As things start to warm up here in the Pacific Northwest, many of us look forward to spending lots of summer fun in the warm sun. When the weather gets too hot, we can escape into our cool, air conditioned homes to avoid the sun’s rays. Unfortunately, items that are stored in your attic have no way to escape the heat, and can sustain permanent damage.

To keep this from happening, it is important that you adequately prepare your atticwith attic cleaners and its stored contents to face some intense summer conditions. Here are some specific ways you can protect your attic storage from the heat of summer.

1. Insulate Your Attic

Want to know the best way to protect your storage items from the heat? Don’t let your attic get hot! By installing attic insulation, you block the transfer of heat through the roof to retain your home’s cooler temperatures.

As the sun beats down down on your roof for hours at a time, the shingles or roofing on your home can get intensely hot. In uninsulated attics, this heat can cause old plastic items to melt, paper products to yellow, and other stored items to become brittle and discolored.

Insulating your attic can also help you to save money on your energy bills during the summer. Many Everett families are enjoying great savings as a result of their attic cleaning and insulation. Read our latest article on how attic insulation can increase your home energy efficiency during the summer to learn what benefits and savings await you.

2. Store in Suitable Storage Units

Avoid cardboard boxes at all costs. Not only are they biodegradable, but these storage units do not protect their contents from the summer heat as well as other storage options will. Plastic bins with tight fitting lids work well to protect your belongings from the attic environment and the rising temperatures. Other appropriate storage containers include those made of ceramic or glass materials.

3. Don’t Store Risky Items

Some items can experience severe and irreparable damage when exposed to high temperatures. Photographs, scrapbooks, collectibles, diaries, and other paper products should be stored in a cooler location to keep them from yellowing or fading.

Wooden or leather items may not seem susceptible to attic conditions, but if any water or moisture gets into the attic, it can create mold and mildew and cause these items to rot. If you can seal them up tight, then they may survive, but in an uninsulated attic, it’s probably not worth the risk.

Other items that should stay out of your attic include:

• Paints
• Plastics
• Family Heirlooms
• Foods
• Varnish
• etc.

4. Don’t Store Items You Don’t Need

Keeping your attic storage clear of any unnecessary items is a great way to ensure organisation and cleanliness in the attic. Additionally, having a packed-out attic means that any critters that might find their way into your attic have more places to nest and more stuff to destroy. Bugs, mice, and even birds can easily find their way into an unsealed attic and wreck havoc on its contents. By keeping your stored items to a minimum, you can decrease your chances of having unwelcome guests and keep your attic organized.

5. Cleanout Your Attic

From eliminating dust and dirt to hammering away exposed nails, an attic cleaning can help to ensure your items are safe and secure in your attic. If, in the process of cleaning your attic, you discover large cracks or holes, see moist or peeling insulation, or smell musty, unpleasant odors, it may mean your attic is in a more serious condition than you anticipated. A professional attic insulation company in Everett can help you inspect your attic and see what needs to be fixed.

At Clean Crawls, we offer attic cleaning, restoration, and insulation services throughout the Everett area. Our skilled team works efficiently and carefully to ensure that your attic is in top condition to fight the summer heat. If you would like more information, feel free to contact us using our contact form, or pick up the phone and give us a call. We’d love to talk with you about how we can meet your attic and insulation needs.

Clean Crawls
3707 124th St NE Marysville, WA 98271
(360) 651-1765