The Role of the Attic and Why It’s Important to Clean It Regularly

The attic is probably the part of your house that you think about the least. It’s just extra storage space, no? Or perhaps it’s a creepy, stuffy area that you don’t like to venture into? In reality, your attic has an important role, and it’s important that you keep it clean and well-maintained.

In this post, we’ll explain exactly what the attic does and why it’s a staple in house construction. Then, we’ll go over why you should keep it clean, with a few attic cleaning tips.

The Attic’s Role

The attic has a few roles - it’s more than just an extra room on top of your house.

The attic’s main job is to help to regulate the temperature in your house all year round. In the winter, without an attic, hot air rises and escapes through the roof. An insulated attic, on the other hand, traps that hot air inside, and helps to keep the house warm.

In the summer, the attic will also absorb some heat from the roof, but insulation will prevent it from trickling into the rest of the house and overheating.

As a side effect of regulating the temperature in your home, your attic also prevents energy expenditure on things like heating and cooling. It’s better for the environment, and it’ll also help keep your heating costs down.

Finally, credit where it's due - the attic can be excellent storage space for those items you only need for a few weeks out of the year. Just remember that the attic goes through major temperature fluctuations, so don’t store any cold or heat-sensitive items up there.

The Importance of Regularly Cleaning Your Attic

The attic accumulates dust. Once it gets especially dusty, those dust particles can circulate through your home, making for poorer air quality. If anyone in your family has dust allergies, it can be particularly unpleasant!

If there are any ventilation issues, it can also get damp, which can lead to mold. This can also have a very negative impact on the air quality in your home and can lead to serious respiratory issues.

Cleaning the attic regularly is important because it allows you to examine the overall state of the space. You can look out for signs of roof rats or mice, and check on the insulation and ventilation.

If you use the attic as storage space, giving it a good clean on the regular will help eliminate dust, debris, and other contaminants.

Plus, there’s just the sheer peace of mind that a clean attic offers. We don’t need a lot of the stuff we keep in the attic, and without regular cleaning and sorting, it can become a disaster. At least once a year, take some inspiration from Marie Kondo and try to remove all the items in the attic that aren’t really useful anymore.

Attic Cleaning Tips

Here are our tips for cleaning your attic, especially if you’re going to do it by yourself.

• Check on the attic at least 2-4 times a year, to see what kind of condition it is in.

• Choose a day when the weather is fairly mild since the attic can get very hot or very cold depending on the temperature outside.

• Wear a face mask and even protective clothing and gloves if your attic is unfinished. You want to avoid breathing in dust or touching anything harmful or toxic, like exposed insulation.

• Approach organizing the attic as you would any other storage space, and plan to go over items and decide what will stay, what needs to be thrown out, and what can be donated.

• Bring a broom or vacuum cleaner up with you, so you can get rid of dust buildup.

• Examine the insulation and the rafters if they’re exposed, and look for signs of damage, dampness, rodents, or mold.

Professional Attic Cleaning

Depending on the condition of your attic, you might be able to clean it up all by yourself. For example, if it’s just a little messy and dusty, you can probably handle it by yourself.

However, if your attic has serious issues, it’s better to call professionals for your attic cleaning. Some of these issues include insect or rodent infestations, damage to your insulation, dampness, and mold buildup.

Unless you’re especially handy or adept at big construction projects, dealing with these issues can be difficult and dangerous. It may require expensive equipment that you probably don’t have on hand.

Professionals like our team at Green Rodent Restoration have the experience to solve these issues quickly and easily, to make your attic a safe space that effectively protects your home.

Reach out to us today for a free estimate!