Items You Can Safely Place in Crawl Space Storage (Easy List)
Regardless of the size of your home, you’ll always need extra space to store extra items you hardly use. If your home has a crawl space, you realize that it’s hardly occupied and it can make for a convenient storage area. Here’s how to make the crawl space storage ideal for your needs.
What Can You Keep in Your Crawl Space Storage?
Before you decide to keep items in your crawl space, ensure that they don’t attract pests or even rodents. Here are some items that are ideal for your crawl space storage.
Hardly used Items
Do you have items that you hardly use? The answer to this question is a definite yes. Everybody has various items in their homes which they hardly use. This means that you can keep them in the crawl space storage without having to access it frequently. Keeping such items in your ready to access storage space eats up space you would have used for other important items.
Take for example Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, or toys that your babies have outgrown. Some of these things are used once a year. In fact, some people keep on buying new ones each year. Storing them is your crawl space, therefore, is the best idea towards decluttering your home, and making them accessible only when the need arises.
Clothing
If you have a family, chance are you have a bundle or even several bundles of clothes that you never use. This is bound to happen in every family as children outgrow clothes. Storing clothes you hardly wear can be an arduous task and if you hardly give them out, they can accumulate and make your home unnecessarily cluttered.
You, of course, don’t want this to happen to you. Do you have a crawl space in your home? Have you considered keeping the clothes you never wear in boxes and storing the boxes in your crawl space? If you haven’t, then you may as well start preparing your crawl space in a bid to make it a storage area.
You can even store your seasonal clothes in the crawl space storage when you don’t need them. For instance, you don’t need winter clothes during summer, just the same way you’ll not dare dress in summer clothes during winter. Store what you’re not wearing in your crawl space and alternate accordingly. Whatever you do, ensure that all clothing is stored in a thick and well-secured plastic bin to prevent pests from destroying them.
Food
If you’re like many people who purchase food in bulk, you’ll have surplus food and perhaps nowhere to keep them. Have you thought about using your crawl space storage to keep your food? Perhaps your crawl space is inaccessible. However, if your crawl space is accessible you can package the food that you need to store.
However, ensure that your crawl space is clean, insulated, and sealed. Some of the food items you can keep in your home include; dry and canned foods. Keep your foodstuff in glass or thick plastic containers to discourage pests from invading them.
Other Items
There are many other items you can store in your crawl space such as; household utensils, farm appliances, tool bags, hardly used electrical appliances, or even craft supplies. However, the number of items you can store in the crawl space storage will depend on the size of your crawl space.
Factors to Consider before using the Crawl Space Storage
There are various things you should do before using your crawl space as a storage area. For starters, you want to prepare your crawl space to ensure that it’s fit for storage. Remember, if you don’t store your items well, then you’ll end up with damaged properties that’ll probably be infested by pests. The worst thing is that these pests could find hostage in your home hence compromise your safety and health. Here’s how you can prepare your crawl space for storage.
How to Prepare Your Crawl Space
Clean your crawl space thoroughly. Eliminate any clutter, debris, or old insulation. Check for mold and if there are any signs of mold or mildew infestation, consult a professional and have them remove it.
Is your space susceptible to flooding? If you live in areas which experience lots of rain, you may want to install a sump pump. This gadget collects water underneath and transfers it to the pump, helping you maintain a dry floor.
Use vapor barrier to seal all the floors and walls to keep moisture at bay. Check your crawl space door. Does it show any signs of aging? If it does, you’ll need to fix or replace it if it’s beyond repair. You can even opt for a concrete floor on your crawl space as its best placed to offer the ultimate protection against moisture. Seek the services of a reliable and qualified contractor should you want a concrete renovation.
Insulate your crawl space walls using stiff foam to make your home energy efficient. The advantage of using stiff foam is; it improves air quality within your crawl space. You can choose from the various available insulation types depending on ventilation. Remember, some crawl spaces are ventilated while others aren’t. You may have to consult the building association in your locality to establish the ventilation codes in your area.
If you don’t have a concrete floor, opt for a rubber mat drainage flooring option. Once you’ve laid the mat flooring cover using stiff foam insulation, proceed to cover it using a moisture barrier. Seal it appropriately using heavy duty tape. If you want to enhance protection in your crawl space, prolong the barrier across the insulated walls for approximately 12 to 18 inches. Use heavy-duty tape to seal the walls.
Useful Tips
Install shelves across your crawl space perimeter. This is an optional step but it can go a long way in protecting your items from moisture damage. What’s more, storing your items away from the ground protects them in the event of flooding. Shelving will also make your crawl space more organized.
Ensure your items are packed appropriately. Find durable containers complete with a lid to keep your items dry. The containers you choose should be strong enough to prevent moisture from penetrating through. You may want to label each container to easily identify what each container holds.
Lighting is critical, while you may use a flashlight every time you’re accessing the crawl space, adding a lighting source in the crawl space enhances convenience. Where there’s no proper lighting, there’s likely to be an improper use of space. Seeing that you don’t need too much lighting in the crawl space, you can choose a low voltage system.
Finally
Even when you have a big home, having an extra area where you can store seasonally used items is a plus. The good thing about using your crawl space is that you become more conscious about the area, check it regularly and ensure that it’s clean and well maintained. Many crawl spaces are neglected and end up infested with mold, mildew, or even pests and this can be hazardous to your health. A properly maintained crawl space can be all you need to cut down your energy costs.
