What do you store in your loft and how do you protect it?

[miramar]

I'm thinking of things like books and out of season clothes and would appreciate any tips.

we have a dry airy loft but in a semi-rural area there are always mice. So everything is in a sealed plastic box.

I wouldn't store clothes in the loft - if you have too many for your wardrobes you have too many clothes.

I have some books in boxes and make sure everything else is covered in case of leaks. I had work shoes in the loft for 4 years. They looked fine but when I wore them again they quickly disintegrated.

I put furniture we are not using and Christmas decs in the loft mainly. I try not to keep too much up there.

Loads of stuff.
Clothes, bedding etc double bagged.
Books etc in sealed boxes.

uh oh. Something else I do the wrong mumsnet way!

I store all sorts. But protect next to nothing [but nothing has ever got ruined except a mouse once ate an easter egg that was awating Easter]
The only thing I do is ensure that there are mothballs somewhere up there at all times, which has meant that I have spent the princely sum of two mothball packets in twenty years or whatever on loft protection.

If you're storing books long term, my archivist friend says to wrap them in roofing felt!

I live in a very rural area and we do not have mice. We store clothes, suitcases, ski wear, and Christmas decorations. The clothes are in canvas wardrobes and the ski wear is in a very large, and never used, suitcase.
I have lots of hats in hat boxes.

I would not put books up there as I prefer to have them available in bookcases. If you put them in a loft, do you ever look at them again?

Suit cases and Christmas decorations in old removals boxes and miriad trees in bin bags. I think there are 5 tress.

Cases act as protection for camping/sleepover air mattresses.

No clothes or books in the loft. No mice. Fortunately Morris mouse and his DFs only seem to live down stairs.

DF had trouble with rodents in her loft until she cut down vaginia creeper and ruined their ladder. Touch wood we just have wasps. They get in the extension roof space which is incredibly hard to get to.

Old baby clothes (DCs 16, 17)
Lego, wooden train, beautiful hand made wooden blocks for my future grandchildren
Old furniture (given by MIL, never to be used)
Suitcases
Books
Ski gear in bin bags
DH old school books (he's 47)
A selection of broken lamps
Stuff goes up there and never comes down.

The books I have up there are children's books of mine that my own kids are too young for, so yes, do come back out eventually.

seasonal decorations and old schoolbooks, children's toys.
all in stackable 'really useful' boxes with lids.

xmas decs
a canvas box of dcs books, paintings and schoolwork
photo albums- in a large bag.
paint brushes/rollers- in a plastic box.
hedge cutters-we haven't got a shed
paperwork that has to be kept for 7 years, mainly tax stuff

ours is over the extension is very dry, boarded out so you can walk around, has a light and a pull down ladder. We've nothing in the other main loft.

Yes. The loft has solid flooring.

Suitcases
Hand luggage
Baby furniture
Old baby clothes
Out of season clothes
Out of season shoes
Out of season outerwear
Books
Wedding album
Wedding dress (almost 10 years old!)

Everything is well wrapped. We have not had any problems.

A loft was a priority for us as our house is a small 3 bed.

Thanks for all the responses! I've just moved to a house from a flat, so having a loft is a novelty.

Milly, yes. But sort of opposite to Petal.
They are mainly books that the kids are too old for.
I am hoping to have grandchildren to read them too and for them to look at. Also, the children are gradually permanently moving out, and one daughter is likely to want her share of books and toys etc given back to her permanently.

Christmas decorations (and things like advent calendars, Christmassy hats and table cloths and story books, lights, trees, etc)
Suitcases
Wedding hats (in a suitcase)
My wedding dress, my bridesmaid dress, my Mum's wedding dress (again, they are in suitcases)

Never done anything 'to protect them' in either of my houses and never had any problems with damp or creatures.