tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post2613277805436875448..comments2024-01-16T02:25:40.132-06:00Comments on Challenged Survival: Attic Storage QuestionsMamma Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781533611079940480noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-18478976196897551632012-05-23T22:05:00.730-05:002012-05-23T22:05:00.730-05:00Part 2 finding storage
How much company do you hav...Part 2 finding storage<br />How much company do you have visit, do they<br />come for dinner, or lunch? How long do they<br />stay? This is not to be nosey, it is to help<br />you think of how to store things without<br />bringing them to someone's attention and<br />asking you questions you may not want to<br />answer. Or to expose you to problems later.<br /><br />If you have the room in the kitchen, you can<br />buy a small storage unit designed to hold food<br />or tools. They don't take up much floor<br />space, but have four or more shelves. They<br />can hold lots of food.<br /><br />Wooden file cabinets two or more can also be<br />used for food storage.<br />They also make nice end tables to hold a<br />lamp.<br /><br />Either buy the blocks that raise you bed up<br />or make some with concrete blocks covered<br />with contact paper, fabric or painted. This<br />will raise your bed up a few inches and<br />allow you to store more things there.<br /><br />Make some shelves for the hallway with 1x6 or<br />wider pieces of wood, which can be cut to<br />the length you want at the store you buy them<br />from.<br />You can again use concrete blocks, or glass<br />blocks.<br /><br />I suggest you cover the sides and front of<br />them. You could put books on the top shelf. I<br />suggest that in an apartment you cover,<br />conceal your storage.<br /><br />You have most likely a contract you signed<br />when moving in the apartment that gives<br />management the right to enter to make<br />repairs, treat for insects, or to inspect for<br />up keep on your part. Not usually a problem.<br /><br />Do you have a headboard for your bed?<br />You can use bookshelves for a headboard. Fill<br />the shelves with supplies, and cover the<br />shelves, or turn the open side of the<br />bookshelf to the wall, push the bed against<br />it, and bingo, you have a headboard. And a<br />place to store extra food or whatever you<br />want.<br /><br />You can make a foot board for the bed this<br />way too. Probably want doors on it. or use a<br />short dresser for a foot board.<br /><br />If you have the room, extra dressers can be<br />put in the bedroom for storage,<br /><br />If you can't lift the mattress on the bed to<br />put extra blankets under, put them on the top<br />of the mattress, cover them with a plastic<br />mattress cover, and make the bed as usual.<br /><br />Cover the pillows with extra pillow cases and<br />cover them with plastic pillow covers, then<br />put one over the plastic one for sleeping.<br /><br />You can hang quilts on the wall as decoration<br />until you need to use it. Sheets can be<br />folded and put under couch cushions or chair<br />cushions. Sometimes blankets too.<br /><br />Blankets can also be used as a throw cover<br />over chairs and couches. Some people don't<br />like the look, some do. It is storage in the<br />open,<br /><br />Rethink how items are stacked or arranged in<br />the kitchen shelves. Can you change them, re<br />arrange them to get more use from the space.<br /><br />You can build a small box. wide enough to<br />hold a can of veggies or fruit, however high<br />you want, and the length of a wall in the<br />living room. fill it with food cans, then put<br />the furniture in front of the box. Oh, paint<br />the box to match the wall or wall trim. Most<br />people don't pay attention to little things<br />like that.<br /><br />It is not always convenient to buy something<br />new, especially when you are trying to build<br />up storage items and supplies.<br />And sometimes when you have used something<br />for one purpose for a long time, it is<br />difficult to envision it being used for<br />another purpose.Annie Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07553243771970278638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-50686271929275376772012-05-23T22:04:12.500-05:002012-05-23T22:04:12.500-05:00Part 2 of finding storage
