When you have gone through the house, cleared out what is no longer needed either to be dumped or recycled, you then have to bite the bullet and deal with the loft. The loft is a wonderful place to throw things that will be useful later or, if you have just moved in, boxes still packed and not urgently needed but are taking up space at the moment.

Ideally, you will want to use the loft as a storage area. If so, there needs to be a way of accessing it reasonably easily and providing adequate light to enable you to move around safely. Another good idea is to board it over to cut out the risk of accidentally putting your foot through the floor. Not forgetting that, depending how much you intend to store there, the extra weight maybe too much for the ceiling to bear.

The wall furthest from the access point would be a good place to install shelves or shelving systems. Consider flattening out the boxes specifically used to hold, for instance, computers, the television, DVD recorder and so forth, then storing them out of the way at the lowest part of the loft in case they are needed again.

Next, you must decide what stays and what goes. Documents from the bank, insurance company, utility companies, for example, could be sorted into separate envelopes then into plastic storage boxes and onto the shelves. Record collections, books and toys will probably also figure in your personal Aladdin’s Cave.