who is having to empty loft to move in a 3 storey house

mercedes125

For the past month we have been sorting the loft out you wouldnt believe how much stuff is up there given a lot to charity, we will never save as much stuff again it has learnt us a lesson. The reason being is because we are moving in to a 3 storey house so no loft just a small cupboard, still dont know how we will manage. Is any one else having to do the same.

owner

I'm moving from a 4 bed detached to a 2 bed flat ! I haven't even started on my loft yet, too scared to look !

QTPie

About 3 years ago, I helped my Mum clean out the loft from her house (my Dad had died a couple of years previously and she was downsizing). They had lived there for 35 years! You wouldn't believe what was up there! Every time my parents finished with an old suitcase, it would get thrown up there (we must have brough 15/20 down!). There were even my old terry cloth nappies up there :rolleyes: (I am 35 now). AND don't get me started on the creepy crawlies... Spiders as big as me!!! :eek:

I am (and always have been) a fanatical "de-clutterer". The only things to be "kept" are sentimental things (no old nappies, no old suitcases, no tailors' dummies... :cool: ). Even our wardrobes get regular clear outs: husband has no idea when I send half od his clothes to charity each year (if he doesn't miss them, then I must be doing something right!)

QT

becky2011

We are moving in a couple of weeks time from a house we moved into about 2 years ago. There are boxes in the basement that I have not even opened from when we last moved!!! So I have decided that if we haven't used/needed the stuff for that long it's being thrown away or being given to a charity shop.
Never again will I keep so much junk!

mercedes125

I think when you have to clear everything out of the loft it does learn you to not save everything i have now thrown away all birthday cards that i have saved from kids been young they are 22yrs old now, bags of clothes even carpets why would we save them lol, put it this way charity have been four times and they couldnt believe how much they have taken each time and theres more to come.

QTPie

mercedes125 wrote: »

I think when you have to clear everything out of the loft it does learn you to not save everything i have now thrown away all birthday cards that i have saved from kids been young they are 22yrs old now, bags of clothes even carpets why would we save them lol, put it this way charity have been four times and they couldnt believe how much they have taken each time and theres more to come.

As my husband says "you never know if it will come in useful!" (as he stuffs it in the draw/wardrobe/garage). I have had to prise holely t-shirts out of his hands before now....

There is only so much that you can keep (or would want to keep). Fortunately charities/receycling are often a good way to deal with things (rather than just keeping them in your loft... )

QT

poppysarah

tut! holey t-shirts go out into the garage into the rag bag - multiple uses if they're cotton.


I'd not thought about it before but yeah these tall town houses don't have a proper loft at all. I did see a friends "cupboard" that was huge but not like the space you have in a proper loft.

mlz1413

1) Lofts are for insulation or converting - never should 'stuff' end up there - if you don't need it you don't need it, give it away, car boot it or throw it.

2) If you would rather ring in sick than go into work in 'that' item of clothing then it needs throwing away.

Lofts are like garages they attract 'stuff'.

I'm not a hoarder but I'm also not a minimimalist so do have clutter, but if the original space allocated for it gets over run then I think of the last time I actually looked through the pile and make a decision from there as to how much needs keeping, above are my 2 main rules.

When you only know that a certain area has 'stuff' in it then it's time to empty it! Only keep the things you know about - everything else is useless as you don't know you have it!

QTPie

poppysarah wrote: »

tut! holey t-shirts go out into the garage into the rag bag - multiple uses if they're cotton.

Yeah, husband has uses for them - wearing them! Only for sports, but still...

Men... you can't like with them and you can't live with them

QT

getmore4less

mlz1413 wrote: »

1)
Lofts are like garages they attract 'stuff'.

Our double garage has a loft(proper ceiling with hatch).

It was a mistake putting stuff up there without a list,

not been up for 8 years and is not easy now the garage is full of junk.

The main loft we have tried to make sure it is just packing boxes for stuff in case we move.

Doozergirl

QTPie wrote: »

As my husband says "you never know if it will come in useful!" (as he stuffs it in the draw/wardrobe/garage). I have had to prise holely t-shirts out of his hands before now....

QT

I'm a fanatical declutterer too but my H is the same, if not worse. My loft contains only the Xmas decs and a box of photo albums from when I was a kid. The garage is his domain (I don't do dirt) and I can tell you that there is no room for anything in there at all. Nothing. The garden furniture and the kids bikes have spent all winter outside because there is no room for anything. I don't even know what's in there

I saw him this morning moving a load of stuff off the plasterboard he bought for our bedroom - he'd laid that diagonally in there as well! How it didn't break!

The irony is that it's only been 13 months since we moved from a 3 storey house.