You can slide a flat of...Part 2 of finding storage<br /><br />You can slide a flat of tuna under the couch.<br />Do you have an entertainment center, are<br />there doors on it?<br />If the doors are glass or plastic see<br />through, put a covering over them and put<br />food in there.<br /><br />You can buy a shower curtain with pockets on<br />it to put in shampoo, soap, scrubbies, etc.<br />or make one.<br /><br />A hanging shelf in your closet that is<br />supposed to be for handbags and sweaters, can<br />hold those and also supplies. Zip up and<br />things are out of sight.<br /><br />Put extra blankets and sheets under your<br />mattress.<br />Take out the last drawer of your dresser and<br />put things on the floor.<br />Under your kitchen sink for plastic bags, and<br />items that won't ruin if wet.<br /><br />Do you use the oven of your stove? Does it<br />have a pilot light.?<br />Store extra kitchen tools there,<br />Buy gift boxes, fill them with whatever you<br />want, slide them under the living room<br />chairs.<br /><br />Cover a window with cardboard covered with<br />material to look like a curtain from outside.<br />Then put small shelves in the window, fill<br />with goodies, and hang a curtain over it from<br />the inside of the house.<br />From outside it looks like a curtain, from<br />inside it looks like a curtain.<br /><br />You can also get boxes and label them, summer<br />blouses, winter blouses. Hats, scarves,<br />Christmas decorations, and put them on a<br />closet shelf.Annie Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07553243771970278638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-62538427839350531192012-05-23T22:02:29.982-05:002012-05-23T22:02:29.982-05:00I agree with the others on storing clothes, paper ...I agree with the others on storing clothes, paper products. off season items. and am including this article I found on another blog, <br />Annie<br /><br />Finding Storage Space<br /><br />Always looking for somewhere to put more preps.<br />All the usual space is taken up, and if you are like me,<br />you can always use more space for those goodies you want to<br />stock for later.<br /><br />Think you are out of space?<br /><br />You have space under the bed, on the floor of<br />the closet, and on closet shelves.<br /><br />Buy a shoe bag and hang it on the inside of<br />your closet door.<br />Those little pockets can hold an amazing<br />amount of stuff.<br />Extra meds, medical supplies, baby wipes, or<br />food.<br /><br />Candy, dried fruits, etc. Whatever you want<br />to store that is small enough to fit and not<br />so heavy as to tear the pockets.<br /><br />You can hang one on the inside of the<br />bathroom door for extra supplies there too.<br />Bath tissue, peroxide, q-tips, make up. And<br />yes you can store extra make up.<br /><br />Under the bathroom sink is a good place for<br />plastic containers with goodies. Make sure<br />that if the pipe breaks it will not ruin<br />whatever is under the sink.<br /><br />For thirty or forty dollars from Wal-Mart or<br />Kmart you can buy a shelf stand that goes<br />over the toilet tank. It will have either<br />open shelves or one or two with doors over<br />them. This will offer you storage you can<br />take with you when you leave, and also does<br />nothing to alter the walls of your bathroom.<br /><br />Bookcases. you can stack cans behind books on<br />bookcases. or put doors or a curtain over the<br />front of the bookcase and stack food or<br />supplies there.<br /><br />Do you have a suitcase or overnight case? Fill<br />them with items to take with you if you have<br />to leave.<br /><br />The trunk of your car holds an amazing amount<br />of blankets, water, and dry foods.<br /><br />Do you have extra purses? Fill them too.<br />The drawers of your dressers, Canned foods<br />can go in the back of the drawers, or under<br />clothes.<br /><br />Is the furniture yours? We found end tables<br />at the thrift stores that look like a drum,<br />closed on the sides, with one door that<br />opens, it holds lots of food out of sight.Annie Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07553243771970278638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-63019080106835395922012-05-16T21:00:53.028-05:002012-05-16T21:00:53.028-05:00Fumes from mothballs are hazardous. And, you will ...Fumes from mothballs are hazardous. And, you will have mothball scented tp. Vents need to have fine screens over them even if they do have the louvered type things. Try putting cedar shavings in cotton bags in the attic. Even tp will disintegrate up there in the heat and over time. Mice and rats will get in an attic if they have any clue there is food. Tp would make good bedding for vermin.Practical Parsimonyhttp://www.practical-parsimony.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-75358827229664265212012-05-14T15:42:14.346-05:002012-05-14T15:42:14.346-05:00uggh DaddyBear...I did not think of moths...I don&...uggh DaddyBear...I did not think of moths...I don't have a problem in our closets, should I expect a problem in the attic crawl space? I just don't want moth ball scented TP or paper towels...LOLMamma Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781533611079940480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-70331763562347163532012-05-13T12:56:11.334-05:002012-05-13T12:56:11.334-05:00No matter what you put up there, I'd suggest s...No matter what you put up there, I'd suggest some moth balls to discourage fuzzy little visitors.DaddyBearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07508543148426098384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-38339771930310140682012-05-13T07:57:46.214-05:002012-05-13T07:57:46.214-05:00thank you kymber.... I can always count on all of ...thank you