Loft being boarded for storage only. Any ideas on containers?

[Lelivre]

I am currently emptying the loft which is the most ghastly job. I'm going through school work, baby clothes and toddler toys. Most of it is going and I plan to put everything I don't use on a weekly basis in the loft in containers that will be brought down as and when.

I see the 'really useful' boxes are highly rated and I need lids that lock on but what else is there that's a bit more affordable.

I would also like a rail and garment bags for winter clothes as the vac bags are crushing them. I don't have room to keep all of the seasons clothing in our wardrobes.

Loft is dry and large but floor will be boarded only.

Any advice is welcome.

The Range do clear plastic boxes that are very reasonable.

Make sure everything is in clear containers so you can easily see what it is, I also group different things in different bits of the loft. So for example all Christmas stuff together

We got lidded storage boxes from George at Asda

Saw lots of large storage boxes in Homebase yesterday. I think B&A do similar.

Label or number all the boxes. Write a list of what is in each box on your computer so you remember what's up there, and which box it's in.

Our loft is brilliant for storing Xmas decorations as well. They all go in those patterned laundry bags.

Bear in mind how easy or hard it is to get the boxes up and down. I've ended up getting loads of small boxes.

The boxes themselves don't matter but label clearly and keep a list of what you have it up there downstairs (roughly at least) I forget and replace! Same advice for garages, inventory it

This is definitely important. I bought a large number of easily manageable clear plastic boxes with clicky lids from the local market. Easy to label, stack and get up and down the ladder by myself. (There are a couple of large boxes up there that will have to be unpacked and items brought down one at a time, which is a bit inconvenient. I would never be able to bring the box down without help).

That's a good point what size do you find is the most practicable. I will have lots of household stuff. Holiday stuff. Bedding for visitors. Sentimental things etc

I use clear Wham Crystal boxes with labels on the top and one end and stack them. I have the 32l , the 45l and the 60l options as they have the same 'footprint' and stack well. It means I can use the shallow ones for heavy stuff and the tall ones for duvets etc and they all still easily fit through the loft hatch.

I've bought them from The Range, Tesco, a local DIY store and Amazon do them so they are easy to add to without having to change the box type (so they always look nice) .

Thanks! I saw those at The Range. That's super helpful thank you

For affordable storage boxes with locking lids, We used:

• IKEA SAMLA boxes
• B&Q’s own-brand options—they're often cheaper than most.

For clothes, a freestanding rail with breathable garment bags (non-vacuum) is a great idea. Loads on argos and amazon.

Have you boarded it yet? I just got ours done, ended up just sorting the floor, bit of insulation then building out a tonned of shelves in the eaves rather than full conversion .

Got some great ideas on Pinterest and this guide on loft storage solutions.