.
5. The Weight of the Matter
Besides the damage it can do to your back, bulky items such as appliances or furniture shouldn’t be placed in an attic, as the floor of an attic often serves as the framing for the ceiling beneath it. Instead, put heavy items in a Kelowna portable storage unit that you keep in your driveway or property or look for an off-site storage rental.
Are you looking to store your Christmas decorations? Read our holiday storage tips on How to Pack: Long vs. Short-Term Self Storage.
Space Centre Storage offers a variety of safe, secure, and temperature-controlled storage units in Kelowna from self-storage lockers to MI-BOX portable storage units for both personal and commercial use. Contact us to learn more.