6 Items You Should Never Keep in Your Attic, According to Pros

If your attic has been the main source of storage for all your home items, it may be time to go through it all to sort out what needs to be thrown out or stored elsewhere.

Due to seasonal temperatures and unwanted pests, it's crucial to keep any important items out of your attic. Find out what six items home experts say you should never store in your attic.

Electronics

If you live in a hotter area, rising temperatures can damage your electronics by melting some of the plastic parts. Go through your old devices to see which ones are worth keeping and throwing out.

And if you are holding on to an old VCR and home videos for future viewing, it’s best to come up with another preservation plan. Lisa Dooley, a professional organizer and the owner of Your Organized Life, says the time to act is now.

“These tapes were intended to have a life span of 10 years, and I’ve seen some from the early 1980s," she says. "If possible, these should be digitized ASAP."

Food

In addition to the extreme heat in summer, an attic will endure very cold temperatures during winter in northern areas. These fluctuations can easily cause the degradation of any food, even if it’s sealed up like canned vegetables or like your favorite bottle of wine.

“Generally speaking, edibles of any kind should not be kept in your attic,” says Lauren Saltman, a professional organizer and the owner of Living. Simplified. “They will likely attract pests even if it's stored in sealed plastic containers. And out-of-sight really is out-of-mind. Will you remember what food items are stored in your attic? Probably not.”

Chemicals

When you run out of space for your cleaning supplies, pool cleaner, or other chemical that you don’t use often, your attic can seem like a good place to get it all out of your way until the next cleaning. The heat can not only change the composition of some cleaners, but it can cause the containers to leak down into your ceiling or even explode if they are in an aerosol can.

Storing such supplies near the areas they are used, in a climate-controlled space, is a safe bet and certainly more convenient.

Photos

It may be easy to stick some photos into an album and store them in the attic, but they may not stay in good condition over time. Due to moisture and fluctuating temperatures, your precious photos will yellow as the years pass by or worse.

“The sticky glue and the plastic page 'protectors' are actually highly acidic, slowly destroying the photos,'” Dooley says. “Remove them from the attic—and the albums—and store them in a cool, dry place like a closet or even under a bed.”

Wooden Decor

It can be difficult to let go of photo frames, signs, or shelving that no longer fit your style, especially when paid good money to outfit your home. However, storing a stack of unused wooden frames may bring unintended visitors to your space since insects and pests love to chew on wood.

Wood stored in the attic also reacts to the weather. If it rains a lot in your area, the humidity will cause expansion, rot, and possibly mold. Extreme heat dries things out and creates cracks even if the wood has been treated.

Also, consider donating any intact frames. What no longer suits your taste might be perfect for someone else.

“There is no need to store items you don’t actually want to keep,” Saltman says. 

Fabrics

It is understandable that people want to save special furnishings or clothing that reminds them of a special event in their family’s lives. Just like wood, any fabric that is a natural fabric will be subject to the weather and little critters. Even created fabrics are likely to get chewed up by pests. This can be anything from clothing and mattresses to much-loved stuffed animals and rugs. They are all at risk in the attic.

Saltman says being deliberate about what we store in the home leaves space for the keepsakes we truly cherish. Have any meaningful pieces of clothing professionally cleaned and then stored inside your home, she says.

There are still plenty of things you can safely store in your attic, Saltman says: Dishware, pots and pans, holiday decorations, suitcases, outdoor furniture, and items you’ll be using in the next few weeks will be okay.

“Use your own common sense about what can be safely stored in your attic, and you’ll be well on your way to protecting the items and keeping them for future generations,” Saltman says.