kymber.... I can always count on all of you to help me with questions I do not know the answer too. Unless we do an addition we are almost out of storage room and we don't want the expense of an addition. <br /><br />We are still working on a pole barn over my Mom's little trailer and will eventually close one end of that for more storage but that too will be to hot for food and in a barn you have to worry about critters that eventually find their way in.Mamma Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781533611079940480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-79217996918039000102012-05-13T07:52:07.876-05:002012-05-13T07:52:07.876-05:00Thank the guru for me!.... We have the vents all a...Thank the guru for me!.... We have the vents all around the eaves of the house and one large vent in one of the gables. I read on DIY network how to install attic stairs and place the plywood. I think it said the weight could only be 10 pounds per square feet. I may be wrong on that. I doubt we would go as far as installing stairs, our step ladder works fine on the few times Papa Bear has had to go up there.Mamma Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781533611079940480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-67204543772423807222012-05-13T07:46:33.724-05:002012-05-13T07:46:33.724-05:00russell... I know it is hot up there. Some of the...russell... I know it is hot up there. Some of the web sites I have found suggest Rubbermaid containers with enough space between to allow air circulation but the web site didn't tell me what they stored. Only said not to store delicate items or pictures. I just want to store some extra supplies like tissue, paper towels, detergent and maybe the Attends (adult diapers) my son has to have.Mamma Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781533611079940480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-52344679367999097502012-05-13T07:42:32.424-05:002012-05-13T07:42:32.424-05:00Rob.. I don't know the actual temperature but ...Rob.. I don't know the actual temperature but I know in the summer I have seen Papa Bear come out pouring sweat when he's had to go up there to run a wire. I have had Christmas candles melt in our sheds during the summer so I know that attic crawl space is hot.Mamma Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781533611079940480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-56416938432358277602012-05-12T11:17:19.372-05:002012-05-12T11:17:19.372-05:00i'm with Rob, Russell and Mr. Smythe. you shou...i'm with Rob, Russell and Mr. Smythe. you should be fine storing summer/winter clothes, paper items, trinkets, mementos, linen, etc. <br /><br />your friend,<br />kymberkymberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02607117635648274823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-15084308327017599382012-05-12T10:49:54.006-05:002012-05-12T10:49:54.006-05:00I asked the guru if he'd comment on thisand he...I asked the guru if he'd comment on thisand here's what he said: Most attics are (or should be) properly vented with ridge vents or similar, so the air should not be stagnant. Other than food supplies, almost anything can be kept in the attic. Paper items in their original wrappings should be fine for quite some time, as should laundry detergents. Items stored in closed trunks or plastic containers (clothing, paperwork, tools, shoes, etc.) store very well for the most part and sealable containers keep any bugs out. Liquids, chemicals (paint, solvents, oils, bleach, etc.), and fuels should never be stored in an attic. Just remember to allow room for air to flow freely around the containers, and do not over-fill the attic. I would avoid storing certain items in the attic, which may get overly hot in the summer — although ammo is often subjected to high temperature storage in combat zones with little if any deterioration, it might be best to keep it in more comfortable temperatures.Gorges Smythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777621500611603786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-64828838170276840302012-05-11T21:30:09.811-05:002012-05-11T21:30:09.811-05:00Paper ignites at something like farenheit 456, thu...Paper ignites at something like farenheit 456, thus the name of the famous novel.<br /><br />I agree with Rob, paper and clothes, and ornaments.<br /><br />Make sure there is some sort of ventilation, even if you don't store anything up there that is good to check.russell1200https://www.blogger.com/profile/16258915475311426433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978488915630500345.post-71300926501652346392012-05-11T17:44:51.122-05:002012-05-11T17:44:51.122-05:00i would not put anything up there without knowing ...i would not put anything up there without knowing how hot it gets up there. I would not place anything that is temp. sensitive. Clothes or paper mostly. You can get some of those bags for clothes that you can use the vacuum to suck all the air out. to seal.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16800149852939042454noreply@blogger.com