I got this in an e-mail from The Survival Mom, Lisa Bedford and I thought that you might enjoy.
Too many preps, too little room?
How & Where To Store Non-Food Prepper Items
Let's face it. When it comes to being prepared for even the most common emergencies, such as long term power outages, there is a LOT of stuff one should have on hand! Medical supplies, hygiene products, flashlights, lamps and candles, batteries, extra blankets, non-electric cooking essentials... I think many of us have at some point asked the question- Where in the world are we supposed to put it all??
If you are fortunate enough to have a basement in your home, I hope you are making good use of it. The rest of us have to get creative.
The main thing you need to think about when trying to find places to store your supplies is that wherever you decide to put them must be dry and at a comfortable temperature. Batteries, medical supplies, candles, hygiene products- many of these items will quickly ruin when subjected to extreme high or low temperatures. The attic is probably not a great spot to stash stuff, other than maybe a tote of extra blankets and warm clothing.
Places To Stash Stuff Around The House
The very first thing I would HIGHLY recommend everyone do is DECLUTTER. We all have it. Stuff crammed in closets and cabinets, things we haven't touched or even thought about in years.
Do yourself a favor and simplify your life by letting go . Then work your waythrough the spaces and condense what's left to make room for storage supplies.
Cabinets- In the kitchen, the bathroom, wherever they are- use them. Put stuff in cheap storage boxes if you have to in order to stack things and maximize vertical space. Group similar items together in small bins and baskets.
Shelves- How high can you go? Is there dead space way up above your existing shelves? Can you install more to make better use of that space?
Closets- I want you to work hard at converting one of your existing closets into one foremergency supplies only. In our master bedroom we have a "his" and "hers" closet. I had my husband install another shelf in his closet for me to hang my clothes on, and we built wrap around shelves in my previous closet to use for storage.
Underneath Beds- You'd be amazed at how much stuff you can slide underneath a bed. If you have to raise the legs of the beds up a little to accommodate boxes or totes, they make risers you can use for just this purpose. Or an old brick works just as well. A nice bedskirt will hide your stockpile beautifully. Read this tip for more help.
Storage Furniture- If you're really tight on space you might consider swapping out your coffee table for one that opens up and has storage space inside. Same goes for using storage benches and ottomans when possible.
However you decide to store it, it's a good idea to keep a log of the items you have in your storage, and where exactly they are so that you can find them in a hurry when you need them. Keep paper products and blankets somewhere rodent proof. I love using plastic storage totes to organize and protect our goods.
Be encouraged. I'm betting there's lots of wasted space in your home just waiting to be used. It might take some purging and organizing, but you'll find it!
I highly recommend checking out The Survival Mom Radio Network. I love it (though I'm a bit behind on catching the individual shows as they air, but it's been fun to at least try & catch as many of the cool topics as I can. They might not all apply to me directly, but a good percentage of them do and it's great to hear things from the "Mom" perspective. :-)
And from one of my favorite blogs/sites......DIY Natural....
Pretty cool stuff! :-)
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