How much "stuff" do you have in your loft?

[7catsisnotenough]

Having sorted out DM's loft several times in the past few years and then again when she downsized I realised how much "stuff" we have in our own loft!

Do you actually know what's in your loft, do you need what's in your loft, or is it "out of sight, out of mind...OMG what have we kept that for?!"

Fascinated to hear your loft horror stories, whether it's your own loft, someone else's loft or bizarre things left behind by previous owners/tenants...

Please tell me that I'm not the only person with virtually a spare house full of "stuff"?!

Nothing - I don't have a loft. I'm on the ground floor of a 5 storey building!

Too much.
Bags of clothes
Christmas decorations
An old (15yrs +) control unit for a small business telephone switchboard thingie
A bin bag with a solid mass of cables that nobody on earth could ever untangle that are for things we don't even own any more.

At least 4 PC's and a load of monitors, keyboards and so on.
Whatever else Mr "it might come in handy one day" has snuck up there

It's needing reorganised. But it's crammed full.

According to my dh, too much.

Winter clothes
Kids toys - I want to keep, dh doesn’t
Photographs,
Books
Deceased in-laws memorabilia
Rucksac
Tent
Christmas decorations
Etc etc

Loads, but it is organised and I know what is up there.

@CadburyCake

Nothing, our house doesn’t have one. But I am not remotely sentimental and have no interest in hoarding stuff - almost everything the kids outgrow immediately leaves the house. I photograph their best artwork and writing, but that almost all gets thrown away fairly rapidly. I’m not interested in keeping old clothes, ornaments etc and I long ago disposed of my old schoolwork etc. We have an under stairs cupboard for the Christmas decorations, the suitcases are nested inside each other and under a bed and each child has about one box worth of “memory stuff” on top of their wardrobe. Beach stuff lives in the garage with the bikes.

I have helped empty too many attics from elderly relatives who’ve died or gone into a home - the huge stacks of decades worth of mundane Christmas cards from everyone they’ve ever met, the empty box from every electrical appliance they ever bought, the eleven billion crap paperbacks, the china set from their second cousin, their fathers diary that literally just details the weather and what they had for dinner each night... it all just goes into a skip. I’d rather save my relatives the bother.

This is also why I don't shove stuff in the loft. There's no point if it will stay there until I die, then be disposed of! And ... appliance boxes? Why??

Nothing in my garage either, and only garden tools and recycling bins in the shed/outhouse thing.

Far too much stuff. It is full. Mostly things we still need and keepsake stuff of kids. Some of this does need to be thinned out. They won’t want all their school books etc.

We’ve got all the Christmas, Easter, Halloween decorations which takes up the most space.

Camping stuff, suitcases and bags for holiday, spare dinner services, summer fans, cool box, photography backdrops, lights etc, all our wedding cards, my wedding dress, christening gifts and all the keepsakes.

Nothing. I realised the perils of having a loft full of stuff when I last moved house, so I vowed not to put anything up there in future. I have hoarding tendencies so it's a good discipline for me.

I have the Christmas decorations, packaging for newer electrical appliances under warranty, a box of keepsakes from when the kids were tiny, photos albums from when I was married (dp's and mine ex's) and dd us bringing a few boxes when my old marital home is finally sold as exh is moving in with his dp

Glad I'm not the only one keeping stuff for future potential grandchildren! My mum's kept some of my old toys and it makes it so much easier visiting her house. I plan to do the same for my future grandchildren!

The electrical appliance boxes is useful when you move house...we certainly used them (we’ve kept the packaging inside) last time we moved.

I do know, but only because we just had it boarded up so I sorted it.

Christmas stuff
Camping stuff
Luggage
Dh's collection of computer magazines (4 boxes! And he says I keep too much rubbish!)
Some children's art work and old books
The children's clothes I made them
Fans/heaters (delete as per season)
A few toys
Costumes and props (I'm involved in youth theatre)

And 6 bags of things to go to the charity shops when they're accepting things again.

Our bedrooms are in the loft, but there's a small bit at the side where the roof slopes down that is for storage, it holds the toy boxes that aren't in use (so I can rotate toys), out of season clothes, and some things saved from DD for DS when he is bigger.

We have a storeroom in the basement that is full of so much though, tools, clothes, out of season shoes and coats, music equipment, a desk, old baby gear, children's books that DD has outgrown. There used to be more stuff but we moved it to the garage (drum kit, lots of amps, thermal fishing suit that I refuse to keep in the house because the smell of fish never goes away, skis and sledges and ice skates.

Nothing currently. We purchased a new build and the developer told us it is part of the ventilation system for the house and not to put anything up there.

I am tempted to put the Christmas tree up there.

I daren’t actually look, house is a massive sprawling thing which my dad built from an old 200 year old cottage and each year he added a bit, it’s all got loft space plus some outbuilding and they are ALL full. I went in an outbuilding the other day and discovered by bike from when I was a toddler, I literally dare not explore the loft(s) yet because I don’t think they even cleared the old cottage ones.

For all I know there is someone living up there, there are certainly enough noises...

Maybe my brave investigation of said lofts could be a thread of its own where I mysteriously disappear...

Nothing.
After the nightmare of emptying the loft at our old house when we moved we took the decision to not put anything in the one at our new house and ten years on we’ve managed to keep it empty.

We were in the habit of putting things in the loft, thinking we might need them at some point but never using them again. We had a good sort out after moving, lined the garage walls with shelving and anything that we’ve needed to keep is stored tidily in there.

You know the room of requirement in Harry Potter? It’s like that but less well organised.

I consider it all an extra layer of insulation.

No loft so nothing
Last house loft was never boarded so nothing
Previous house loft only had a tiny accessible space so just a few boxes.

Our garage on the other hand....

DH went up there to find something yesterday and there was a lot of "wtf is this doing up here?!" comments.

He never did find what he was looking for but we managed to clear out 3 boxes worth of cables (USB, ethernet, power leads..)

Loads or we did anyway, we’ve moved recently and now have no loft and the stuff is everywhere. I hate it and I’m going to have to learn to be ruthless.
Aside from photos, Christmas decorations and suitcases it’s just not needed (she tells herself 🙄)

Far too much stuff that if I’m honest will never be used/needed/looked at.

Old computers, magazines going back years, a cot or two, carpet offcuts, children’s school projects, children’s first bike, old toys, lego, letters, christmas stuff, cardboard boxes - for when we move - but we’ve zero plans to.

One of my retirement plans was to have a serious sort out - but not started yet!

Mine has been converted into a bedroom, so it's DC room

@DelurkingAJ

The electrical appliance boxes is useful when you move house...we certainly used them (we’ve kept the packaging inside) last time we moved.

My removal company packed the TV, and would have done other appliances for me (I moved 3 months ago). I've been a home owner and moved many times over 35 years, and never once needed an appliance box!

Nothing, but don't ask about the garage.