Seasonal storage solutions - don’t lose cash in your attic!

I think putting away Christmas decorations gives me as much joy as getting them out. Boxing up the glitter and clutter to make way for more neutral tones and calmer spaces. The only bit I hate is trying to navigate my way to my ‘decoration platform’ in the loft that hovers above our sea of insulation.

If your loft floor isn’t boarded and you are putting your Christmas decorations away then avoid the costly mistake of storing them directly on top of your insulation fibre.

Storing items on top of the insulation can cause it to significantly lose efficiency. Loft insulation works by trapping air within its fibers, which helps to regulate the temperature in your home. When the insulation is squashed or compressed, it is unable to trap as much air, so it can’t effectively regulate the temperature.

It is recommended that you have a minimum of 270mm of insulation in your attic to reduce your home’s heat loss. The table below from the energy saving trust shows how much you could SAVE by topping up your loft insulation from 120mm to 270mm. Consider this data in reverse - if you SQUASH your insulation from 270mm to 120mm, the table indicates how much you could SPEND by storing your decorations and other items on top of your loft insulation.

https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/roof-and-loft-insulation/

If you do need to store your decorations in your loft, avoid placing boxes or bags directly on the insulation. A quick, cheap solution to this is to make a raised platform in the attic using timber planks or loft legs* and place a board or planks across them, making sure that the insulation below doesn’t get squashed. Take special care to ensure that there are no gaps left in the insulation around the joists so you don’t get cold spots on the ceiling below. You can then pop your bags or boxes of decorations on top of the platform without compromising the effectiveness of your insulation.

Wishing you a joyful decoration purge and a great new year!

*you can find out more about loft legs here: https://www.loftleg.com/ Loft legs can be purchased at most builders’ merchants or hardware shops and cost about £15-£17 for a set of 12.