Have you had your crawlspace sealed and weatherproofed since buying your home? If so, chances are there are some items in your living spaces that you may have considered making crawl space storage instead. You may even ask yourself: Is it safe to store these items there? What if they get ruined? How do I store them safely should anything happen? Well, we've got the answers for you! Generally, you want to avoid storing food items and any other items that might attract animals. You'll also want to avoid storing anything that won't take well to frequent and drastic temperature changes, weather changes, and moisture changes. Now, for what you CAN store!

Clothing

Do you keep catching yourself looking at a pile of baby clothes you are saving for a possibility someday? Or how about those summer clothes that you and your family don't need right now because, well, it's winter. Fear not, a renovated crawl space is the perfect place to store your seasonal clothes, baby clothes, dog's clothes, all the clothes! Clearing out unnecessary clothes will make room for other crawl space storage items you need to get to more frequently. Make sure that you securely store your clothing in a vacuum seal bag and, for extra security, in a bin with a lid. Although it is less likely to happen, it would be awful to have mold growth or animals digging around in your clothes.

Seasonal Stuff

Much like the topic of seasonal clothing, you can also store your seasonal items in the crawlspace that are only needed once or twice a year. Anything like Christmas decorations, kayaks (because who needs that in the winter?), bounce houses, and pool supplies can all be safely stored in your crawlspace. They will be out of the way and available when the time calls.

Food

We know we mentioned above to avoid food items, but for clarification, it's food items that animals can sniff out or grow mold that is the problem. Storing canned food items in bulk is not such a bad idea, especially since most people only have so much pantry space. Consider it your own personal market, but underneath your house! Just make sure that, before your store any food items, your crawl space is properly sealed and insulated. These items are best stored in thick plastic bins or their own glass packaging. Basically, crawl space storage is safe for items that can be sealed off well to the outside environment and won't attract critters. The same is true for items that can withstand serious weather or moisture changes. It is imperative to make these small changes, if necessary, before storing your items: 1. Make sure that your crawl space is cleaned out and de-cluttered. You don't want to bring clean items into a dirty, cluttered environment. 2. Build proper shelving units to keep items dry (if a leak occurs) and up off the ground. 3. Make sure that all of your items that have been moved are sealed off properly. It helps to use zip-lock, vacuum storage bags, thick plastic storage bins, and tarps. We at Barrier Waterproofing Systems wish you some Happy Storing and encourage you to give us a call at (615) 257-1060 | (931) 536-1168 for more crawl space information. Schedule a FREE evaluation. This post was originally published on 1/20/2020 and updated on 8/5/2021 for accuracy and a larger scope of information.