While your basement seems like the perfect storage solution for a lot of people, there are actually quite a few things that should not be kept down there.
An unfinished basement is often a family's go to when it comes to stacking old boxes of toys, or old clothes, but there are some things you should know before you do this in your own home.
These are the things you should never store in your basement.
1. Photographs
Keeping old photos boxed up seems like a great idea, especially because it'll keep them out of the way, but the moisture that always hangs in the wait in the basement can be extremely damaging to pictures.
Damp basements will cause the pictures to get ruined over time, and then you're going to lose all of those memories. It's best to keep them stored upstairs, and maybe keep a few packets of silica gel in the boxes just in case!
2. Electronics
Once again, moisture is a big issue in basements, so keeping your extra camera, DVD players, or old gaming systems can become an issue.
Moisture can get into the mechanisms and render them useless pretty quickly. If you are needing to keep things in your basement, a dehumidifier is going to be your best friend, because the biggest issue with a basement is always the humidity.
If you need one, there are often several on sale on Amazon. A small dehumidifier can gather up to 24 fl. oz. of water in a day which should help lower the risk of damage to all your items.
3. Clothing
Throwing all of those winter clothes in the basement may sound like a great idea, but the humidity can cause mold to grow in fabrics like cotton and linen when it reaches 80%.
You are much better off storing your extra clothes under your bed. They even make handy storage options that fit under most bed frames.
4. Stuffed Animals
Putting your childhood toys in a box in your basement is really not a good option. First of all, as you can probably guess, the moisture in the air may lead to mold, but that's not the only issue.
Dust mites and mice may look at these soft toys as the perfect breeding ground. They will end up making nests or destroying them completely.
5. Important Papers
Passports, birth certificates, and medical records should never be placed in the basement because of, you guessed it, humidity.
If you absolutely need to keep them in the basement, use air tight totes and silica gel packets to make sure the moisture won't harm your documents.
6. Some Types Of Food
While canned goods should be fine, anything perishable is going to be best kept up in the kitchen.
Having anything that is perishable will likely attract insects or mice, and you really don't want to have to fight them for your food right?
7. Books
Silverfish love to live in basements and they apparently love eating the glue that holds book covers together. Keep your books safe by storing them upstairs where it's dry.
If you have a finished basement that is climate controlled with a dehumidifier, you are probably going to be okay, but for those with unfinished basements, make sure you take care with of the items you store down there before it's too late!
Do you store a lot of things in your unfinished basement?
Source - Reader's Digest / Real Estate News / Good Housekeeping / The Spruce
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