Loft storage

Debbie_S

We boarded out our loft for storage and yesterday I noticed an item had mold on it. We have loads of stuff up there and no room in the house for it. Anything that is in a cardboard box feels damp. The house is 4 years old. The loft is dafty and the floor is well insulated. Now I'm panicking! What do I do?

shop-to-drop

You probably need to get ventilation up there. That needed to be done to our house before we moved in as it was picked up on the survey. A short term solution would be a dehumidifier but need someone to check out ventilation i am guessing.

We have no garage son our roof space is invaluable too!

alanobrien

Definately need more vents in the Soffits.

Ours is a 70's place and the loft was literally dripping until i put a load of these in and now its fine.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=68936&ts=05691

Debbie_S

I think it's too well ventilated. There's a breeze up there! Does anyone know if it would be ok to store everything in plastic tubs?

nearlyrich

Plastic tubs are good but some stuff sweats in plastic, what are you storing?

Debbie_S

Mainly boxed toys, games and books. After seeing a leather briefcase covered in mold it's sent me into a slight panic.

nearlyrich

In your position I would consider what I was storing and why, are you really going to use it again, if not get it on Ebay or a car boot sales ASAP.

If you are going to store it then stuff like books, toys and boxed games would probably be fine in plastic boxes, however keep an eye on it because it's no use if it gets ruined with mould or damp.

Moneymaker

Regardless of anything else, you still need to get the problem of damp corrected. If the ventilation is fine then water must be getting in somewhere. Get expert help if you can't figure it out.

Debbie_S

At £10 per tub I will certainly think hard about what's staying. Seems like one heck of a waste of space if we can't use it for storage. I will get advice. Thank you all for the help. It is very much appreciated.

joey_2

We have the same problem in our loft (new house) when we moved in we put loads up there when we checked it 6 months later it was mostly ruined by mould we had to chuck it all out. We were just told to open the hatch to let the heat up there

Avoriaz

I suggest that you get the builders back to check the loft. You should not be getting damp in a well ventilated modern loft.

Our house if 45 years old and we have kept stuff in the loft in cardboard boxes for decades with no problem. (Why we keep it for decades is the subject for a totally different thread:o )

You need to find the source of the damp. Is there a vent from a shower or bathroom venting or leaking into the loft. Is there a leak in the roof? Do you have a cold water tank or other plumbing up there?