If you have the option of both, do you prefer to store things (holiday items, outgrown clothes you’re saving for another child, baby gear, toys, sports equipment) in your attic or basement? I’ve always felt the basement is better because it’s more climate controlled, but I guess there’s more chance of moisture/flood damage down there? We just moved some things to the attic to make the basement look less cluttered, and I am a little bit worried about them being exposed to/damaged by high summer temperatures. Am I being paranoid? How do you like to store items?
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I store clothing (different seasons or outgrown baby clothes) in vacuum bags in the attic, I also store holiday decorations in the attic. We have a finished basement and the little bit of storage we have is stuffed with outgrown baby gear and toys.
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@Sams Mom: Thanks. So do you feel like the plastic on the baby gear is safer from heat-induced breakdown/brittleness in the basement? Or is that just kind of how it worked out?
The baby gear is precisely what I shoved in the attic, because our basement storage area is easier to access quickly (for things like clothes), and I figure I'm not going to need baby gear in a hurry.
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@PinkElephant: That was part of it, and they fit under the guest bed really well when folded flat (bouncer, walker, pack n plays)
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Our attic isn't big, and it's hard to get up there so we don't really store anything there. Our basement is finished and I prefer to store things there for easier access. But actually all the girls stuff is still in the nursery; both girls sleep with us and so the nursery currently is just storage
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@PinkElephant: Our attic storage is easier to get to than our basement so we've been storing more things up there. I do know that it gets HOT and things that melt will melt, so I don't put any candles or waxy items up there. I haven't had a problem with anything else.
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We have a big partially finished storage area with shelves in the basement so we use that- things get super dusty in there so we have to have everything covered, but it’s way easier to access than the attic. We actually don’t have anything in the attic since we have so much space in the basement and it’s a pull down ladder to get up there.
Kids clothes that are still in rotation are in large plastic bins in the guest room closet though (like the size between my two girls, and the current bin for each of them that I put things as they outgrow them.
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I'd prefer a basement since for some reason it seems more accessible. But I have neither a basement nor an attic, so I just dream of storage in general.
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@psw27: our basement storage room was a huge pro when we moved to our house from the city!
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Thanks, all!
@Foodnerd81: The current-just-outgrown bin is a smart idea. I keep the "next size" bin for each of my girls in their closets (they have huuuuge walk ins, so there's space) - I should keep a bin for outgrown clothes too, to save myself the giant closet purge at the end of each season (my project for next week when they go to camp...ugh).
@psw27: I hear you! We've lived in apartments with no storage before, so having this conundrum this is a dream come true for me.
@BadgerMom: Yup, definitely no crayons/candles/toiletries/food....I just even wonder if things like elastic waists or spandex swimsuits get damaged by the heat (you know how sometimes you pull something out of storage and the elastic just crumbles?)
@Sams Mom: hehe, hide it anywhere you can! I definitely had to get creative when we had fewer storage options.
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@BadgerMom: the first year we lived in Texas I left some seasonal candles in a plastic bin in our shed ... you can imagine how that turned out!!
We don’t have basements here so attic and shed are our options (and neither is very big nor is our closet space - so I try to purge/donate frequently as well). I generally try to keep fabrics (including any pillows etc) in the actual closets or under beds, here I’m more worried about pests getting in (gross). Seasonal stuff has otherwise done fine in the shed and old baby stuff was in bins in the attic. I did worry a bit about storing our baby car seat in the garage (it faces due west and gets so hot as well) but it ended up expiring anyway ... however I’d assume for that stuff that they test pretty extreme conditions when setting the expiration. I would love a basement! I grew up with them and really miss the storage.
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@PinkElephant: I am constantly asking myself how we have soooo much stuff!? We went from a 1350 sq ft house to a 2950 sq ft house almost 2 years ago and it still seems like we have crap everywhere 🤦♀️
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@bhbee: ugh! My kids left crayons on our freshly power-washed deck last summer. DH was not amused at having to scrape them off with a putty knife!
@Sams Mom: I majorly need to purge, particularly the kid stuff....but I have three little girls all in a 4 year age span (almost 6, 4, almost 2)...so I hate to get rid of things that someone will still use, and I'm not 100000% sure our family is finished, so.....stuff.
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@PinkElephant: sounds like my sisters and me! My older sister is 2y4m older than me and my little sister is 23 months younger than me, my mom had so much stuff for us she hung onto to get all the use out of 🤣
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We use our attic for storage and had our basement finished into a playroom/extra living space. Our main floor living space isn't huge so it's nice to have some bigger toys out of the way and it gives my son a chance to run around inside.
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